The College Level Examination Program CLEP

If you follow us on StudentLoansForCollege.org, then you already know that we are all about avoiding unnecessary student loan debt at all costs! Scholarships, grants and work-studies are all great ways to get money for college that does not have to be repaid, however for most college students these methods will not cover the full cost of college.

Fortunately, there is one low cost way to cut back on the amount you may need to borrow in student loans, this way is CLEP (aka: The College-Level Examination Program). College Level Examination Program (CLEP) gives college students the opportunity to earn college credit, by passing CLEP examinations. For example, if you are required to take a 3 credit American Literature course for your college degree major, you could instead take the CLEP American Literature examination, and if you pass you would receive those 3 course credits and not be required to take the American Literature course at your college or university.

So how does this save you money? Each CLEP examination is only $77! Do the math, compared to an average 3-credit college course you just saved yourself hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars. With The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) students can earn between 3 – 12 college credits per CLEP examination, depending on the CLEP examination and your schools CLEP transfer policy. Most colleges and universities will recognize The College Level Examination Program (CLEP), but before you get started you will want to check with your schools admissions office or your academic advisor.

There are 33 different CLEP examinations available for college credit. You can find CLEP study guides on the official College Level Examination Program (CLEP) website, which do cost a small fee, but they will provide you with a test outline, study guide and sample questions for your CLEP examination (optional). You can register to take a CLEP examination by contacting the CLEP testing center closest to you (sometimes the testing centers may not be located directly near your schools campus).