As a matter of policy, SUNY Poly allows students to establish credit for coursework on the basis of activities other than normal class attendance. Each academic unit establishes its own policy for testing out, observing the following guidelines:

• The basis for establishing credit must be explicitly formulated and approved in advance by the divisional faculty, the chairperson, the Dean and the Provost. A copy must be on file in the Registrar’s Office.
• Credit established under this policy must be used to satisfy degree requirements and must not extend the total number of credit hours required for graduation.
• No more than 12 credit hours can be established under this policy.
• A grade of EX will be assigned for each course to students establishing credit under this policy. EX grades are not counted when calculating the student’s GPA.
• Regular tuition will be charged for each course requirement satisfied under this policy.
• Credits earned through this procedure may not be applied toward the 30 semester hour residence requirement.
• A student may have the opportunity to test-out of a particular course only once.

Students wishing to test-out must contact the school department offering the specific course to determine if a test is available and, if so, must register for the course no later than the last day to add a course for a term. The test must be administered no later than the beginning of the term so that the student may change their class schedule, depending on the results of the test, during the add/drop period. Students who pass the test must remain registered in the class to receive credit for the course. Students who do not pass may choose to remain registered and complete the course in the normal manner or may choose other course options.