College Savings with CLEP Exams

You've probably been wondering how you're going to pay for your child's education. There is a way to save a substantial amount of money on tuition: Testing out of required courses with CLEP exams. You've heard about scholarships, tax breaks and 529 plans. Although these programs are terrific, paying for college can still be an enormous challenge.

What is CLEP?
CLEP, the College Level Examination Program, is administered by the College Board, and can drastically reduce the time and money needed for a college education. CLEP exams give students credit for college-level knowledge they've acquired through other avenues. The examinations cover everything from US history to trigonometry, and 2,900 colleges and universities across the country grant credit for them.

The tests are administered at more than 1,400 locations across the country and are given every month. It's necessary to register a month in advance, as tests are ordered to reflect individual student requirements. The exams take 90 minutes apiece and cost substantially less than the courses that they replace. Successful completion of each exam will earn a student at least 3 and as many as 12 credits. The student can bank these credits and ask the College Board to send CLEP scores to a college upon enrollment. It is possible to earn up to 60 hours of credit with these exams, depending on the college's policy.

Who Can Use CLEP?
Anyone over the age of 16 can take CLEP exams, and taking them while in high school is an ideal way to get a jump-start on a college education. Freshman year at college typically reviews the last two years of high school. It should be possible for the average student taking US history to pass the related CLEP exams and earn six college credits. Bi-lingual students, or those who are taking Spanish, French or German would probably have little trouble passing the foreign language exam. Students who excel in English can take up to five exams covering literature and composition. These are just examples; of the 34 different CLEP exams available, there may be several that coincide with a student's interest or expertise.

Students who are already in college can also benefit from CLEP. Most colleges require a set of core subjects, including math, history, English, science and sociology. Many students may be able to pass these CLEP exams quite easily and, in addition to saving money, avoid classes too elementary for them. Ambitious students can then progress to more specialized courses in their chosen field or take life-enriching courses in the arts.

According to admissions counselors at several Massachusetts colleges, CLEP is used almost exclusively by adult students, and to great advantage.

An Underutilized Resource
At present, CLEP exams appear to be woefully underutilized. An informal survey of high school guidance departments reveals that they are practically unknown at that level, and local colleges report much the same thing. It makes perfect sense to get credit for life experience and things you already know.

Whether for your high-school-age child or for yourself, CLEP is out there just waiting to be used. And compared to all the documentation, forms and research necessary for most other programs, signing up for this one is a breeze. Take 1 exam or take 20, but take advantage of CLEP.