Accreditation of Prior Learning

What is APEL?

The college is aware that many students, particularly mature students, enter Higher Education with an extensive range of expertise, skills and knowledge derived from a variety or professional, vocational, community, leisure and personal contexts.


We are launching a new Recognition Service which will enable students to apply to turn their existing experience into university credit. The new service will provide Accreditation of Prior Experience and Learning (APEL), which is the process through which we can link your previous experience and learning to count towards your new qualification. APEL provides you with the opportunity to have your prior experiential learning assessed and included within your Higher Education course. The service is available to anyone with current or previous work experience or qualifications and you can even use it before you enrol. If you qualify, you could significantly reduce the cost and length of your course. Through our Recognition Service we offer a quick and easy online route to help you decide if you have a claim and then an online service to help you through the whole of the claims process.

We will be creating a dedicated team of assessors who will guide you throughout the process and provide all the support and guidance you need to make a claim. More information will be available on this service as and when we have it by visiting www.ncl-coll.ac.uk/undergraduate.

A successful APEL claim could count for up to 50% of your chosen qualification so unlike a traditional course, you may be exempt from some of the modules you would otherwise have been taught. You’ll need to provide the evidence of your previous experience and we can then work with you to a build a portfolio to help you build your claim. Once approved you would not be required to undertake taught sessions for the modules you’ve gained APEL for.

Mature students and alternative qualifications

We welcome applications from mature students (aged 21 and above) and students with alternative qualifications. You will be considered on an individual basis, taking account of alternative qualifications or other relevant experience, and are normally interviewed.

Your past and present can count towards your future, our Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning [AP(E)L] process enables you to gain credit towards your course for prior qualifications and/or learning. Decisions about the type and amount of credit may be based on certificates you have gained, which demonstrate that learning has been assessed. Or we may take into account learning from experience that is considered worthy of credit. In all cases, credit is awarded for learning that can be demonstrated, not for the experience itself. We can offer to help you by providing advice and support materials.

What are the benefits of completing an APEL assessment?

  • It may mean that you do not have to repeat aspects of your course with which you are already familiar.
  • It may help to speed up your rate of study. Although completing an APEL assessment may be as time consuming as completing a taught module assessment, you will not be required to attend classes and the assessment can be completed outside of the timetabled semesters. This may be a particularly helpful means of accelerating progression for part-time students
  • As a full-time student it may provide you with space in your studies to focus upon other taught modules. However full-time students should be aware that it is necessary to study at least six taught modules per year in order to retain full-time status.
  • It provides formal academic recognition of learning your already hold.

APEL in practice

Lisa Williamson joined the FdA Airline and Airport Management programme in 2009 as direct entry into year 2. Lisa has worked for Emirates Airlines, based in Dubai, as Cabin Crew (Business Grade) since 2007. Prior to this she worked as Cabin Crew for My Travel Airways from 1998 to 2007 based in Manchester Airport. She has over 12 years experience working in the industry and was looking to study to further her career development.

Although a UK citizen and born in Newcastle Lisa was based in Dubai working for Emirates as Business Grade Cabin Crew. Once she had contacted the college and spoke to the course leader she was introduced to the AP(E)L process. She completed an AP(E)L log for FdA Airline and Airport Management year 1 modules which detailed how her experience matched each learning outcome. She also provided a comprehensive CV and training records. She was delighted when approval was granted which meant that because of her experience in the industry she could start at year 2 on the Foundation Degree course she had chosen.

Lisa contacted tutors on a weekly basis via webcam and accessed all learning materials via Student Blackboard. For the whole year she did not return to the UK and so tutors did not have the opportunity to meet her face to face. On completion of her FdA in Airline and Airport Management she decided that she had had enough of studying but it was persuasion from family and friends that convinced her to progress to BA (Hons) Airline and Airport Management. She met the teaching team in August 2010 during a quick visit to the UK and has now started contacting tutors via webcam weekly.

Lisa Williamson - Emirates Airlines
BA (Hons) Airline and Airport Management