College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
The College Entrance Examination Board offers examinations covering material taught in courses that most students take in the first two years of college. Students may earn credit for CLEP exams with a passing score of 50 or more. Coastline grants unit and Option 1 general education credit for most exams.
- CLEP credits will count towards general education, major, or elective credits for the Associate degree or CSU General Education Certification. See the CLEP Chart for the required scores and applicability.
- The University of California does not grant credit for CLEP.
- CLEP may or may not be accepted by other colleges and universities. A student must check with the specific transfer institution to determine regulations regarding CLEP. General CLEP policies can be found in the college catalogs.
- CLEP exams may not be used to retake or improve a grade in a course at Coastline or any other institution.
- CLEP credit posted to another institution’s transcript will be reevaluated based on Coastline’s standards and may or may not be equal to credit received at another institution. CLEP credit posted to a student’s Coastline transcript may or may not be accepted for equal units at another institution.
- Coastline has a CLEP and DSST National Test Center on base at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
Transfer Students: The CSU requires a passing score of at least 50 on the CLEP exam. CSU campuses will grant unit credit toward admission, CSU GE Breadth, and American Institutions requirements. Some CSUs will grant credit toward the major, but this is determined by each individual campus. Check with your counselor for more information.
| CLEP Exam | Coastline Passing Score | Coastline AA GE Units (GE Area) | Coastline Units Towards AA/AS | CSU Passing Score | Min. CSU Units Earned Toward Admission | Units Towards CSU/GE Breadth | American Institutions and/or GE Breadth Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Government | 50 | (3) Area D | 3 | 50 | 3 | 3 | D |
| American Literature | 50 | (3) Area C | 3 | 50 | 3 | 3 | C2 |
| Analyzing, Interpreting Literature | 50 | (3) Area C | 3 | 50 | 3 | 3 | C2 |
| Biology | 50 | BIOL C100 (3) Area B | 3 | 50 | 3 | 3 | B2 |
| Calculus | 50 | MATH C180 (5) Area B | 5 | 50 | 3 | 3 | B4 |
| Chemistry | 50 | CHEM C130 (4) Area B | 4 | 50 | 3 | 3 | B1 |
| College Algebra | 50 | MATH C115 (4) Area A3 | 4 | 50 | 3 | 3 | B4 |
| College Composition | 50 | N/A | 0 | 50 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| College Composition-Modular | 50 | N/A | 0 | 50 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| College Mathematics | 50 | (3) Area A3 | 6 | 50 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| English Literature | 50 | (3) Area C | 3 | 50 | 3 | 3 | C2 (F'11)2 |
| Financial Accounting | 50 | N/A | 3 | 50 | 3 | 0 | N/A |
| French Level I1 | 50 | (6) Area C | 6 | 50 | 6 | 0 | N/A |
| French Level II1 | 59 | (9) Area C | 12 | 59 | 12 | 3 | C2 (F'15)2 |
| French Level II1 | 59 | (9) Area C | 9 | 59 | 9 | 3 | C2 |
| German Level I1 | 50 | (6) Area C | 6 | 50 | 6 | 0 | C2 |
| German Level II1 | 50 | (9) Area C | 12 | 60 | 12 | 3 | C2 (F'15)2 |
| German Level II1 | 50 | (9) Area C | 9 | 60 | 9 | 3 | C2 |
| History, US I | 50 | (3) Area D | 3 | 50 | 3 | 3 | D+US+I |
| History, US II | 50 | (3) Area D | 3 | 50 | 3 | 3 | D+US+I |
| Human Growth and Development | 50 | (3) Area D or E | 3 | 50 | 3 | 3 | E |
| Humanities | 50 | (3) Area C | 3 | 50 | 3 | 3 | C2 |
| Information Systems | 50 | N/A | 3 | 50 | 3 | 0 | N/A |
| Introduction to Educational Psychology | 50 | N/A | 3 | 50 | 3 | 0 | N/A |
| Introduction Business Law | 50 | N/A | 3 | 50 | 3 | 0 | N/A |
| Introduction Psychology | 50 | PSYC C100 (3) Area D | 3 | 50 | 3 | 3 | D |
| Introduction Sociology | 50 | SOC C100 (3) Area D | 3 | 50 | 3 | 3 | D |
| Natural Sciences | 50 | (6) Area B | 6 | 50 | 3 | 3 | B1/B2 |
| Pre-Calculus | 50 | MATH C170 (5) Area A3 | 5 | 50 | 3 | 3 | B4 |
| Principles of Macroeconomics | 50 | ECON C175 (3) Area D | 3 | 50 | 3 | 3 | D |
| Principles of Management | 50 | N/A | 0 | 50 | 3 | 0 | N/A |
| Principles of Marketing | 50 | N/A | 0 | 50 | 3 | 0 | N/A |
| Principles of Microeconomics | 50 | ECON C170 (3) Area D | 3 | 50 | 3 | 3 | D |
| Social Science & History | 50 | N/A | 0 | 50 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| Spanish Level I1 | 50 | (6) Area C | 0 | 50 | 6 | 0 | N/A |
| Spanish Level II1 | 50 | (9) Area C | 12 | 63 | 12 | 3 | C2 (F'15)2 |
| Spanish Level II1 | 50 | (9) Area C | 9 | 63 | 9 | 3 | C2 |
| Trigonometry | 50 | MATH C120 (3) Area A3 | 3 | 50 | 3 | 3 | B4 (F'06)2 |
| Western Civilization I | 50 | (3) Area D | 3 | 50 | 3 | 3 | C2/D |
| Western Civilization II | 50 | (3) Area D | 3 | 50 | 3 | 3 | D |
- 1
If a student passes more than one CLEP test in the same language other than English (e.g. two exams in French), then only one examination may be applied to the baccalaureate. For each test in a language other than English, a passing score of 50 is considered “Level I” and earns six units of baccalaureate credit; the higher score listed for each test is considered “Level II” and earns additional units of credit and placement in Area C2 of GE Breadth, as noted.
- 2
Students seeking certification in GE Breadth prior to transfer must have passed the test before this date.