"My kids will pick their path and career, I just want to be their guard rail so they don't fall into the ditch of debt and the land of non-completers." ~from a homeschool mom
Getting Started ~ Earn Credits Today!
Credits by Exam (CBE) has been around for years, but only recently have so many High School students become aware of it as the cost of college continues to rise. CLEP® and DSST Exams are administered nationally and accepted at over 2,900 colleges and universities.
Facts to consider:
- The first two years of College are generally a repeat of high school
- There is no age restriction to take CBE ... take them in high school (or before!)
- Each exam is worth from 3-12 credits and costs less than $100
- There are 34 CLEP exams and 37 DSST exams, many in subject areas students study in high school
- Credits are "banked" for up to 20 years and can be transferred into the college of your choice
- Each college determines their own policies for transferring in credits, so check with the college of your choice
- You can complete most of your Generals while in high school and use your free time to travel, hold an internship or get practical experience in the field you are interested in (or even start your Master's early)
To learn more about Credit by Exam, check out these sites:
MN Department of Education
CLEP
DSST
Ready to begin but wonder what resources to use? Check out this fabulous site specific to highschoolers earning credits:
Clep Lesson Plans
and this one too: Homeschool/CLEP Lesson Resources
What is the MN Transfer Curriculum?
While considering how CLEP and DSST exams fit into your educational plans, anyone who takes courses using Minnesota's Post Secondary Education Option needs to know about the MN Transfer
Attend a workshop to learn how you can combine Credit-by-Exam and PSEO to get the most value for your time. Seventy percent of those who start a college degree do not finish within 4 years. Transferring credits and career planning are just two subjects this workshop will shed light on. Minnesota has programs in place to help families save time and money making college more affordable, but unless you specifically go looking for these programs, you may miss these opportunities.
