BUTLER TWP — Students soon will have the opportunity to earn college credits at Butler County Community College based on their prior educational, work and life experiences under a new state program unveiled this week.

The program, College Credit FastTrack, is a unified Prior Learning Assessment model shared among the state’s 14 community colleges.

“We’re the first state in the country to do this. And I think it’s a really great example as to how Pennsylvania’s community colleges have been and continue to be on the forefront,” said Nick Neupauer, BC3 president and board chairman for the Pennsylvania Coalition of Community Colleges.

Neupauer said the program is for nontraditional students, such as a police officer trying to earn criminal justice credits toward a degree. Other possible students include those who have lost their jobs, are looking to switch careers or are transitioning from military to civilian life.

College Credit FastTrack, which was announced in Harrisburg on Monday, is funded by a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Students can apply by sending an application of experience and a flat $125 application fee through the website www.ccfasttrack.org.

College advisers will work with students through the application and e-portfolio building process, recommending the best course matches for their experiences. If students are approved for the credit, there is no additional fee.

However, the process is not a shortcut.

“It will go through a proper vetting at the respective colleges, so in no way is it going to be a rubber stamp that life experiences is going to transfer to college credit,” Neupauer said. “There’s great rigor to this.”

It’s also another way community colleges can provide options for students.

“It shows how we’re responsive to student needs. It shows that we take affordability as a very important factor, and it enables those qualified students the credit they deserve and enables them to complete a degree more quickly and at a reduced cost,” he said.

BC3 already has received a few applications from students.

While BC3 did have a Prior Learning Assessment program before, this is the first time a unified model has been established across the state.