College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

College Level Examination Program

Sam Houston State University is an open national testing center for the College Level Examination Program (CLEP).  All CLEP exams may be taken at SHSU, but only the CLEP Subject Exams listed below may be accepted for credit at SHSU according to this policy.

Sam Houston State University has a policy of accepting up to a maximum of thirty (30) hours of credit through a combination of national standardized examinations and/or locally designed and administered departmental tests. More than thirty (30) hours of credit by examination will be considered on an individual appeal basis. Policies are subject to change at any time. Please check this web site for the most current policy.

  • Exams Accepted/Credit Awarded
    SUBJECT EXAM TITLE SHSU COURSE # CREDIT HOURS
    AWARDED
    American Government POLS 2305 3
    Analyzing & Interpreting Literature(+SHSU Essay)* ENGL 1302 3
    Biology BIOL 1406 and 1407 4,4
    Calculus
    MATH 1420
    		4
    Chemistry
    CHEM 1411
    		4
    College Algebra MATH 1314 3
    College Composition Modular (+SHSU Essay)* ENGL 1301 3
    College Mathematics MATH 1332 3
    Financial Accounting ACCT 2301 3
    French Language FREN 1411, 1412, 2311, 2312 4-14
    German Language GER 1411, 1412, 2311, 2312 4-14
    Human Growth and Development PSYC 3374 3
    Information Systems COSC 1436 4
    Introductory Business Law BUAD 2301 3
    Introductory Psychology PSYC 1301 3
    Introductory Sociology SOCI 1301 3
    Precalculus MATH 1314 3
    Principles of Macro Economics ECON 2301 3
    Principles of Microeconomics ECON 2302 3
    Principles of Management MGMT 3310 3
    Principles of Marketing  MKTG 3310 3
    Spanish with Writing SPAN 1411, 1412, 2311, 2312 4-14
    History of United States I: Early Colonization to 1877 HIST 1301 3
    History of United States II: 1865 to Present HIST 1302 3
    Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648
    HIST 2311
    		3
    Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present HIST 2312 3
  • Essay Limitation

    Essay prompts for the following exams are created by the English Department at Sam Houston State University and are for SHSU use only. Due to this limitation, examinees signing up for the essay portion only for either of the listed exams must be a SHSU student with a valid Sam ID number. If you are not a SHSU student, you are allowed to take the multiple-choice section only for Analyzing and Interpreting Literature and College Composition Modular. Non-SHSU students will need to contact their respective school regarding essay requirements.

    • Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
    • College Composition Modular
  • Test Days and Times
    • Monday - Friday
    • Click here for available test times
    • Students need to report to the testing site at least 15-30 minutes prior to their scheduled testing time on their scheduled testing date.
    • Dates and/or times are subject to change
  • General Information
    • Letter grades A and B take precedence over credit-by-exam.
    • Credit-by-Exam will automatically replace letter grades D and F. If a letter grade of C is listed on the transcript for a course in which credit-by-exam is also applicable, the C will take precedence over the credit-by-exam. Students will have the option to request credit (via credit-by-exam) in lieu of letter grade C. The student will have to initiate the change and work with the respective department and Admissions to finalize the change.
    • Although credit-by-exam replaces letter grades C, D, and F, it does not remove the letter grade from the transcript.
    • Specific course prefixes, numbers, and credit hours will be awarded for acceptable scores but no grades will be awarded 
    • Students planning to graduate should take the CLEP at least two weeks prior to graduation.
  • Registration/Administration Fee
    • $30.00 (non-transferable, non-refundable)
    • Appointments for taking a test may be made via the Testing Center website; Online Registration
    • Rescheduling will incur another registration/administration/ test fee payment.
  • Testing Fee
    • $93.00 per test (this payment is separate from the registration/administration fee) 
    • Must be paid via the College Board website before signing up at the Testing Center; visit the CLEP My Account website; Upon payment, you will receive a CLEP Ticket ID which is required during the registration process via the Testing Center website.
  • Items Needed
    • Current/unexpired government-issued photo ID (driver’s license, passport, state-issued ID, military ID, national ID, or tribal ID)
    • CLEP Ticket ID
  • Acceptable Scores and Credit

    Acceptable scores for CLEP exams are determined by the American Council on Education's "ACE Score" which appears on the score report.

    EXCEPTIONS to the ACE recommended score: 

    The CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature and College Composition Modular exams require an essay before credit may be considered. The Department of English makes a final decision about awarding credit based on a combination of the scores from the computer portion of the test and the essay portion of the test.

    The Department of World Languages and Cultures has mandated the following specifications for credit on foreign language CLEP exams. 

    Exam Title Credit-Granting Score Course Title
    French Language Level 1 Proficiency 50 FREN 1411; FREN 1412
    French Language Level 2 Proficiency
    51-58
    59-80
    FREN 1411; FREN 1412;  FREN 2311
    FREN 1411; FREN 1412;  FREN 2311; FREN 2312
    German Language Level 1 Proficiency 50

    GERM 1411;
    GERM 1412
    German Language Level 2 Proficiency
    51-59
    60-80
    GERM 1411; GERM 1412; GERM 2311
    GERM 1411; GERM 1412; GERM 2311; GERM 2312
    Spanish with Writing Level 1 Proficiency 50 SPAN 1411; SPAN 1412
    Spanish with Writing Level 2 Proficiency
    51-64
    65-80
    SPAN 1411; SPAN 1412; SPAN 2311
    SPAN 1411; SPAN 1412; SPAN 2311; SPAN 2312
  • Additional Score Reports

    There is a charge for additional score reports. To order a score report or receive additional information:

    • USE: the Transcript Request Form at the bottom of your original score report
    • WRITE: CLEP Transcript Request Service, P. O. Box 6600, Princeton, NJ 08541-6600
    • CALL: 609) 771-7865 or 1-800-257-9558
    • EMAIL: clep@info.collegeboard.org
    • FAX: (609) 771-7088.
  • Retakes
    • The College Board has a policy of waiting 90 days from the date of an exam in order to retake a CLEP exam and SHSU strictly adheres to this policy. Examinees are responsible for knowing and adhering to the retake policy.
    • The English Department at SHSU requires handwritten essays which have a retake policy of 30 days. Examinees are responsible for knowing and adhering to the retake policy.
  • Additional Information
    • Visit our website at shsu.edu/testing.
    • Email test.ctr@shsu.edu
    • Visit the office located in Academic Building IV, Room 102
    • Call (936) 294-1025
    • Write to the Testing Center, Box 2240 SHSU, Huntsville, Texas 77341-2240
  • CLEP Website