This document provides information about Experiential Learning Credit (ELC) at the University of Memphis. ELC allows students to earn college credit for knowledge and skills gained through work, military, volunteer, or life experiences. Students can earn up to 30 undergraduate credits or 9 graduate credits through ELC. The benefits of ELC include accelerated degree completion and significant cost savings compared to traditional courses. To receive ELC, students must submit documentation of their experiences and have their portfolio evaluated by a faculty member. The portfolio requires narratives, reflections, and evidence of learning. The document outlines the ELC application process and requirements.

1. EXPERIENTIAL
LEARNING CREDIT
University of Memphis

2. LEARN HOW TO MAKE YOUR EXPERIENCE COUNT
Have you gained valuable knowledge and skills
throughout your various experiences?

3. Experiential Learning Credit (ELC) is a
highly individualized process whereby
students can use the learning
outcomes that they have earned
through a broad range of
experiences to petition for college
credit.
What is ELC?

4. • An ELC award will accelerate your degree
completion.
• Undergraduate students are permitted up to 30 ELC
hours of awarded credit.
• Graduate students are permitted up to 9 ELC hours
of awarded credit.
*Contact the ELC Coordinator or your Academic Advisor
to find out how many ELC hours your individual program
will accept.
What are the benefits of ELC?

5. • An ELC award will allow you to save a
tremendous amount of money.
• Undergraduate ELC hours are charged
at $75.00 per credit hour.
• Graduate hours are charged at
$100.00 per credit hour.
What are the benefits of ELC ?
*Contact the ELC Coordinator to find out how you may utilize your
Financial Aid award to cover ELC costs.

6. v Current or Previous Work Experience
v Worksite Training/Professional Development
v Military Training
v Professional Certifications
v Entrepreneurship
v Volunteerism
v Unique Life Experiences
v Open Education Resources
What type of experiences may be
worthy of ELC?

7. Credit is based on a faculty
evaluator’s assessment of your
portfolio.
How is ELC awarded?

8. What do I
What do I need to submit for
evaluation?
1. Gather any documentation of your certificates, trainings, and licenses
2. Those that are an exact match to a pre-assessed experience will be
awarded credit (Option #1)
3. Experiential Learning Credit Portfolio (Option #2) Documentation
similar but without an exact match. You will be notified of the option
of completing an Experiential Learning Portfolio.

9. § Complete an online portfolio
development course with seven modules.
• This course is intended to guide
students. Please note that the ELC
process is for highly independent
students. If you need a lot of guidance,
registering for an on-campus course
might be more beneficial.
How do I document my experiences
in an ELC portfolio?

10. What are the necessary components of
an ELC Portfolio?
¨ Cover Page
¨ Table of Contents
¨ Target Statement
¨ Critical Learning
Event Narratives
¨ Reflective Essay
q Detailed Resume
¨ Letter of Intent
¨ Timeline of Key
Learning Events
¨ Supportive
Documentation of
your Experiences

11. What does a finished portfolio look
like?
¨ Click here to view
Brad’s ELC Portfolio.
¨ Click here to view
Jonathan’s ELC
Portfolio.
¨ Click here to view
Jonathan’s evidence.
¨ Click here to view
Janice’s ELC Portfolio.
¨ Click here to view
Jason’s ELC Portfolio.
Undergraduate Submissions Graduate Submissions

12. • You will develop your portfolio during the
completion of seven modules.
• The course is self-paced. You will develop a timeline with the
ELC Coordinator to fit your schedule.
• It is highly recommended that the portfolio be completed within
a semester in order to incorporate the ELC award into degree
planning.
How long does it take to develop an
ELC Portfolio?

13. • Assessments are completed in a
timely fashion, generally within the
same semester, dependent upon
submission date.
• The ELC Coordinator will notify
you of the evaluator’s decision via
email.
How long does it take to find out if I
have been awarded the credit?

14. I have experiences that are listed as
Pre-Assessed. How do I get started?
¨ Contact the ELC staff at:
elc_program@memphis.edu to schedule an
appointment.
OR
q Call the office at 901 678-2754

15. It’s time to get started…
GATHER ANY DOCUMENTATION
Gather any documentation of
certifications, formal trainings, or
licenses.
This will determine which out of the 2
options that you are allowed to be
awarded ELC credit.
If you do not have any certifications
or licenses, you will complete an ELC
Portfolio (Option #2).
SUBMIT THOSE DOCUMENTATIONS
Scan and email all of your
documentations to
elc_program@memphis.edu
OR
Make copies and submit them in a
manila envelope which contains your
full name and University ID Number
YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED
Our office will notify you of which
option that you have to be awarded
ELC credit.
Contact the ELC Coordinator if you have any questions about how
to get started.

