College-Credit Earning Programs to Consider

As the parent of a University of Colorado student, I get a parent newsletter and occasional messages from the university president. Yesterday the president’s message was entitled: “How to Succeed at college and save $20,000.” That got my attention.

His advice was sound and I thought it worth sharing here. He began by saying something we all know: the cost of college keeps increasing and states are having trouble funding their higher learning institutions, thus students are paying more. But, he pointed out, higher schoolers who prepare in advance (my emphasis) can earn college credits while in high school, thereby reducing the cost of their college education.

One of the ways is fairly common knowledge to most parents: Have your student enroll in Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. The tests they take at the end of those courses/programs can grant them college credits depending on the student’s score. In some cases, the president pointed out, a student can earn up to a year’s worth of credit!

The College Level Examination Program (CLEP), developed by the College Board, also allows students to test out of certain subjects and earn college credit. CLEP, AP, and IB exams all carry costs of around $70 to $100, but those costs are a fraction of what you will pay in college. Another thing to note is that universities and colleges vary in what scores and programs they will accept as college credit. You and your student should research schools of interest before assuming anything. For more information on these three programs: http://clep.collegeboard.org/;
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/index.html; http://www.ibo.org/.

In addition to these programs, CU offers the CU Succeed and CU Gold programs to juniors and seniors in high school. These programs “collaborate with more than 90 high schools in Colorado in offering students the opportunity to get a head start on their college careers by taking UC Denver courses for both high school and college credit, during the school day, on the high school campus.” Both programs cost $75 a credit hour—again, a fraction of the cost that high schoolers will face when they becomes full-time university students. It would be worth the time to research colleges in your state to see if they offer similar programs.

These are some important cost-saving programs that not only can earn your student college credit, but that builds confidence in their ability to handle tough academic challenges—important on that road to college success. If you know of other similar programs, share them here.