Applying for a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): Or How to Save £400 to £600 GBP via Google’s IT Support Professional Certificate
About Recognitions of Prior Learning (RPL)
The University of London, like most universities – offer what is called a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Such a process allows one to receive course credits for classes/modules taken at other institutions or universities – effectively letting you “transfer” your credits. An RPL is accepted on the basis that the two courses are considered academically ‘equivalent’. This effectively lets you ‘skip’ a limited amount of classes, only up to 120 credits, if you can demonstrate prior learning.
There are two types of RPLs offered by the University of London: automatic RPLs, and discretionary RPLs. Automatic RPLs come from a very small list of pre-approved classes from a select few universities. If a student has completed such a class from the list, they may apply for an RPL and have it accepted automatically, without needing to pay any administrative fee.
There are also discretionary RPLs, which is basically decided on a case-by-case basis. From what I’ve heard, it’s pretty difficult to apply for a discretionary RPL, and unfortunately, I haven’t heard about any success stories so far.
How to save £400 - £600 by applying for a RPL via the Google IT Professional Certification
Most RPLs are pretty specific and situational to the individual student. However, there is one RPL pathway that is available to everyone, and it can save you anywhere from between £400 to £600 British Pounds, depending on your tuition.
All students in the University of London’s Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science programme are required to complete an Level 4 module, called How Computers Work (HCW). However, the University of London also offers an option to skip the HCW module, if you apply for a RPL via the Google IT Professional Certificate.
The Google IT Professional Certificate is actually a MOOC from Coursera, and it takes the form of a Coursera specialisation containing 5 courses. In terms of difficulty or content, it’s either the same or slightly more difficult than the University of London’s HCW module. But most importantly, the Google IT Cert costs much, much less!
Nominally, Coursera has an subscription billing model. When one enrolls in the specialisation, the first month is free, and every subsequent month costs $49.00 USD. This is much less than the £400 to £600 British Pounds that the HCW module costs!
This RPL pathway has not gone unnoticed, and the vast majority of students enrolled in this programme are taking advantage of it. There’s actually an entire slack channel dedicated to doing the Google IT Cert, and overall this is a great way to save money and time.
The Google IT Cert takes up to 6 months to complete, but most people finish it in less than 3 months. If you have a strong prior technical background, and a lot of time to dedicate – it’s even possible to complete it in less than 1 month, making it entirely free.
And for prospective students who wish to start their journey in the programme on a high note, it’s possible to begin the Google IT Cert today, and apply for the RPL as soon as you have been accepted by the University of London :)
Likewise, for students who are applying via the Performance Admissions track, you would be able to apply for the RPL and have it accepted as soon as the term is over. This way, you will effectively complete 3 modules in your first term, even though Performace Admissions students are restricted to only 2 modules at first.
Resources & Further Reading
- https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-it-support
- https://london.ac.uk/applications/how-apply/recognition-prior-learning/recognition-and-accreditation-prior-learning-3