What you need to know to earn your
online degree faster
When you enroll at CTU, you gain access to CTU Fast Track™, a program that allows you to accelerate your degree so you can graduate sooner, saving you time and money*.
At Colorado Technical University, we realize that many of our students come to us with prior knowledge gained through work, the military, a trade school, an apprenticeship or other life experience. CTU Fast Track™ is a prior learning program that allows students enrolled at CTU the opportunity to earn college credit for life experience or previous work experience. Each exam is designed to test your knowledge of key course objectives. By passing a CTU Fast Track™ exam, you receive PLA credit that allows you to skip the class, accelerating your degree and allowing you to potentially graduate sooner.
Many of CTU’s programs offer multiple eligible Fast Track exams and there are more on the way. Currently, CTU has dozens of degree programs that offer Fast Track exams. The number of Fast Track exams per degree ranges from 1 to 17.
By passing CTU Fast Track™ exams you can save up to 30% on time and tuition by earning college credit for prior knowledge*. Fast Track exams are available at no additional cost to all CTU students.
HOW FAST TRACK WORKS
1. Register for your exam
Sign up for a CTU Fast Track™ exam through your admissions advisor or success coach. You can register for the Fast Track exam at any point before the course begins.
You may register for more than one Fast Track exam at once. We recommend only taking two during any given week.
You will receive an email once you register for the exam. We recommend setting yourself a reminder for your scheduled session to take the exam.
2. Log in for your scheduled session to take the exam
Once your CTU Fast Track™ exam is open, log in and begin the exam.
You can start and stop the exam at any point while Fast Track is open.
On average each Fast Track exam takes between 3-5 hours to complete.
There is no penalty for not passing a CTU Fast Track™ exam, but you may not re-take a Fast Track exam that you have attempted and not passed.
3. Get a passing score and skip the class—saving time and money!
If you score 70% or above for undergraduate programs or 80% or higher for graduate programs, you earn proficiency credit and the course is removed from your schedule.
If you score below 70% (undergraduate) or 80% (graduate), the course remains on your schedule as regularly planned.
Your grade will be posted after your Fast Track exam open period ends.
After 24 hours, course credit is applied to your degree program.
Ready to Fast Track
your degree at CTU?
If you are interested in enrolling in a CTU Associate, Bachelor's or Master's degree program at CTU and taking Fast Track exams, fill out the form below for more information or call 855.230.0555.
ENROLL TODAYCurrently a Student?
If you are already a CTU student, contact your success coach to see if you are eligible for any Fast Track exams.
*The ability to reduce time in school and/or reduce tuition towards the full cost of a degree program depends on the number of CTU Fast Track™ exams successfully passed. Fast Track program credits are non-transferable. Not all programs are eligible for possible 30% reduction in time and money. Courses eligible are subject to change. Students should not rely on potential Fast Track savings or eligibility when making an enrollment decision.
BENEFITS OF CTU FAST TRACK™
What Students Are Saying About Their CTU Experience
I chose CTU for the fast-track program and the convenience of online studies. I work full time and would not have been able to attend in-person classes.
Monica P., Former Student 2024 Graduate, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
I chose CTU because they offered fast-track programs/classes. I didn’t have to spend too much time on topics I was already familiar with.
Kierra C., Former Student 2023 Graduate, Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
FAQ
What is CTU Fast Track™?
At Colorado Technical University, we realize that many of our students come to us with prior knowledge gained through work, the military, a trade school, an apprenticeship or other life experience. CTU Fast Track™ is a prior learning program that allows students enrolled at CTU the opportunity to earn college credit for life experience or previous work experience. Each exam is designed to test your knowledge of key course objectives. By passing a CTU Fast Track™ exam, you receive PLA credit that allows you to skip the class, accelerating your degree and allowing you to potentially graduate sooner. You can save up to 30% on time and tuition* and the best part is that these exams are available at no additional cost for CTU students.
