Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a process which allows you to either transfer academic credits from previously completed qualifications into a programme, or to gain academic credits within a programme for previously completed non-credit bearing qualifications.

There are five core principles that apply to this process:

 

1) Recent completion: The previous qualification should have been completed within the last five years (i.e. the date on the certificate must be less than five years prior to the date that you will start your first module on the programme). It is possible for qualifications that are over five years old to be accepted, but you will have to provide further evidence of how you've kept the learning current and of any other relevant academic study you have done in that time.

 

2) Relevance: The previous qualification must be relevant to the content of the programme. To receive specific credit within a programme, the qualification must have learning outcomes that are equivalent to one or more of the modules on the programme. If an RPL request is granted as specific credit it will count as if you have already passed one or more specific modules within the programme and you will not be able to take these modules as part of your studies.

 

3) Academic credits at Level 7: For RPL requests involving credit-bearing qualifications, the qualification must have been studied at, or equivalent to, FHEQ level 7 or SCQF level 11. For awards of specific credit it must have been awarded with enough credits to cover the module(s) it is deemed to be equivalent to from the programme (normally 30 or 60). 

 

4) Maximum credit restriction: A maximum of two thirds of the credits for any final exit award can be obtained through RPL. 

Therefore, you will need to consider the intended exit point from the programme you intend to join, i.e.:

• A delegate intending to exit with 60 credits (a PGCert) can have a maximum of 40 credits included by RPL.
• A delegate intending to exit with 120 credits (a PGDip) can have a maximum of 80 credits included by RPL.
• A delegate intending to exit with 180 credits (an MEd) can have a maximum of 120 credits included by RPL.

Please note that due to most Real Group modules being 30 or 60 credits the limits on RPL for a PgDip and PgCert are generally 60 and 30 credits respectively. e.g. 20 credits could not be transferred in on their own, and 40 credits could be transferred in, but with only 30 credits counting towards the exit award.

 

5) Qualification progression: The same credits cannot be counted towards more than one of the same type of qualification. For instance a module could be used towards a PgCert, which is then brought into a PgDip or MEd by RPL; however the same module could not be used towards two different PgCerts.

 

Note about National Professional Qualifications, and the National Award for SEN Coordination: While some of these courses are recognised by universities and carry Level 7 academic credits, some of them do not. Due to these being nationally recognised qualifications, Real Group will accept any that do not carry Level 7 credits as being equivalent to 30 credits at Level 7 for the purposes of RPL. Applications made for RPL of these qualifications must still meet the five principles outlined above.

For all qualifications you wish to have considered for recognition you must provide copies of the certificate and transcript you received (if one was issued), the academic syllabus of the qualification, and for all non-UK qualifications an ENIC statement must also be provided.

 

Please do not use this form for RPL applications that consist solely of previous qualifications or courses studied with Real Group, and which were completed within the last five years. These should be added onto the registration forms when you apply to study your first module on a programme. 

In order to assess and process your request for recognition of prior learning, the information and evidence you provide will be shared to the the relevant members of staff at Real Group and Middlesex University and may be reviewed at assessment boards by the relevant board members. The information is shared only for the purposes of processing the request for recognition of prior learning; access to documents is restricted and minutes of assessment boards are kept restricted and only versions without confidential information will be shared with the wider Real Group or Middlesex University teams.