The essentials in 30 seconds
- What: Cabrillo College in Aptos, California, now awards college credit for Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) certifications.
- A first: it is the first community college in California to do so.
- How: through the state's Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) program, toward an Associate in Science degree or a Certificate of Achievement in wine studies.
- First graduate: Celeste Leon used her WSET Level 3 Award in Wines to complete both.
Cabrillo College, a community college in Aptos on the Santa Cruz County coast, has become the first in California to award college credit for WSET wine certifications. The announcement went out on October 20, 2026.
What changes for students
Students in Cabrillo's Wine Program, which offers an Associate in Science degree and a Certificate of Achievement in wine studies, can now apply WSET certifications they already hold toward that degree or certificate. Working wine professionals with WSET credentials can do the same and earn credit without starting from zero.
"This program fast-tracks the completion of degrees and certifications to help students reduce costs and advance their careers," said Deborah Parker Wong, DipWSET, associate instructor in wine studies at the college.
The first student to use it
Celeste Leon began classes at Cabrillo in spring 2024 and earned the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines in spring 2026. She is the first student to apply that certification to complete both the A.S. degree and the certificate of achievement. She works as a wine steward and wine club manager at Truckee Grocery Outlet.
WSET Level 3 is an advanced certification recognized worldwide. It covers how production choices, regions and the business side of wine shape style, quality and price.
A statewide program behind it
The Credit for Prior Learning initiative is funded by the State of California. Its goal is to help at least 250,000 working adults, apprentices and military veterans receive college credit for what they already know by 2030. Cabrillo is expanding the same approach to other fields, including accounting, fire technology and culinary arts.
If you are preparing for a WSET exam, our guides to grape varieties and wine and food pairing cover the basics you will be tested on.
Photo: the salvia garden on the Cabrillo College campus in Aptos, California, taken in 2008, not at the announcement. Scott Zona, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Sources: Wine Industry Advisor: Cabrillo College First in California to Award College Credit for Wine Certifications; TPG Online Daily: Cabrillo First in State to Award Credit for Wine Certifications. Checked on October 21, 2026.
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