Many of CTU’s programs offer Fast Track exams. Eligible degree programs have at least 1 exam available, and some as many as 17 exams available. We currently have dozens of degree programs that have Fast Track exams available, with more on the way.
How do Fast Track exams work?
Once you have enrolled as a student, the first step is to sign up for a Fast Track exam through your admissions advisor. They’ll make sure you are signed up for all of the exams that make sense for the life and work experience you have and are applicable to the program you are pursuing. Fast Track exams run weekly and there is no additional cost.
Once the exam opens, you’ll have a set period of time to complete the exam online. On average, each Fast Track exam takes 3-5 hours to complete. If you earn a score of 70% or higher for undergraduate exams or 80% for graduate exams, you’ll receive proficiency credit for the class, the course will be removed from your schedule, and you won’t have to pay the tuition for that course. If you score below a 70% (undergraduate) or 80% (graduate), the course remains on your schedule as planned, but there is no penalty to your grade point average or academic standing.
You cannot re-take a Fast Track exam that you have attempted and not passed.
Do Fast Track exams apply to any degree?
As a CTU student, you can take specific Fast Track exams that cover a variety of courses in our degree programs. Eligible programs include business, project management, information technology, and more.
Which CTU degree programs are eligible for Fast Track exams?
Fast Track exams are available for classes like math, English, and IT —core classes which are required for many CTU degree programs.
See a list of available Fast Track exams by degree.
Are there any other ways to earn credit?
In addition to Fast Track exams and earning credit at accredited postsecondary institutions, the following options are eligible for evaluation toward academic credit through CTU.
Our CTU Registrar Evaluation Services Specialists can provide degree planning assistance. Official transcripts and formal documents are required before evaluation of transfer credit can occur. CTU will provide unofficial evaluations based on unofficial transcripts, however, the evaluation cannot become official until we verify that your documents meet the established transfer credit criteria.
- Experiential Learning Portfolio (ELP): If you think you may qualify for experiential credit, start the process by contacting the Registrar Evaluation Services Department to determine your eligibility. You will be asked to build an Experiential Learning Portfolio (ELP) that should establish a direct alignment with the course in which you want to obtain credit. The final portfolio is submitted to the Registrar Evaluation Services Department and/or a Dean and assigned to a Program Chair for evaluation and determination of credit. An ELP is required for each course in which you believe you have experiential credit.
- Professional training/certification or military training: CTU uses American Council on Education (ACE) guidelines to determine if your prior training, experience or certifications are applicable to your degree program and eligible for proficiency credit equivalency requirements. This may include college credit for military experience, college credit for qualifying work experience, training with officially documented clock hours, continuing Education Units (CEUs), or other certified company training.
- CTU MOS Commitment: Active and veteran military students can use their military occupational specialty code (MOS) to apply the skill and experience they gained while serving in the military. The CTU MOS Commitment provides members of the military with a personalized and comprehensive review of all eligible credit which includes the JST, all MOS codes held, any prior education and professional training or certifications. By including the MOS in this review, military members may be eligible to get more credit towards a degree and potentially earn a degree in less time.
- Standardized Assessment: You may be able to earn credit by demonstrating knowledge competency through standardized assessments, such as Advanced Placement (AP) examinations, CLEP examinations, or DSST examinations.
- Transfer credit: Some of our degree programs allow you to transfer credits from accredited schools other than CTU. Once your prior schools’ official transcripts have been received by CTU, we can determine if your credits can apply, and a Registrar Evaluation Services Specialist will guide you through the transfer-in credits process**.
*The ability to reduce time in school and/or reduce tuition towards the full cost of a degree program depends on the number of CTU Fast Track™ exams successfully passed. Fast Track program credits are non-transferable. Not all programs are eligible for possible 30% reduction in time and money. Courses eligible are subject to change. Students should not rely on potential Fast Track savings or eligibility when making an enrollment decision.
**Transfer credit is evaluated on an individual basis. Not all credits are eligible to transfer. See the University Catalog for transfer credit policies.