FAFSA monies and amount of credits per year, Do they count CLEP and Dantes as credits

[mrs.b]

To expand just a little on what Rebel and marianne explained, you must earn the minimum number of graded credits per term (and that may differ by school, based on how their terms are distributed through a traditional semester timeframe) to receive any funding, whether grants or loans. Credit-by-exam options are not considered graded, even if a specific school transcribes them that way; not all schools will do that. You can use credit-by-exams in addition to actual courses, but you must earn at least the minimum number of course credits to receive funding.

Your best resource to be certain you develop a degree plan that will optimize available funding as well as your time and effort is to consult with your specific schools' financial aid departments and see what their policies are and how they distribute credits and funding. It always differs slightly by school, and changes periodically even within the same schools as Federal restrictions and guidelines get updated. Give your community college and Excelsior both a call and see what works best for your specific situation.