# 119-s-4897: Credit for Prior Learning Act

119-s-4897, Credit for Prior Learning Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-02).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4897
- As of: 2026-10-02
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4897
- Congress: 119
- Title: Credit for Prior Learning Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-06-24
- Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-02

## Summary

**This bill would make it cheaper for students to earn college credit for real-world learning by creating a new allowance of up to **$2,000 per award year** for prior learning assessment costs and by setting clear standards and transparency rules for those assessments.** It would also require accreditors to verify that institutions use expert-based criteria and publicly disclose how they evaluate learning earned outside the classroom. - Students: Students could use up to $2,000 per award year to cover reasonable costs, like test fees, for assessments that convert work or life experience into college credits. The cap would be adjustable for inflation after the 2025-2026 award year and the changes would take effect on July 1, 2027. - Colleges and accreditors: Institutions would need assessment policies that evaluate skills and knowledge against criteria accepted by subject matter experts and accreditors would be required to confirm those standards during reviews. - Consumers and equity: Colleges would have to report how many students receive prior learning credit and the average credits awarded, disaggregated by race, income, and Federal Pell Grant status.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Help to pay prior learning fees: benefit, medium. If enacted, you would be able to add up to $2,000 per award year to your school's cost of attendance for fees to assess prior learning. The $2,000 cap applies for award years through 2025–2026 and would be adjusted for inflation after that. This allowance would apply when your school calculates cos…
- Clearer rules for prior learning credit: benefit, low. If enacted, accrediting agencies would have to confirm schools use adequate standards to assess prior learning. The standards would need to test skills and knowledge at levels accepted by subject matter experts and be publicly disclosed. Colleges would also have to report two new metrics: the numbe…

## Related bills

- 119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026
- 119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act
- 119-s-1541: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-s-3492: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-4897 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4897)

## Related
- [119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3923)
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071)
- [119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2838)
- [119-s-1541: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1541)
- [119-s-3492: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3492)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4897 (as of 2026-10-02).