College Level Examination Program (CLEP) 2026-27
The San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) grants credit toward it towards associate degrees (AA, AS, AA-T, AS-T) and certificates for students who attain scores of 50 or higher on the CLEP Exams of the College Board. Students can earn a minimum of 3-semester units of credit for each CLEP exam satisfactorily passed. The University of California does not award credit for CLEP. CLEP cannot be used for Cal-GETC.
The CLEP Credit Equivalency Guide defines how each CLEP exam credit will be applied. Please note that CSU and other transfer four-year universities may define their credit differently than SMCCCD. Students should consult a counselor or the individual university regarding their CLEP credit policy.
If your SMCCCD college does not offer a course similar in content to an CLEP exam, the college will award credit for the General Education area shown in the SMCCCD CLEP Equivalency Guide below. If an CLEP exam does not align with a general education area, the College may award elective credit.
If you took a CLEP exam and received a minimum score of 50 or higher in a subject, you can:
- Request your official CLEP scores be sent to your SMCCCD College. For information about obtaining your CLEP scores, contact the College Board. NOTE: If you have submitted your scores to another institution outside our district, you will need to submit your scores again to SMCCCD.
- Upon receipt of your official CLEP scores, credit will be determined according to the SMCCCD CLEP Credit Equivalency Guide; coursework and units will be posted on your SMCCCD transcripts.
- Upon notification, meet with a counselor to determine if you wish to accept, decline, or appeal the application of the CLEP credit to your transcript.
Please note:
- CLEP credit will receive a grade of CRE, which does not affect GPA.
- The equivalencies defined by the CLEP Test Policy will be applied based on when the student completed the exam.
- If you have any questions regarding Math and English placement or CLEP credit, please contact your counselor.
- While SMCCCD does not put a limit on the number of External Exams you may earn credit for, please be aware that transfer schools may have limits. Please check with your Counselor.
- CLEP exams that have been discontinued are not shown on this table.
- If a student passes more than one CLEP test in the same language other than English, then only one examination may be applied for credit.
For more information on CLEP regulations for the CSU, please see:
https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/
All units listed are semester units.
SMCCCD CLEP Credit Equivalency Guide
| Subject Exam | SMCCCD Course Equivalent | Passing Score | SMCCCD Associate Degree GE Area | SMCCCD Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Government | N/A | 50 | Area 4 | 3 Units |
| American Literature | LIT 202 | 50 | Area 3B | 3 Units |
| Analyzing and Interpreting Literature | N/A | 50 | Area 3B | 3 Units |
| Biology | N/A | 50 | Area 5B | 3 Units |
| Calculus | N/A | 50 | Area 2 | 3 Units |
| Chemistry | N/A | 50 | Area 5A | 3 Units |
| College Algebra | N/A | 50 | Area 2 | 3 Units |
| College Algebra – Trigonometry | N/A | 50 | Area 2 | 3 Units |
| College Composition | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| College Composition-Modular | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| College Mathematics | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| English Composition (no essay) | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| English Composition (with essay) | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| Financial Accounting | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| French Level I | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| French Level II | N/A | 59 | Area 3B | 3 Units |
| Freshman College Composition | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| German Level I | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| German Level II | N/A | 60 | Area 3B | 3 Units |
| History, United States I | N/A | 50 | Area 4 | 3 Units |
| History, United States II | N/A | 50 | Area 4 | 3 Units |
| Human Growth and Development | N/A | 50 | Area 7 | 3 Units |
| Humanities | N/A | 50 | Area 3B | 3 Units |
| Information System and Computer Applications | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| Introduction to Educational Psychology | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| Introductory Business Law | BUS 201 | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| Introductory Psychology | PSYC C1000 | 50 | Area 4 | 3 Units |
| Introductory Sociology | SOCI C1000 | 50 | Area 4 | 3 Units |
| Natural Sciences | N/A | 50 | Area 5B | 3 Units |
| Pre-Calculus | N/A | 50 | Area 2 | 3 Units |
| Principles of Accounting | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| Principles of Management | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| Principles of Marketing | BUS 180 | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| Principles of Macroeconomics | ECON C2002 | 50 | Area 4 | 3 Units |
| Principles of Microeconomics | ECON C2001 | 50 | Area 4 | 3 Units |
| Social Sciences and History | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| Spanish Level I | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| Spanish Level II | N/A | 63 | Area 3B | 3 Units |
| Western Civilization I | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |
| Western Civilization II | N/A | 50 | N/A | 3 Units |