I'm looking for the English word for the French "équivalence", in an academic context. It is used when one has followed a course with material that is sufficient for another course, and as such, the school hands out an équivalence and you don't need to do the other course.
Here is a less abstract example. John has a bachelor's degree in computer science. He then decides to change field and go into law. In the law program, there might be a course like "Computers 101" where he is taught MS Word and such. Since this stuff is trivial for John, and given his previous education, he can ask for an équivalence and not have to do that course.
Is there such a word in English?