Is CLEP here to stay?

[LaurieG2012]

Hi everyone-

Excellent, excellent website. A great resource for CLEP.

My high school son is just starting the CLEP process. We are going to subscribe to Instant Cert and prep for the US History I exam. We are planning on taking 5-10 CLEP exams over the next few years. We not CLEPing everything --just many of the GEs required in the first few years of college. My question is....many colleges accept CLEP exams right now. We have collected a whole list of possible community and 4 year colleges. However, CLEP is becoming more popular now and I wondered if colleges might start changing their CLEP policies to be more restrictive. (Aren't they losing money every time they accept a CLEP exam?) What if we put all this work into CLEP and in 3 years most colleges no longer accept CLEP? I know CLEP has been around for awhile. Have we seen this trend? Just wondered what you all though...

Blessings-
Laurie

[cookderosa]

Hi everyone-

Excellent, excellent website. A great resource for CLEP.

My high school son is just starting the CLEP process. We are going to subscribe to Instant Cert and prep for the US History I exam. We are planning on taking 5-10 CLEP exams over the next few years. We not CLEPing everything --just many of the GEs required in the first few years of college. My question is....many colleges accept CLEP exams right now. We have collected a whole list of possible community and 4 year colleges. However, CLEP is becoming more popular now and I wondered if colleges might start changing their CLEP policies to be more restrictive. (Aren't they losing money every time they accept a CLEP exam?) What if we put all this work into CLEP and in 3 years most colleges no longer accept CLEP? I know CLEP has been around for awhile. Have we seen this trend? Just wondered what you all though...

Blessings-
Laurie

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My opinion is that you have nothing to lose. So what if he doesn't end up getting to use his credit? Isn't he going to study US History in high school anyway? For $77 you get the potential for 3 college credits. It's win-win. Think of it another way, if he takes US History in regular high school (which they do) they DON'T get college credit....so, again, there's nothing to lose.

FWIW, at some point in the next 3 years your son's plans and goals may emerge. He may end up on a path that doesn't use these credits. Since CLEP scores are held for 20 years, he can always go back as a 35 year old and use these for a degree.

Just my two cents

[Publius]

Yes the schools loose out on the money, yes they want as little of the population to know about CLEP as possible, yes it's becoming more popular, yes the schools are loosing money because of CLEPs... BUT both the schools can benefit from CLEP takers. CLEP benefits the student, and the college... on The CollegeBoard's website they also explain to schools how it assists them. Benefits of CLEP | CLEP (on the side you'll see research and statistics).

Most people who take CLEP tests take a few of them. The majority might take one or two, as a "last alternative". Even fewer will CLEP out of their first year or two, like your son plans to... and then you have that little tiny minority that test out of the majority of their degree.

Is CLEP here to stay? Most likely... It seems to be benefiting the college's more then it's costing them. No, no one knows the future, but it is doubtful, extremely doubtful, that it would be nonexistent in 3 years. It would take more like 30 years (IMO) before something like that happens. Nonetheless, excellent topic, very interesting to think about.

[Bibby]

True, colleges do lose money from students taking CLEP exams in lieu of a standard class, but it's also worth noting that CLEPs make it much easier to graduate, and colleges have many reasons to be concerned about boosting graduation rates.

[rebel100]

My daughters college barely understands its own CLEP/DSST policy. It's just not utilized by enough students to matter. Most students don't get the benefit ( if they even know about CLEP in the first place). Between the two I don't believe enough thought is put to the subject to make much change.

Remember too that CLEP is a product of the College Board...it's a consortium of sorts among higher education institutions. They would not be producing CLEP's if there wasn't a positive reason(s) for them to do so. College Board is also the same group that brings you the Accuplacer assesment exam and the SAT...a powerful group with a great deal of clout.

I think the chance of significant change to any given schools CLEP policy in the next three to five years is roughly 0. Not to say that a school won't make modifications to policy, or that an individual school won't become more restrictive or even eleminate CLEPS...but for the entire industry to quickly move in that direction....just not gonna happen. Now if you want to discuss the elimination or restriction of groups like straighterline and FEMA we could have a lively debate.