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Gulf Coast State College
Enrollment Services
5230 West Highway 98
Panama City, FL 32401

Credit by Exam Programs

Section 1007.27(2), Florida Statutes, requires the Articulation Coordinating Committee (ACC) to establish passing scores and course and credit equivalents for Advanced Placement (AP), Advanced International Certificate of Education Program (AICE), International Baccalaureate (IB), DSST (DANTES), and College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams. Public community colleges and universities in Florida are required to award the minimum recommended credit for AP, AICE, IB, DSST, and CLEP exams as designated.

Advanced Placement exams are taken after students complete the corresponding Advanced Placement course in high school. Advanced Placement courses are challenging, college-level courses that are designed to parallel typical lower-level undergraduate courses. Exams are developed by committees of college and secondary faculty and are given to test groups of students in actual college courses to determine appropriate passing scores. More information about Advanced Placement, including descriptions of courses and sample examination questions, is available at College Board.

You may apply up to 45 hours of non-traditional (AP) credit may be applied toward your degree. Duplicate credit will not be awarded. Credits earned will not be included on the official Gulf Coast State College transcript until you have maintained enrollment in a credit course past the published drop/add period.

The Cambridge AICE program is an international, advanced secondary curriculum and assessment program equivalent to the British system of "A-levels". AS-Level courses are comprised of curriculum lasting one academic year. A-Level courses encompass all AS-Level curriculum as well as additional topics. A-Level coursework is completed over two academic years. For information about the program, including course syllabi, can be found at Cambridge AICE online.

You may apply up to 45 hours of non-traditional (AICE) credit toward a degree. Duplicate credit will not be awarded. Credits earned will not be included on your official Gulf Coast State College transcript until you have maintained enrollment in a credit course past the published drop/add period.

The International Baccalaureate program is a challenging curriculum offered to high school students around the world. It is designed to prepare you for advanced work in many countries' postsecondary systems. Because it is international, the curriculum is not always as closely aligned with courses in American colleges and universities as Advanced Placement courses, and student and teachers often choose topics within a fairly wide range. In 2008, the Florida State Board of Education Rule 6A-10.024 and the Board of Governors established that the credit granting recommendations below award equal course credit for diploma and non-diploma holders for passing exam scores. Find out more information about the International Baccalaureate Program.

You may apply up to 45 hours of non-traditional (IB) credit may be applied toward your degree. Duplicate credit will not be awarded. Credits earned will not be included on your official Gulf Coast State College transcript until you have maintained enrollment in a credit course past the published drop/add period.

The College-Level Examination Program or CLEP, unlike Advanced Placement, is not built around a curriculum, but rather is designed to test students’ knowledge on a variety of college-level subjects, regardless of where they may have learned the material. CLEP exams are developed by committees of college faculty who design questions based on what is typically covered in lower-level college courses and who set passing standards for the exams (scores are no longer based on studies of student performance in college courses). With the new computer-based tests, new questions are constantly being added, especially in rapidly-changing fields such as Computer Science. The typical passing score on computer-based CLEP exams for general education purposes is 50, although paper and pencil versions will be different. More information about CLEP, including recent test information guides, can be found online at CLEP-College Board.

The Testing Center at Gulf Coast State College does administer and proctor CLEP examinations. 

For more information, see our CLEP FAQ Below.

The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams help you receive college credit based on what you already know. CLEP exams are available to anyone. Find more detailed information about the CLEP exams.
CLEP exam subject areas for which Gulf Coast State College allows credit and their course equivalencies.

Yes, you can sign up for CLEP testing at the Tyndall Campus or you may take the CLEP at the Panama City Campus.

All appointments must be registered through Tyndall's RegisterBlast. For questions, contact either Gretta Preston at 850-769-1551, ext. 2910 or visit their website.

The exam fee of $87 is paid directly to CLEP, and the Testing Center charges an administration fee of $18.50 that must be paid when you schedule your exam on our RegisterBlast service, select the Panama City Campus for testing, and then select "Non-Military CLEP Exam."

Any Active Duty Military Personnel may take their CLEP examination for free through the DANTES program. To find out more, visit the College Board website on Military Testing. There is no charge for Active Military Personnel at GCSC Testing. Military Students are still expected to schedule your exam on our RegisterBlast service, select the Panama City Campus for testing, and then select "Military CLEP Exam." All Military students must present a military ID before testing.

