Has anyone successfully obtained college credit for PADI courses?

[old_man_and_the_sea]

Thank you for all the replies. I’ve tried every school mentioned so far but still have yet to receive a “yes” and from what I’m seeing it seems that no one has really been able to apply the PADI credit towards a degree. I guess it’s just good marketing.

 

[scottgrizzard]

I am sorry to hear you are having so much trouble with the credits.

Reading your original post, I remember a dive shop I once worked for had an arrangement with a local private high school for credit for the PADI open water course, and for a bunch of other things (like AWARE classes for science credits and AWARE cleanup dive participation for service hours).

I don't know what the situation is in your town, but did you could try contacting the local dive shops and see if they have similar arrangements with a local high school... if one shop does it for one school, it may be a way to get the headmaster/principle to accept your ACE credits.

If you try this approach, please let me know how it turns out.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

How much do you want to pay? I teach OW and AOW as college courses, and build Rescue/First Aid/Emergency Oxygen Provider into a Scientific Diving course.

The drag is I teach at a private university and the cost for a couple of credits (for AOW and OW) wouldn't be cheap. Existing students just add the 1 credit to their fixed full-time tuition so it doesn't cost them extra.

When college credit is given, I suspect it's ordinarily in advance. I've not heard of it being given after the fact. Feel free to message me if you want to discuss this.

 

[old_man_and_the_sea]

So far still no colleges willing to accept. Reached out to PADI to find out if they could give me the name of a single college that has accepted the credit and they said someone would reach out of me but haven’t heard back yet. I’m pretty sure this is just a marketing thing and no one is really able to use these classes for college credit. Kind of a bummer.

For the people who received high school credit, any chance you could give more details?

 

[old_man_and_the_sea]

Well, in conclusion, I was unable to find a single college that would grant my son credit for his PADI Open Water, Advanced Open Water, or Rescue Diver courses, and therefore, he gets no PE credit. :-(

I reached out to PADI and ACE multiple times, but they could not provide me with the name of ONE SINGLE SCHOOL that would grant credit, so I was pretty disappointed.

There was one school in Santa Barbara that said that if my son enrolled there and took 12 units of courses, they might be able to grant him a couple of units of credit, but they couldn't even guarantee it.

Honestly, I'm shocked this "college credit for scuba classes" is so widely advertised and talked about because it doesn't look like it exists.

 

[rhwestfall]

I completed my YMCA certification in college, but the instructor was actually a faculty member and it was a recognized PE class he provided. That was long ago (1988). I was back at my college about 4 years ago, and there were signs up at the pool marketing PADI. Apparently a dive shop is providing a PE class there now...

This is a State School in New York...

 

[tursiops]

Honestly, I'm shocked this "college credit for scuba classes" is so widely advertised and talked about because it doesn't look like it exists.

I'm sorry for all your effort and issues with this, but the fact that you have not yet located such a college does not mean the possibility doesn't exist. And to extend that to suggesting it is a scam is unwarranted.

Read post #23 again. It says, by a college teacher:

When college credit is given, I suspect it's ordinarily in advance. I've not heard of it being given after the fact. Feel free to message me if you want to discuss this.

 

[jseyfert3]

My ex-wife got PADI OW certified as part of a class at Quincy University in Illinois sometime around 2012. I checked their course list and they list PED 137, Scuba Diving I (non-certified) and PED 138, Scuba Diving II (certified), each for 1 credit hour, on their 2023-2024 course list. My assumption is that's the OW course, for a total of 2 credit hours.

It does not appear that they offer any other scuba diving courses for credit. I also don't know if they would accept it as a transfer, or only offer it as a course to active students.

 

[jseyfert3]

I took another look. It appears their 2024-2025 catalog is not in PDF form, but if you search for scuba PED 137 and PED 138 come up, so it looks like they are still offering OW scuba certification.

It looks like in general they want any transfer credits to come from an accredited institution (makes sense), but that they may accept from non-accredited institutions. This sounds similar to the school in Santa Barbara that required at least 12 credit hours attended, and then they may grant 1 credit hour. Quincy requires attending for 2 semesters and at least 15 credit hours, at which point based on the quality of your work they may accept non-accredited transfer credits:

Quincy University may accept transfer courses from an institution not regionally accredited. If so, such courses will be evaluated on an individual basis; but before transfer of credits is allowed, work from those institutions must be validated by the student’s performance over two semesters, including at least fifteen (15) semester hours at Quincy University. Evaluation of such transfer credit is made by the Vice President for Academic Affairs or Registrar together with the appropriate faculty. Transfer to Quincy University of such credit is not automatic; students must initiate the transfer request by petition.

 

[ECHIV]

That’s great! Any chance you could share some more information on how you accomplished this? We emailed his principal and he asked for the name of a college in California that would actually grant the credit so we’re stuck on this step for now.

Sorry for the late reply. We talked to his counselor for the homeschool program he was enrolled in.