We are sure that you have seen the commercials: in today’s world, there are dozens of online and distance learning educational centers for individuals wishing to get a degree. Many of these institutions specialize in specific degree types—such as those that offer degrees in the medical tech industries—while others are tied to educational institutions that have physical campuses located in specific geographic locations—such as Arizona State’s online education.
Many of these students are also opting to take part in the College Level Examination Program, or CLEP, which is a group of standardized tests that are written and hosted by the College Board. These standardized tests test the student on how much they know in a college-level subject, providing the student credit for classes that they will not have to take. This essentially speeds up the educational program, allowing the student to get through it and get the degree more quickly.
CLEP exams and study groups are often priced extremely well compared to the price for the classes themselves, which helps to explain why many people choose to take them in order to get the credit.
Yet, even with this system in place, many people do not take advantage of this system. Why?
The answer is not because people do not care about saving money, but because many do not know they can save money taking part in the system. In the dozens of advertising campaigns for online and distance learning, only one discusses the possibility of taking classes only in what you need—but that is for an MBA program.
When people don’t know that they can save money by taking other alternatives from paying thousands of dollars for classes they don’t need, they won’t take advantage of it. CLEP options run you for less than $100 and for those who are looking to get an education without the major investments this price is particularly helpful.
It seems then that people don’t care about saving money with CLEP only because they don’t know much about it. More public knowledge should be propagated in order to get people who can take advantage of the system to do so. Only through continued marketing will potential students take advantage of this program, getting the education they need in a timelier and affordable program.
For those who are wanting to get a degree, checking out the CLEP options are a great plan to make sure you are doing the best thing for you!
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