Financial Aid for Prior Learning Assessment

Early Successes and Lessons From the U.S. Department of Education’s Experimental Sites Initiative 

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor invited postsecondary institutions to participate in an experiment to learn how federal financial aid might be used to cover the costs of prior learning assessment (PLA). This brief highlights some of the experiences and successful results of the experiment so far, while also pointing to how this new application of federal financial aid might be best supported if available nationwide.