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​​DANTES (DSST) Exams​

​​Take DSST subject exams for college credit at SHSU—see accepted subjects, credit hours, fees, retesting rules, and contact info.​

​​DSST at SHSU: Details & Credit​

​​SHSU accepts select DSST exams for college credit, with limits, fees, and registration rules clearly outlined.​

The following DSST exams are accepted for SHSU course credit. Credit hours and course equivalents are shown. Policies are subject to change.​​Table Caption Text​  

DANTES TEST TITLE

SHSU COURSE DEPARTMENT AND NUMBER

CREDIT HOURS AWARDED

Criminal Justice

CRIJ 2361

3

Ethics in America

PHIL 2306

3

Fundamentals of Counseling

PSYC 2305

3

General Anthropology

SOCI 3381

3

Introduction to Geography

GEOG 1300

3

Introduction to Law Enforcement

CRIJ 2367

3

Introduction to World Religions

SOCI 3342

3

Lifespan Developmental Psychology

PSYC 3374

3

Substance Abuse

CRIJ 4362

3

Technical Writing

ENGL 3330

3

​ How to Register & Costs

  • Registration: Materials must be submitted—and the registration/administration fee of $33.50 paid—to the Testing Center at least one month prior to scheduling. Appointments are scheduled on a first come, first served basis. 
  • Testing Fee: $100 per test, paid by credit card only (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) on the scheduled test day. 
  • Rescheduling: Requires a new payment of both registration/administration and testing fees. 

​ How DSST Credit Affects Grades

  • 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 DSST at least two weeks prior to graduation. 

​ Available DSST Testing Dates (Huntsville Campus)

  • Monday - Friday 
  • Examinees need to report to the testing site at least 15-30 minutes prior to their scheduled testing time 

 

​ Required Materials for Test Day

  • Current, unexpired picture identification (i.e., driver’s license, passport, state-issued ID, military ID, student ID, etc.) 
  • Second form of ID (i.e., any of the previously listed photo IDs, social security card, birth certificate, credit/debit card, library card, etc.) 

Minimum Scores & Credit Awards

  • Acceptable scores for DSST exams are determined by the American Council on Education’s “minimum score for awarding credit.” Acceptable scores range from 44-49 or 400 
  • Credit will not be awarded for an exam if the student has already taken the course and received credit and/or a grade in the course 

​ Requesting Extra Score Reports

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

  • WRITE: DSST Program, 664 Rosedale Road  MS-23P, Princeton, NJ  08541-6604 
  • CALL: 1 (866) 794-3497 
  • FAX: (609) 720-6800 

​ Retesting Policy and Waiting Period 

  • Educational Testing Services/Prometric has a policy of waiting 30-days from the date of an exam to retake a DSST exam 
  • The examinee is responsible for knowing and adhering to the retake policy 
  • Registration/administration/test fee applies 

​ DSST Program Notes & SHSU Policy

  • Visit: Academic Building IV, Room 102 
  • Call: (936) 294-1025 
  • Write: SHSU-Testing Center, Box 2240, Huntsville, Texas 77341-2240 

​ Official DSST Program Site