The companies/organizations in this category sell courses “for college credit” that have been evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE). ACE credit is not as transferable as credit earned directly through a college, but can be very transferable when used with the intention of transferring to one of the partner colleges. ACE is a third party credit evaluator that evaluates all types of learning that happens outside of a college. This kind of college credit is guaranteed to transfer into partner colleges (varies by provider) but transfers poorly outside of partnerships.

Using ACE credit requires creating an account with another third party, Credly to “hold” your teen’s credit until they’re ready to use it. HS4CC List of ACE Partners

Penn Foster College is “the” originator of the nontraditional education model. They started in 1890 (that’s not a typo) as the International Correspondence Schools (ICS) and worked mainly with coal miners. So far, they have had over 13 million students! In 2006 they stopped doing correspondence education by mail and went online. They offer about 100 certificate, diploma, and degree programs.

Penn Foster holds 2 accreditations, but this is where parents have to pay attention. Their high school is regionally accredited while their career school is nationally accredited. For college credit earned in high school to transfer well, it should come from a college that is regionally accredited (RA). Since Penn Foster’s college classes are NOT regionally accredited (RA), this would normally exclude them from appearing here for our community.

PRO TIP: lack of regional accreditation (RA) doesn’t rule out a college for adults, but since career and vocational schools almost never qualify for regional accreditation (RA), a higher level of caution and wisdom must be used for teens.

Penn Foster did something special that bumps up the likelihood of credit transfer. They sought ACE evaluation for many of their courses. By obtaining ACE evaluation, that list of courses are now acceptable at a number of RA colleges that normally wouldn’t consider college credits from a nationally accredited college.

Penn Foster courses are self-paced. You have six months to complete the 5-6 exams (generally multiple choice). Some course are starting to require homework, but at the time of this writing, I can not locate a way to search this out in advance. Some of the courses have proctored exams, some do not.

For high school students, consider only courses from this list (ACE evaluated)

ACE evaluated courses transfer better than NA college courses, so sticking with this list instead of their whole catalog is your best bet.

Penn Foster Course Name	Course approval start date	Course renewal or expiration date	number of colelge creidts
Family Child Care	01/01/2019	12/31/2022	3
Working with Children with Special Needs	01/01/2019	12/31/2022	3
ECE 220 Child Growth and Development	01/01/2019	12/31/2022	3
Developing Math and Science Skills in Young Children	01/01/2019	12/31/2022	3
Interpersonal Communication	01/01/2019	12/31/2022	1
Labor Relations	01/01/2019	12/31/2022	3
Compensation Management	01/01/2019	12/31/2022	3
Employee Benefits	01/01/2019	12/31/2022	3
Training Concepts	01/01/2019	12/31/2022	3
Information Literacy	01/01/2019	12/31/2022	1
Introduction to Literature	01/01/2019	12/31/2022	3
Art Appreciation	01/01/2019	12/31/2022	3
Human Resources Management	01/01/2019	12/31/2022	3
Infant and Toddler Care	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Guidance in Early Childhood Education	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
World Civilizations	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Speech	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Advanced Composition	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Supervision and Leadership	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Legal Environment of Business	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Supply Chain Management	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Writing for Business	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
English Composition	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Music Appreciation	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Essentials of Psychology	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Math for Business and Finance	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Economics 2	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Introduction to Sociology	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Art, Music and Movement	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Working with Preschoolers	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Child, Family, and Community	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Cultural Diversity in the Early Childhood Program	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Assessment in Early Childhood Education	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Language and Literacy Development in Young Children	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Curriculum for Early Childhood Education	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Play in the Lives of Young Children	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Administration of an Early Childhood Education Center	08/01/2020	07/31/2023	3
Pre-Calculus	09/01/2021	08/31/2024	3
Earth Science	09/01/2021	08/31/2024	3
Introduction to Biology	09/01/2021	08/31/2024	3
Computer Applications	09/01/2021	08/31/2024	3
Nutrition	09/01/2021	08/31/2024	3
Principles of Management	09/01/2021	08/31/2024	3
Introduction to Business	09/01/2021	08/31/2024	3
Business Statistics	09/01/2021	08/31/2024	3
Intermediate Algebra	09/01/2021	03/31/2025	3
Foundation Skills in Math	09/01/2021	03/31/2025	3

11/28/2022 ACE National Database

Career Diplomas, Certificates, Degrees

Penn Foster specializes in trade occupations. Before pursuing a full credential, double check if your state requires a license to practice the occupation (not all do). If they do, be sure a nationally accredited credential can meet your state’s requirements for licensure. This extra due diligence is required for credentials like these, but if they’ll work for your state, these are an affordable and flexible option! Consider the option of using a program that includes ACE evaluated courses as part of the curriculum so you’ll retain some credit transfer if a higher degree is needed later.

Admissions requirements for specific programs (not individual classes) CLICK HERE

State Licensing

The following programs may lead to licensure or certification. Please review your program of interest using the links below:

Professional licensing requirements can vary by vocation and state. It is important to check with your state, local government, and/or licensing board to find out which requirements may be applicable in your field and location of employment. Learn more using the links to state and professional resources we have included below.