16. I have experiences that I want to document
in an ELC Portfolio. How do I get started?
You will need to complete four
steps in order to get started.
1. Complete the Learning
Outcomes Worksheet (LOW)
2. Complete the Letter of Intent
(LOI)
3. Submit you Portfolio Deposit
4. Forward your LOW, LOI, and
a copy of your payment
receipt to:
elc_program@memphis.edu
COMPLETE YOU LEARNING OUTCOMES WORKSHEET
The Learning Outcomes
Worksheet allows you to
identify those broad
disciplines on your resume that
connect to the college
classroom.
COMPLETE THE LETTER OF INTENT
The Letter of Intent allows you
to identify the areas of your
expertise that you hope to
receive ELC credit.
SUBMIT YOUR PORTFOLIO DEPOSIT
Undergraduate students are
required to submit a $75.00
Portfolio Evaluation Deposit.
Graduate students are
required to submit a $100.00
Portfolio Evaluation Deposit.
Forward your LOW, LOI, &
Deposit
Forward your Letter of Intent
and proof of your deposit to
elc_program@memphis.edu.

17. How do I choose which areas to include
in my petition?
1. Meet with your Academic Advisor and develop your plan for
degree completion.
2. Your academic advisor will inform you which courses ELC hours
may be able to replace.
3. Complete the Learning Outcomes Worksheet.
Course / Area of Study

18. How do I complete the Learning
Outcomes Worksheet?
¨ Refer to your resume and examine your documented outcomes
¨ Conduct preliminary research of college and university courses
in the areas you intend to petition for credit. Notate the course
that correlates with your outcomes. (Please indicate both the
course number and the name of the course). Your goal is to gain
an understanding of the level of learning worthy of college
credit.
¨ Locate connectivity between your resume and the college
classroom. Transfer the broad disciplines onto the Learning
Outcomes Worksheet
¨ Refer back to your resume. Copy and paste your relevant
outcomes under the appropriate category.

19. How do I complete the Letter of Intent?
¨ The Letter of Intent is a
PDF file.
¨ You will be permitted
to type your
information into the
document.
¨ You are also able to
save the document.

20. How do I complete the Letter of Intent?
The purpose of the Letter of Intent is to identify the areas of your expertise that you plan to
include in your petition.
The bottom portion of
the first page asks
you to identify the
areas of your
expertise that you
hope to be awarded
credit.
The top section of the first
page asks you to provide
basic information.

21. How do I complete the Letter of Intent?
The second page of the document will ask you to acknowledge your understanding of
program policies and procedures.
Type your name here
Click in the boxes to
acknowledge you understand
each individual statement
Type your name here to serve as
your electronic signature
Click any applicable boxes to
identify how you learned
about ELC
Type your Academic
Advisor’s Name Here

22. Do I have to match my experiences to the
remaining courses in my degree program?
¨ You are not required to course match, but you
may attempt to receive credit for an exact
course that is listed in your degree plan.
¨ ELC is intended to display your unique
knowledge base and skills set that you have
developed throughout your experiences.

23. May I petition for credit in areas that are not
directly related to my degree program?
¨ You may document experiences that are not directly
related to your degree program if you are
attempting to receive credit that may be used to
satisfy General Elective requirements.
*Please contact your Academic Advisor to determine if you have
any General Elective requirements remaining.

24. How do I choose which areas to include
in my petition?
Ann has worked as an
elementary school teacher
for the past four years.
She created the following
categories to reflect the
numerous ranges of
expertise in her field.
Curriculum
Development &
Assessment
Unit & Lesson
Planning
Behavior
Modification
Instructional
Methods
Education
Let’s look at an example…
Ann could identify these four broad categories as the courses/areas of study
that she will detail in her ELC Portfolio.

25. How do I choose which areas to include
in my petition?
Martin has worked as a
Manager at a local
distribution company for
the past fifteen years. He
created the following
categories to reflect the
numerous ranges of
expertise in his field.
Employment Law Supervision
Team
Development
Program
Development
Education
Here’s another example…
Martin could identify these four broad categories as the courses/areas of
study that he will detail in his ELC Portfolio.

26. How do I determine the level of my
course/area of study?
¨ If you are seeking credit equivalent
to a 1000 or 2000 level course
please indicate this by putting
"Lower" in the Level column.
¨ If you are seeking credit equivalent
to a 3000 or 4000 level course
please indicate this by putting
"Upper" in the Level column.
¨ If you are seeking credit equivalent
to a 7000 or 8000 level course
please indicate this by putting
"Graduate" in the Level column.

27. Where do I pay my deposit?
¨ Follow the link below to
access the Bursar’s online
payment portal
https://secure.touchnet.com/C20227_ustores/web/
store_main.jsp?STOREID=24&SINGLESTORE=true
q You may also contact
the ELC Coordinator to
find out how to pay your
deposit on campus.
¨ Follow the link below to
access the Bursar’s online
payment portal
https://secure.touchnet.com/C20227_ustores/web/
store_main.jsp?STOREID=30&SINGLESTORE=true
You may also contact the
ELC Coordinator to find
out how to pay your
deposit on campus.
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students

28. Contact the ELC Coordinator to learn
how you may EARN from your past!
Congratulations on choosing to take charge and invest in
your future!

29. ELC_PROGRAM@MEMPHIS.EDU
901-678-2754
University of Memphis