How in the world do you pay for all of these exams?!

[Ohrenberg]

[FONT=Century Gothic]I'm a twenty-three year old wanting to earn a bachelor's degree in English with the majority (almost ALL) of my credits coming from the CLEP & DSST exams. I have a lot of tests to take, but I'm not overwhelmed by all of the studying as much as I am about the amount of money it will cost. I have a job, but I'm a receptionist and it pays low. I have rent, bills, etc., and I just don't know how to pay for everything.

I was wondering how everybody else affords to buy all of these exams? I understand that by taking the exams I'm saving a lot of money off of loans, but the out-of-pocket expense is so much for me. I hardly have anything to spare after I pay bills at the end of the month. How does anyone do it?

[rebel100]

Have you applied for Financial Aid? If you qualify for a PELL Grant you could apply that at an inexpensive school and use, use the balance after tuition and books to cover your CLEP/DSST.

fafsa.gov it's free to apply.

Otherwise your gonna have to find the cash...when you remember that CLEP/DSST are about $33/credit there really is no cheaper method to acquire the needed credits (FEMA credits are free to use at TESC and COSC...but they are electives only good for about 30 credits).

There are three essentially free courses at saylor.org

[Ohrenberg]

[I]Have you applied for Financial Aid? If you qualify for a PELL Grant you could apply that at an inexpensive school and use, use the balance after tuition and books to cover your CLEP/DSST

I didn't want to apply until I got all of my credits out of the way, but I guess I might have to. If I applied to TESC, my school of choice, would I have to take all of the classes in a certain time? I wanted to get everything out of the way in a year. Can you apply for the bachelor program and take some of the degree specific courses before you take any gen ed courses? That way I could get the courses that I can only get from TESC out of the way and focus on what I can test on.

I'm not really sure if that would work. Arrrgh I need help.

[rebel100]

No no...I'm not talking about your application to any school. If money is that tight you need to apply for federal financial aid and see if you qualify.

If you qualify for a PELL grant (the most common form of need based aid) the taxpayers will fund up to $5600/year of your education. The way you would efficiently work that is to attend an inexpensive school (we can show you a bunch), keep your costs low and you get a check for the difference....use that money to fund your CLEP/DSST.

In most cases you won't apply to any of the Big 3 till you have most of your credits.

[rebel100]

Get your, and perhaps your parents income tax returns for last year and apply at fafsa.gov

Once you know you can make further plans.

[Chebasaz]

I'll also point out that the cash for the exams isn't going to be needed at one time. Many people complete their degree in 2+ years. That's averaging roughly two exams a month. I'm not sure how tight your money situation is, but you can go recycle cans/bottles on the weekend and put a dent in that. Just some food for thought.

Edit: Just in case recycling isn't your thing - I'm a big fan of yard sales and Ebay, too. Stick to board/video games and such and you can make some pretty good money. Definitely enough to pay for two exams a month, anyway.

[mrs.b]

I'll also point out that the cash for the exams isn't going to be needed at one time.

This is how I did it. Looking at the lump sum you'll need to finish, it does seem like a lot to pull out of the budget, but if you aim for one test a month, it's just $80-100/month depending on your test center's proctor fee. Even if you can only afford to do a test every 2-3 months...progress is progress.

[rebel100]

Shop around for your testing center too, the sitting fees vary from school to school.

The cheapest CLEP I can take is about $117 total...$77 for the CLEP and $40 in fees to the school.

The Cheapest DSST is $70 (with promo coupon for $10 off), there is a local Christian College that only offers DSST and charges no sitting fees whatsoever....they even offer cookies sometimes.

Find a cheap center....go sell something on ebay and get started! (and do your fafsa cause that can mean options, and options are good).

[cookderosa]

ALL of this is great advice!!

First, I would seriously say that this IS the cheapest way to earn college credit there is. Literally. So, even though it "feels" expensive, know that a single class at your state university will cost you somewhere around $800. One class. Plus books, and fees. Once you really understand what college costs, you can start to get a feeling for how valuable exam options are. Rebel's info is good, and what he means is that your local community college might let you enroll in 6 credits per semester and receive a Pell. So, in that case, you get a "refund" above the cost of tuition. The refund is cash, and you can use that for exams. If your community college costs $100 per credit, a 6 credit semester is $600. A Pell (divided in half for 2 semesters) is about $2500 per semester, which gives you the difference in cash. So, enrolling locally could "earn" you $1-2 thousand dollars per semester. *there are requirements, but for know, just understand the idea of it* Pell grants are gifts- you don't pay them back. Also, no matter how great the temptation, don't take out a student loan!! You may need it later.

Second, find a jar and call it your "CLEP FUND." Do extra shifts at work, sell stuff on craigslist/ebay, mow a lawn, babysit, etc. Great cash jobs are banquet waiters/waitress - I never worked a party that paid less than $100 cash in one 4 hour shift!! Put your extra $ in your jar and every time you get $100, go take an exam. Pay as you go. You don't need debt for this aspect of your education.

Between your library and the internet, you don't need to pay for anything study-related. There were times I used IC subscription, and times when it wasn't in the budget. But, don't let money stand in your way. You can do this- start today!!

P.S. Everytime you skip the latte or beer, shove $3 in your jar!

[clep3705]

My former employer has a tuition reimbursement program. I appealed and said that it would cost them less money to pay for CLEPs instead of tuition. They agreed and I put my exams on my monthly expense reports.