Alternative Credit Courses

Are you looking for a way to get course credits quickly and easily?

The Alternative Credit Courses are offered by non-profit organizations and for-profit companies.   Fayetteville State University (FSU) has reviewed and approved the courses for transfer credit.  You must make a grade of C or better for the courses to be honored.  You will receive course credit toward degree completion, but the grade will not be calculated into your GPA.  The best part is that you can sign up to take them at your convenience.  Pay online with a credit card.  No semester schedules.  Start when you're ready and finish as quickly as you can.

The cost of the courses vary.  Saylor courses are free and are entirely self-directed, but there are fees for the proctored final exam and to obtain the transcript.  Straighterline courses have a course fee, some as low as $59, but there is also a $99/month membership fee charged against your credit card.  Therefore, it is very important to be focused on course completion or the monthly fee can add up.  Read everything you can about these courses before you decide which one to take.  Sometimes it's worth a little extra money to get a course format that fits your learning needs.

*Financial Aid will not cover any cost(s) associated with these courses.

Like all courses taken from any institution other than FSU, prior approval is required. Complete the Registrar's Approval to Pursue Course(s) at Another Institution and send it to your advisor to start the approval process. Once you receive approval, you may start your course whenever you are ready.  

The complete list of approved courses is sorted by FSU Equivalency.  The courses are offered by Pearson (Propero), Saylor Academy, Sophia, or Straighterline.  Click on the link to see course outlines, syllabi, cost and sign up to take the course.  

If you have questions, please contact your advisor.

Ready to start? It's as easy as 1-2-3.

  1. Find the FSU equivalency that you need, then click on the linked title to learn more about the course format and cost.  This is where you will sign up to take the course and pay for it.  But first...
  2. Complete the Registrar's Approval to Pursue Course(s) at Another Institution and get the approval from your advisor BEFORE you take the course to ensure that you are taking the right course for your program of study and not spending money on a course that is unnecessary.
  3. Successfully pass the course and order the transcript from the vendor/organization to be sent to the FSU Registrar.

*Courses offered by Straighterline have a monthly fee.  Your credit card will be charged their membership fee monthly until you finish or formally cancel.  Buyer beware.  If you register for one of these classes, get busy!

*While the Saylor courses are free, there are additional fees to take the required proctored exam and for the transcript.

Where it started

The Alternative Credit ProjectTM (ACP) began as a pool of online courses that FSU accepted toward degrees (up to 64 ACP credits). The ACP was designed to help adults finish a two-or-four year degree, or a post-secondary certificate economically and efficiently by taking courses online and on demand from non-profit organizations and for-profit companies. It was a national program of the American Council on Education, supported by a generous grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and included a research component to assess the success of students taking these courses.

These courses are approved by FSU for transfer credit. hey are not guaranteed to be accepted by other institutions if you choose to complete your degree somewhere else.