Adult learners come to Calbright for an education that works with their lives, accelerates their education and career goals, and ensures they don’t have to repeat coursework. Newly earned national credit recommendations mean Calbright’s flexible, skill-based learning now translates directly into transferable college credit.
In the fall of 2025, Calbright submitted a group of its courses to the American Council on Education (ACE) for review. ACE evaluates courses and examinations taken outside of traditional degree programs. Colleges and universities have trusted ACE for more than 30 years to provide reliable course equivalency information and help them decide how much credit to offer for courses at other institutions.
The results are in from ACE: Calbright courses are equivalent to college-level coursework and should be considered for academic credit at other colleges. This makes it easier than ever for Calbright students who want to enroll in a conventional college to receive credit for their studies here.
“This represents much more than a credit recommendation,” said Dr. Tamika Connor, Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives. “It is independent validation that the learning taking place at Calbright meets college-level expectations. Most importantly, it creates new opportunities for our students by helping their learning travel with them as they continue their educational journey.”
Measuring Education By Learning, Not Time In The Classroom
Calbright is a leader in Competency-Based Education (CBE), an approach that measures what students know and can do rather than how long they spend in a classroom.
In most college courses, students move through the curriculum together. Their classes begin and end at the same time, assignments are completed on the same deadlines, and academic credit is largely tied to the amount of instructional time completed.
Classes at Calbright reverse that approach. Our students begin when they are ready, move through coursework at a pace that fits their lives, take breaks when needed, and spend additional time mastering concepts they find more challenging. Each student moves at their own pace, taking the time they need with the life responsibilities they have.
They complete the course when they can show they have mastered the material.
Every student who successfully completes a Calbright course has demonstrated the same learning outcomes and competencies, regardless of the hours in the day they studied – after work, late at night, or in between work shifts – and how long it took to get there. That makes Calbright’s classes a great fit for working-age adults’ busy lives. But under current higher education metrics and measures, it can be difficult for a traditional college to offer transfer credits for CBE curriculum. If class credit comes from the time spent in a classroom, and Calbright’s classes are flexibly paced, how should traditional colleges measure the work students have done?
That’s where ACE comes in.
Credit Where Credit Is Due
Over a 4-month review process, ACE evaluated nine Calbright courses in Calbright’s Data Analysis, Project Management, Human Resources Talent Acquisition, and Human Resources Learning and Development programs. ACE faculty reviewers and subject-matter experts examined Calbright’s curriculum, learning outcomes, assessments, instructional materials, and evidence of student mastery.
ACE approved every course, and made specific credit recommendations to institutions. This is a recommendation, not a mandate: Colleges and universities can choose whether to accept the recommendations. However, ACE recommendations are among the most widely recognized standards used by higher education institutions nationwide, with more than 2,000 colleges and universities considering ACE credit recommendations when evaluating transfer credit.
“Our mission has always been to create opportunities for working adults. ACE validates the quality of our curriculum, and ultimately supports efforts to create stronger pathways from workforce education to certificates, degrees, and long-term economic mobility for adult learners,” Connor said.
For Calbright, the ACE review validates the rigor of its competency-based curriculum and reinforces the college’s role as a national leader in innovation for adult learners.
For California’s higher education system, it demonstrates how noncredit, competency-based education can become an integral part of a seamless educational ecosystem that supports lifelong learning.
It’s one more way that Calbright is opening up equitable access and opportunities for Californians who want better lives.
