Institute of Criminal Justice Studies

Step 1 - Types of APEL

Making an APEL claim takes time but can be worthwhile because you avoid having to repeat learning that you already know.

Making a claim involves producing evidence of the learning you have achieved so you can start your new learning from where you are now. This evidence must demonstrate that your learning is equivalent to the learning of the individual units that make up the degree for which you have been registered. The sort of evidence depends on the type of prior learning for which credit is being claimed. There are two sorts:

• Certificated learning where you have been assessed and have certificates or other documents that prove your learning. If this learning is relevant to your proposed degree you just have to present your certificates and other documents as evidence (with any transcript that gives details of the qualification or credit). You will also have to explain this relevance on your claim form.

• Learning that is partially or wholly gained through working or through courses where there were no formal assessments. You have to show what the outcomes were from your prior learning (for example by providing evidence of how you have used this learning at work) and then demonstrate how your prior learning matches the learning outcomes of the units required for your degree.

Many claims will involve prior learning of both sorts.