If your teen is taking courses from Study.com, take note of these dates. Between now and then we hope to see a renewal, but if we don’t, it’s possible that they won’t be worth college credit at your target college. Read more for details.
What is the Watch List?
This list helps you plan your Homeschooling for College Credit courses so you can be sure your student doesn’t miss their window to finish a course or exam.
| Study.com Course Name | Initial ACE Approval | Expiration Date | College Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physics 101: Introduction to Physics | 11/01/2020 | 10/31/2023 | 3 |
| Business 302: Foundations of Leadership | 09/01/2020 | 10/31/2023 | 3 |
| Business 309: Digital Marketing & Advertising | 09/01/2020 | 10/31/2023 | 3 |
| Political Science 101: Intro to Political Science | 11/01/2020 | 11/30/2023 | 3 |
| Accounting 302: Advanced Accounting | 11/01/2020 | 11/30/2023 | 3 |
ACE Evaluation?
ACE (American Council on Education) is a third-party credit evaluator that evaluates all types of learning that happens outside of a college.
No ACE evaluation = no college credit.
Which Exams/Courses are ACE Evaluated?
- Advanced Placement Exams
- CLEP Exams
- DSST Exams
- American Dream Academy Courses
- ALEKS Corporation—McGraw Hill Courses
- Saylor Academy Courses
- Sophia Courses
- Straighterline Courses
- Study.com Courses
- GED Exam
- Statistics.com Courses
- SeeMore Impact Labs (formerly CSM Learn) Courses
- Penn Foster College Courses
- Gateway Education Courses
- Texas Engineering Extension Service TEEX Courses
Why do I care?
ACE evaluations always expire. There is no such thing as being worth college credit “forever” so it’s in your best interest to know when your teen’s classes are approaching expiration . Businesses will not announce pending expiration dates ($) and ACE is not in the business of consumer advocacy, so if you don’t watch the dates, no one will tell you.
When a course or exam expires, one of 3 things will happen.
- The course or exam may be discontinued.
- The course or exam may be revised.
- The course or exam will be renewed for another 3 years.
We can’t know which of the 3 things will happen until after it does.
If a course or exam is being discontinued, you must have finished it before the discontinuation date for it to be worth college credit.
If a course or exam is revised, the scope of the content may change, the credit value raised or reduced, or the level may be raised or reduced.
If a course is renewed, nothing significant changed.
What Usually Happens: Renewal
Usually, a course or exam that is still popular and selling well is renewed and any possible gap in the date range is back-dated by ACE to cover the students who may have completed a course or exam during the gap. In companies that have been around for a very long time, renewal usually happens and the consumer is none the wiser. If you’re in the middle of a course that renews, nothing changes.
Don’t Panic, But Be Aware
A company selling college credit classes and exams loses their revenue when a course expires, so companies are HIGHLY MOTIVATED to make sure the course or exam gets renewed. The College Board sold over 4 million AP exams last year (2022) at a cost of $97 each. They have 388 million reasons to make sure their exams are renewed.
What to do?
- Watch and wait.
- If you’re close to finishing the course or taking the exam, do it before the expiration date.
- If you use Study.com courses in your homeschool, send them an email and ask them to renew their ACE evaluation – it makes a huge difference!
