At 32, River Robbins Used PLA to Rewrite His Path—and Earn Two Degrees Fast

One of the hallmarks of getting an education at Nashville State is the ability for students to go at the pace that best suits their lives.

Whether that’s a student right out of high school, taking a full course load in person, or an adult learner with a full-time job and family taking a few courses online each semester.

The options are endless, and there is a path to a degree or certification. River Robbins, a recent graduate, set his own course, completing two degrees at a fast pace.

After a decade in corporate management, Robbins decided it was time for something new. “Corporate life wasn’t for me,” Robbins said. “I wasn’t doing what I wanted to do.”

Robbins said he never saw himself going to college, but after leaving his corporate job, he decided to try it out. “I wanted to get a degree in something I’m passionate about. I decided I’m going to give it a shot.”

He enrolled at Nashville State in November of 2025. As an adult learner, Robbins decided to complete his degree as quickly as possible and began researching his options. It was then that he learned about the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) program. A program that allows admitted students to apply prior knowledge or experience toward credit hours for their degree.

From there, he learned about the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), which allows students to take exams for certain classes and earn the required credit hours.

“I had never heard of them (CLEP Exams) before,” Robbins said. “I decided to challenge myself and do as many as I could before my first semester started.”

After reviewing the class options and working with his Nashville State advisor, Robbins mapped out an ambitious goal of completing six exams before the start of the semester. But Robbins is someone who seeks to gain as much as he can from something and fully immerses himself in his goals.

“Once I get into something, I really get into it,” Robbins said. “I ended up doing 13 within the month, which was kind of crazy.” Robbins completed his final CLEP exam this past spring, bringing his total to 14.

As part of his preparation Robbins used Modern States, a preparatory program featuring lectures and study guides for CLEP exams takers. By doing so and passing all of his exams, he was able to waive the CLEP exam cost and testing fees.

Though he had not yet started his official Nashville State coursework, Robbins said he used the Testing Center on the White Bridge campus when it was time to take the proctored exams. “The Testing Center was so great, and they were so encouraging, and the environment there was so nice,” Robbins said. “I strongly recommend taking them at the Testing Center.”

With his success on the CLEP exams, Robbins decided to continue his Nashville State course through online course options. There, he enrolled in a mix of 7-week term classes and a few standard 15-week semester courses. By structuring his schedule this way, he was able to double the number of courses he could take during a normal semester.

“I did it online, and I really ended up loving it,” Robbins said. “I wanted to be able to really dig into the information and work at my own pace, and it allowed me to work on everything a lot faster and with more focus.”

“All of my professors have been amazing, and I have loved all of them. I got some really great career advice from my criminal justice professors, and I was able to pick their brains on my career path.”

In addition to his accelerated coursework, Robbins also participated in Nashville GRAD’s career development programming. As a student, Nashville GRAD assisted with his post-graduation career plans.

“I got so much value from it. It teaches you a lot about networking and helping find potential employers and to reach out to them.”

“In that process, I came across my current job with the state of Tennessee,” Robbins said. “I would not have found it otherwise. The fact that I was just graduating from Nashville State was a big factor for them.”

“It went so well, and I really have Nashville State to thank, or I wouldn’t have seen this job.”

Now, with a job he loves and two associate degrees in criminal justice and psychology has set himself up to follow his passions in a fulfilling career. And though he is just finishing up Robbins is already using the knowledge he gained during his time at Nashville State.

During his free time, he works as a private citizen looking to solve some of the Nashville area’s coldest criminal cases. Through that, he is communicating with Metro Nashville Police to research and trace new leads on decades-old unsolved murders.

He has also now enrolled at the University of Maine at Presque Isle to continue his bachelor’s degree.

Though Robbins’ fast pace is not for everyone, he wants future and current students to know what is possible for anyone willing to put in the effort.

“People are a lot more capable than they realize. You can chip away at some of these things. These (exams) could be the difference-maker for someone finishing their degree. You can save money and time.”

“The fact I was able to take on this journey at 32 and graduate with honors is crazy,” Robbins said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do this without Nashville State.”