When Modern States first announced their CLEP voucher program, I was a little bit (lotta bit) skeptical about sharing information about the program. I’ve seen a lot of fly-by-night CLEP prep programs come and go – so I am very guarded about “new” CLEP prep programs. But here we are years later, and they are still giving full waivers for free CLEP exams to our audience.
Brief Summary: Modern States is a free online CLEP “prep” program cram class.
How to use it: This is an amazing opportunity when used correctly. There are really 2 ways to use this- as an adult cramming to get quick and cheap college credit, or as a high school student after a full semester of curriculum.
Since the Homeschooling for College Credit audience are parents resourcefully planning high school courses for their teens, I’ll explain how to use it for parents who are using CLEP as part of their homeschool plan. My advice always centers around my opinion that time in high school should not be shortened, rather the college degree goalpost can simply be brought closer.
- Choose a high school subject your teen will study. There are 34 CLEP exams, so it is highly likely that your high school subject will have a matching CLEP exam. I’ve included a list of exam subjects at the bottom of this post.
- Use your favorite homeschool high school curriculum and learn properly. You’ll want to award high school credit separate and apart from whether or not your student passes their CLEP exam, and this step is critical in assuring you can do that. There is no such thing as “CLEP curriculum” so don’t chase promises of such. Whether you are using religious, secular, online or textbook – stick with a solid brand you trust to learn and earn high school credit.
- Since your teen has learned the subject properly, CLEP prep will be quick. Zip over to Modern States and have your student complete their prep course. Since this is not curriculum, it shouldn’t take more than a week or two to finish the prep class. Think of it a bit like studying for the SAT or ACT – prep classes are helping you brush up and target your studying. Your teen should memorize the important dates, names, places, formulas, etc. from the Modern States class.
- Pass Modern States- get your voucher- schedule your exam for next week. The voucher works like a coupon code you enter at checkout. It brings the cost down to $0.
- Take a practice test or two. Cram a little more.
- Arrive at the testing center to take your exam. If your student’s CLEP testing center charges a fee, you can submit that receipt for reimbursement.
- Upon passing the CLEP, your teen will have potential college credit. It is stored on an official transcript with The College Board, and later when they apply to college, you’ll send that official transcript to your teen’s target college. It will have all the successfully passed CLEP exams. (failed exams are not recorded)
| (copied directly from an email sent to Jennifer Cook-DeRosa from Modern States) |
| Take control of your education through free online courses |
| As students across the county adjust to a new school year that looks different from years past, many are seizing the opportunity to take control of their education. With free online courses from Modern States, students have the chance to advance their college career without leaving home. |
 Rebecca Lubot (pictured), a former Rutgers University professor and instructor of our American Government course, recently wrote that she believes solutions like Modern States are more important now than before the pandemic. |
| While Modern States — and this former professor — believe that no substitute exists for in-person instruction, solutions such as [Freshman Year for Free] do exist and they are garnering national attention. – Rebecca Lubot |
| Register and enroll in one or many of our 30+ self-paced, tuition-free courses to begin earning free college credit transferable to more than 2,900 U.S. colleges and universities. Each course is taught by a college professor, and textbooks and materials are included at no cost. What makes it free? Modern States, a philanthropy, pays for students to take the $89 College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams offered by the College Board, in addition to reimbursing test center fees. This makes any credit earned from passing a CLEP exam completely free. Eight passed CLEP exams can equal an entire year of college, which saves students and their families more than $10,000 in tuition and may earn learners their Freshman Year for Free. |
| “I plan on graduating in the spring of 2022, two full years ahead of schedule. Without the help of Modern States, I would not be where I am today.” – Rachel M., Modern States student |
American Literature, 3 credits
Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, 3 credits
College Composition, 6 credits
College Composition Modular, 3 credits
English Literature, 3 credits
Humanities, 3 credits
French Language, 6–9 credits
German Language, 6–9 credits
Spanish Language, 6–9 credits
Spanish Writing, 6-12 credits
American Government, 3 credits
History of the United States I, 3 credits
History of the United States II, 3 credits
Human Growth and Development, 3 credits
Introduction to Educational Psychology, 3 credits
Principles of Macroeconomics, 3 credits
Principles of Microeconomics, 3 credits
Introductory Psychology, 3 credits
Introductory Sociology, 3 credits
Social Sciences and History, 6 credits
Western Civilization I, 3 credits
Western Civilization II, 3 credits
Biology, 6 credits
Calculus, 4 credits
Chemistry, 6 credits
College Algebra, 3 credits
College Mathematics, 6 credits
Natural Sciences, 6 credits
PreCalculus, 3 credits
Financial Accounting, 3 credits
Information Systems, 3 credits
Introductory Business Law, 3 credits
Principles of Management, 3 credits
Principles of Marketing, 3 credits
