Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL): A Practical Guide

What RPEL means

Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning, often shortened to RPEL, concerns learning developed through experience rather than solely through a formally assessed course. Work, voluntary activity, community responsibilities and other relevant settings can develop knowledge and skills. Academic recognition depends on whether that learning can be demonstrated against specified standards.

Institutions use different terms, including experiential RPL and older expressions such as APEL. QAA Scotland's framework recommends RPL as a consistent umbrella term while recognising formal, non-formal and informal learning. Ask the receiving institution which terminology and procedure it uses; the acronym does not create an entitlement to credit.

Experience and learning are not the same thing

Experience describes what happened or what you did. Learning describes the understanding and capability developed through it. A portfolio needs to connect the two. Simply stating that you attended meetings, supervised staff or handled customers does not establish the reasoning expected by an academic outcome.

For example, organising a service rota is an activity. Explaining how you balanced demand, fairness, cost and service risk begins to show learning. Evaluating whether your approach worked and identifying its limits strengthens the account. The level and relevance still need an academic decision. Read the broader RPL guide for possible outcomes.

Formal, non-formal and informal learning

Formal learning usually takes place in structured education with assessment and recognised records. Non-formal learning may involve organised workplace training or development that does not carry conventional academic credit. Informal learning can develop through everyday practice, problem-solving and reflection.

A single professional history may include all three. Separate them in your application so the assessor understands the source of each claim. Do not describe an unassessed training session as a credit-bearing qualification. Equally, do not dismiss learning simply because it lacks a certificate; ask whether the programme permits an experiential claim.

What RPEL may support

Depending on the institution, recognised experiential learning may support entry, academic credit or exemption from specified requirements. Each outcome has different consequences. Admission confirms permission to study; credit recognises learning against part of a qualification. Exemption may operate differently again under the programme regulations.

The University of St Andrews describes several uses of RPL and requires evidence aligned with course outcomes. Its guidance is an institutional example, not a universal rule or an endorsement of BAHS. Obtain the actual policy for your proposed programme before preparing detailed evidence.

Develop one defensible learning claim

Choose an outcome and identify a situation where you applied relevant judgement. Describe the context briefly, then explain the information available, the options considered, the decision and its consequences. Connect your reasoning to appropriate concepts without rewriting a textbook or listing theory names without application.

Use an illustrative customer-service redesign. A weak account says complaints fell after you changed the process. A stronger account explains how complaints were categorised, why particular causes were prioritised, what alternatives were rejected and whether other changes affected the results. This makes the learning assessable rather than merely impressive.

Support reflection with evidence

Reflection is important, but unsupported self-description can be difficult to verify. Add selected work products, records or independent confirmation where permitted. Explain your personal contribution to collaborative work. State whether a document is original, redacted, summarised or reconstructed with approval.

Use an evidence map so each item has a clear purpose. Our portfolio guide explains how identifiers and an index can make the submission easier to follow. More files are not automatically better. Select material that directly supports the claim and acknowledges what it cannot prove.

Understand critical reflection

Critical reflection is not simply criticising yourself. It involves examining the assumptions, evidence and alternatives behind your decisions. Discuss limitations, uncertainty and competing interpretations. Explain how your understanding changed and how you would apply that learning in another situation.

An imperfect project can provide useful evidence if you analyse it honestly. Conversely, a commercially successful project may offer weak academic evidence if you cannot explain the decisions or your role. Avoid inventing neat lessons to fit a preferred outcome; the account should remain consistent with the actual records.

Check academic level and transferability

Being capable in a particular workplace does not automatically demonstrate the breadth or level of an entire programme. Ask which outcomes are appropriate for experiential assessment and what remains compulsory. Some learning may be recognised while other subjects require taught study.

Credit granted by one institution is not automatically transferable to another. Nor does an experiential route establish the recognised status of the eventual award. Our guide to international acceptance explains the separate checks on awarding arrangements and intended use.

Protect authenticity and confidentiality

Do not submit private client records or employer documents without the necessary permission. Ask about approved redaction or alternative verification. Keep the distinction between an adviser helping you organise a portfolio and someone producing the substantive claims for you. Your institution's authorship and AI-use rules apply.

If evidence is missing, state the gap and ask what would be acceptable. A fabricated reference or altered document can undermine both the application and professional trust. The aim is a defensible assessment of real learning, not a perfect-looking story.

Begin with a manageable scope

Start with one strong example and test whether you can explain the learning clearly. Then compare your available evidence with the programme's outcomes. This can reveal whether a full claim, partial claim, preparatory module or different pathway is more realistic.

Ask BAHS to review your initial profile before committing to extensive preparation. Request the applicable framework, assessment scope, costs and remaining study in writing. If the wording in an offer is unclear, contact Admissions. RPEL should clarify what you have learned and what comes next, not promise a qualification without assessment.

Use feedback as evidence of development

Where appropriate and permitted, show how feedback changed your approach. Identify the original issue, the action you took and the reasoning behind the revision. A later work product can help demonstrate the development, but explain other influences as well. Feedback should be represented accurately rather than rewritten as an endorsement. The academic claim concerns what you learned and how you applied it, not whether every colleague agreed with your original decision.