College Credit
General Information
The American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT) has evaluated and recommended college credit for ASPPA’s examination programs. The American Council on Education, the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education institutions, seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and to influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives.
ACE CREDIT connects workplace learning with colleges and universities by helping adults gain access to academic credit at colleges and universities for formal courses and examinations taken in the workplace or other settings outside traditional higher education.
For more information, visit the ACE CREDIT website at www.acenet.edu/acecredit.
Credit Recommendations
Candidates may be able to receive academic credit for successful completion of most ASPPA examinations (includes current and previous (no longer offered) examinations. Below are the specific college credit recommendations for each ASPPA examination completed in the timeframe noted. For example, if a candidate completed the DC-1 examination on August 15, 2003, credit could not be recommended as the DC-1 exam must have been completed on or after January 1, 2004 through today.
Please note: for ASPPA’s certificate program online examinations, RPF-1, RPF-2 and TGPC-1, in order to obtain college credit, candidates will need to take the examination online and a proctor will be required. The examination must be completed within 3 hours and it is not open-book. Additional information on procedures for taking these respective examinations can be found below.
These recommendations appear in the National Guide to Educational Credit by Examinations published annually by ACE. The credits listed below are recommended credits. Institutions are not required to grant a student the credit recommended by ACE, nor are they limited to granting only the stated credit recommendations.
Examinations Currently Offered by ASPPA:
| Examination |
Timeframe Completed |
RPF-1*: Retirement Plan Fundamentals-1
Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 2 semester hours in Employee Benefits Planning Programs. |
2/2/2011 - Present |
RPF-2*: Retirement Plan Fundamentals-2
Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 2 semester hours in Employee Benefit Planning and Analysis. |
2/2/2011 - Present |
TGPC-1*: Tax-Exempt & Governmental Plan Administration-1
Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 2 semester hours in Tax Administration. |
2/2/2011 - Present |
TGPC-2: Tax-Exempt & Governmental Plan Consultant-2
Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 2 semester hours in Tax Administration. |
2/2/2011 - Present |
|
DC-1: Defined Contribution Administrative Issues--Basic Concepts
Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 1 semester hour in Advanced Tax or Defined Contribution Pension Plans.
|
1/1/2004 - Present |
|
DC-2: Defined Contribution Administrative Issues--Compliance Issues
Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 1 semester hour in Advanced Tax Topics or Defined Contribution Pension Plans.
|
1/1/2004 - Present |
DC-3: Defined Contribution Administrative Issues—Advanced Topics
Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 1 semester hour in Advanced Tax Topics or Defined Contribution Pension Plans. |
1/1/2004 - Present |
DB: Administrative Issues of Defined Benefit Plans
Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 2 semester hours in Defined Benefit Plan Administration or Employee Benefit Planning and Investment. |
6/1/1993 - Present |
PFC-1: Plan Financial Consulting 1
Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 3 semester hours in Public Finance, Human Relations Management, Labor/Management Relations, or Collective Bargaining. |
5/1/2006 - 12/31/2011 |
PFC-2: Plan Financial Consulting 2
upper division baccalaureate degree category, 3 semester hours in Public Finance, Human Relations Management, Labor/Management Relations, or Collective Bargaining. |
5/1/2006 - Present |
CPC: Certified Pension Consultant
Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 3 semester hours in Retirement Planning or Employee Benefit Planning |
2/2/2011 - Present |
Exams Previously Offered by ASPPA (still valid for college credit if completed in the timeframes noted):
| Examination |
Timeframe Completed |
PA-1: Pension Administrators Course, Part 1
Lower division baccalaureate/associate degree category, 1 semester hour in Pension Plan Terminology. |
9/1/1998 - 11/30/2007 |
PA-2: Pension Administrators Course, Part 2
lower division baccalaureate/associate degree category, 1 semester hour in Pension Plan Records and Processing. |
9/1/1998 - 11/30/2007 |
PA-3: Pension Administrators Course, Part 3
Lower division baccalaureate/associate degree category, 1 semester hour in Pension Plan Evaluation. |
9/1/1998 - 11/30/2007 |
C-2(DC):Administrative Issues of Defined Contribution Plans
Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 1 semester hour in Administrative Issues of Defined Contribution Plans. |
6/1/1993 - 12/31/2003 |
C-1: Administrative and Qualification Issues of Retirement Plans
Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 2 semester hours in Administrative and Qualification Issues of Retirement Plans. |
6/1/1985 - 12/31/2003 |
C-3: Financial and Fiduciary Aspects of Qualified Plans
Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 2 semester hours in Financial and Fiduciary Aspects of Qualified Plans. |
6/1/1985 - 11/30/2007 |
C-4: Advanced Retirement Plan Consulting
Upper division baccalaureate degree category, 2 semester hours in Retirement Planning and Consulting. |
6/1/1985 - 6/1/2009 |
*College Credit for RPF-1, RPF-2 & TGPC-1 Procedures
In order for candidates to obtain college credit for ASPPA’s certificate program online examinations, RPF-1, RPF-2 and TGPC-1, candidates will need to take the examination online but a proctor will be required. The examination must be completed within 3 hours and it is not open-book. Please refer to the instructions provided in the ASPPA Proctor Form under the section “Examination & Proctor Process”. If a candidate registers for the regular RPF-1, RPF-2 or TGPC-1 exams and completes the online examination, credit cannot be approved.
Transcripts
For the benefit of our members and examination candidates, ASPPA participates in the American Council on Education’s (ACE) Transcript Service. The ACE Transcript Service offers a lifelong record for students who have successfully completed our courses that have been reviewed by ACE CREDIT. This service enables adult learners to present a nationally recognized transcript to the college or university of their choice for the potential award of academic credit.
In order to have an ASPPA examination included in your transcript please visit the ACE CREDIT Transcript Service website.