Most CLEP exams last 90 minutes.
You must bring all of the following to your CLEP testing appointment: a current government-issued photo ID (passport, driver's license, state ID, military ID) with your signature and your CLEP registration ticket. A student may not test without any of those items.
You must arrive at the GCSC Testing Center at least 15 minutes before your testing appointment. All CLEP examinations are administer on the Panama City Campus at the Testing Center in the Student Union West Building, Room 80.
You will receive your CLEP scores immediately after you have completed your CLEP exam, except for the College Composition exam. It may take 2-3 weeks to receive your College Composition exam scores.
For further information about taking CLEP exams at the GCSC Testing Center, contact Testing Center at testingcenter@gulfcoast.edu or (850) 873-3594.

The DSST Exam (formerly known as DANTES) is a nationally recognized credit-by-examination program that is accepted by colleges and universities. Originally designed for military veterans and reservists, DSST Exams allows any adult students from a wide range of ages and background to demonstrate their mastery of various introductory college-level materials by testing and subsequently earn college credit with a passing score. There are over 30 DSST Exams, developed by committees of college faculty members, in which students may earn college credits.

For more information about the DSST, students are encouraged to visit GetCollegeCredit.com or you may contact Joe Stewart with Gulf Coast State College at 850-873-3594 or at jvolpi@gulfcoast.edu.

For Active Duty Military

DSST Exams are funded for Active Duty Military personnel through DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support) and they are eligible for one free DSST per subject examination. All Active Duty Military personnel must contact DANTES and inquire about their free examination and register prior to taking any exams at a GCSC Testing Center. To see if you are eligible for DANTES Funding, consult with the DSST Funding Guide.

And, if the tester does not pass the per-subject exam on their first attempt, they will have to retest 1 month later and at the regular price.

The Testing Center at Gulf Coast State College does administer and proctor DSST examinations. 

For more information, see our DSST FAQ Below.

All students must first register for their DSST exam with GetCollegeCredit.com. All fees and payments are handled through DSST, not Gulf Coast State College. And, you will need to select Gulf Coast State College as your testing location. Test fees for each title starts at $85 and you will have two hours to complete your exam.

Next, after you have registered with DSST, you will need to make your appointment with the GCSC Testing Center. You will need to register on our RegisterBlast service. We administer all DSST exams on Monday and Wednesday during the year. No DSST exams are administered during the week of Finals at GCSC. A $18 seating fee is charged to this test, however, there are no seating fees for any active Military personnel. You will need to present your Military ID or VA card prior to testing.

All DSST examinations are administered at the Testing Center on the Panama City Campus of Gulf Coast State College. The Testing Center is located in the Student Union West Building, Room 80.

All Active Military testers can also take the DSST Exam at the Tyndall Air Force Base. All appointments must be registered through Tyndall's RegisterBlast. For questions, contact either Gretta Preston at 850.769.1551, ext. 2910 or visit their website.

Students may obtain study materials for all DSST exam as well as take various practice exams by  visit their website.

Exam results are available to the test taker immediately after completion of their Internet-based examination. Test Takers may also login to their testing platform at any time after their examination to view and/or reprint their score report.

Official DSST transcripts will be sent to the institution you indicated when you registered for a DSST exam. This process can take 4 to 6 weeks. If you have any issues, please contact DSST at 877.471.9860.
Yes! You may retake any DSST exams, however, you must wait 30 days in order to register.
All students must complete the DSST ADA Accommodations Request Packet with GetCollegeCredit.com prior to any testing. If accommodations have not been registered with DSST prior to testing, GCSC Testing is not responsible for making any accommodations for your testing.
Gulf Coast State College does not discriminate against any person in its programs, activities, policies or procedures on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, marital status, religion, age, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. All questions or inquiries regarding compliance with laws relating to non-discrimination and all complaints regarding sexual misconduct or discrimination, may be directed to Lee Wood, Executive Director, Human Resources/Title II/504/Title IX Coordinator and Employment Equity Officer, Gulf Coast State College, 5230 W. US Highway 98, Panama City, FL 32401.