Although colleges will generally not pre-approve credits, courses or exams for prospective students, many colleges publish lists of acceptable sources of credit that they will accept.
In addition to taking courses at a community college, there are three popular ways your young scholar can earn college credit while still in high school. Our STEM curriculum offers courses from all three categories or a combination thereof.
Credit by Exam
Credit by exam programs are standardized tests written and administered by a company (not college) that assess college-level knowledge in various subjects. Credit by exam tests are not textbook specific so you can prepare using any material you like.
Credit earned by exam is considered potential college credit until it is accepted by a college.
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Advanced Placement Exam (AP): accepted by approximately 85% of colleges and universities
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College-Level Examination Program (CLEP): accepted by approximately 76% of colleges and universities
ACE Credit
The American Council on Education (ACE) is a third party credit evaluator that evaluates all types of online learning that happens outside of a college. ACE is the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting institutions: two-year and four-year, public and private. Their members educate two out of every three students in all accredited, degree-granting U.S. institutions.
ACE credit is not as transferable as credit earned directly through a college, but can be very transferable when used with the intention of transferring to one of their partner colleges.
NCCRS Credit
The National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS) is a third party credit evaluator that evaluates online learning that occurs outside of a college. The NCCRS have partnered with over 1,500 schools and universities to accept their regionally credit recommended courses. You should contact your college’s REGISTRAR (not admissions) to see if these type of courses are considered.
AP and CLEP are registered trademarks by The College Board. Credit by exam programs are standardized tests written and administered by a company (not college) that assess college-level knowledge in various subjects.
Advanced Placement (AP) exams are offered annually to high school students. AP gives students the chance to tackle college-level work while they're still in high school—whether they're learning online or in the classroom. AP Exams can also be used to make your college application more competitive at selective universities.
You can earn college credit, advanced placement, or both with your AP Exam scores, depending on the policy of the colleges you’re interested in. Here are the differences:
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Credit: You can graduate college early and save money on tuition by earning credit through AP Exam scores. You need a certain number of credits (usually 120 for a bachelor’s degree), and more colleges than ever before offer credit for your AP scores.
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Advanced Placement: You can skip certain introductory courses and gain placement in more advanced courses through your AP scores.
Homeschooled and virtual schooled students can take an AP exam without first taking an AP course, though some parents do also enroll their young scholars in AP courses. AP courses are worth high school credit while AP exams are worth college credit.
Parents and students cannot order AP Exams directly. Students who are homeschooled or attend a virtual school will need to find a school where they can test. The AP Program encourages AP coordinators to help these students.
These students need to do the following as early in the school year as possible:
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Use the AP Course Ledger to look up nearby schools where they might be able to test.
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Contact the schools and ask to speak with the AP coordinator to see if one of them can arrange testing. Students should remember that schools may have their own local deadlines and policies regarding testing outside students.
The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) is the most widely trusted credit-by-examination program. CLEP offers 34 exams that cover introductory level college course material. Over 2,000 test centers nationwide administer the tests. Exams cost only $90 plus your test center's administration fee, compared to hundreds of dollars per course credit at a college.
With a passing score on one CLEP exam, you could earn three or more college credits at 2,900 U.S. colleges and universities.
CLEP students outperform their peers in college:
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CLEP students tend to have higher GPAs.
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CLEP students perform as well or better in subsequent courses than their peers who take the introductory course.
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CLEP students who score 50 or higher on an exam have higher rates of transfer from two-year to four-year colleges.
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Students who pass CLEP exams are likely to graduate months earlier than other students.
CLEP exams are open to homeschooled and virtual schooled students. There is no minimum age requirement for CLEPs and students do not need to be affiliated with any particular type of public, private, or homeschool program.
Before signing up for a CLEP exam, talk with your academic adviser to figure out how an exam fits in with your education plan For the most up-to-date CLEP credit policy information, be sure to check the institution's website. A college’s CLEP credit policy explains:
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which CLEP exams are accepted by the institution
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what CLEP score you need to receive credit
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how many credits are awarded for a particular CLEP exam
The policy may also include other guidelines, such as the maximum number of credits a student can earn through CLEP.
If a student does not pass an exam, they will be required to wait at least three months before they retake that specific exam.
Both CLEP and AP programs offer students the opportunity to master introductory college-level work. The main difference between the two programs is that you prepare for CLEP exams on your own, while AP exams are taken after completing an AP course. Review other key differences below.
At some less selective schools, such as regional state universities, CLEP scores may provide good support for the homeschool transcript. At more competitive colleges, CLEP scores will generally not carry the same weight that strong AP or SAT subject scores will.
