"Speed To Degree" Recap
(Putting ACTUAL DOLLARS to the CollegeDawg Strategy)
Advanced Placement (AP)
AP Exams usually cost $50-$100 (but sometimes there are subsidies)
-Earn 1 College Course if you pass the AP exam
(or the CLEP as a back-up plan)
$1500 saved per Test Passed (Est. using avg. Public University costs of $500 per Semester Hour).
**3k+ Saved if you're staying on campus (estimated)
*NOTE: Higher Test Scores can give you credit for 2 College Courses
CLEPs
CLEP Exams are about $125 with Proctoring fees, but MANY ARE FREE thanks to Modern States (& of course CollegeDawg for telling you)
Earn 1 College Course per Test Passed & $1500 in savings
**As a reminder....3k+ savings if you're staying on campus
*NOTE: Higher Test Scores can give you credit for 2 College Courses
(As can Passing Specific Gen Ed exams)
Bi-Lingual Student Tests
*That's our title. Usually known as Language or Language Proficiency
Tests.
Pass 1 Test- via AP, CLEP, DSST, or Course Challenge & earn
6-16 Sem Hours. Save up to $8000 for ONE TEST w/ a High Score.
**SERIOUS SAVINGS! $16k+ if you plan to stay on campus!
Dual Enrollments
Dual Enrollments are usually free (or close to it)
-If you pass the class with a "C" you earn 1 College Course (normally)
$1500 saved per HS/College Course completed.
*No Standardized Test to Pass
**Again - 3k+ saved if you're staying on campus
DSSTs
DSST Exams cost $100
Pass one Test & earn 1 College Class. Savings---$1500
Pretty much exactly like CLEPs w/ a few advantages like:
Rigor, More Elective Type courses, & some "Major related" Exams
**Once again...3k+ Savings (est.) if you're staying on campus
Life Experience or Training Credits
Many Adult Professionals or Veterans can get:
15-30 semester hours (at many Schools---conservatively)
Thus, $15,000 saved w/ a “Portfolio Assessment”
**That's 30k+ for anyone living on campus. Wow, just wow.
*Note: Grads w/ 1 yr+ Part-Time Experience can often get 1-2 Classes
Let's Try to Paint a Picture...
"Susie"----SAVED the following, just using the basic "Speed to Degree" Strategies.
*All Credits were applicable to her Information Technology Degree w/ 9 electives required.
*Note: for all examples below we will use Public University Semester Hour estimates of $500...
So about $1500 per Class - Feel Free to Check My Math
Classes and Tests She Took While in High School
(that Almost Made Her a Junior Going into College at 18)!
-5 Dual HS/College Classes (2 w/ Labs) = 17 Semester Hours = $8,500 savings
-5 AP classes taken. 3 Exams passed. The 2 Susie did not pass---she took a related CLEP Exam as a backup---she passed 1.
*NOTE: on 1 of her AP tests, she scored 4 out of 5. Her REGIONAL UNIVERSITY gave her credit for 2 History Courses.
Total for AP section: 4 Tests passed w/ 1 providing credit for 2. 15 Semester Hours = $7,500 savings
-2 Standard High School Classes--then IMMEDIATELY took CLEP/DSST related to it - AFTER USING A RECOMMENDED STUDY SITE.
6 Semester Hours = $3,000 savings
*From the 12 College Courses credited above, 6 were accepted as Gen Ed or
Required Courses & 6 counted toward her 9 electives.
Over 2-3 years she also took: 4 CLEPs and 3 DSSTs (passing 5)
2 were electives, 3 were required for her Degree (2 of the Gen Eds she earned Credit for 2 Classes each via CLEP)
(7 Course Credits equals 21 Sem Hours = $10,500 Savings)
Total saved so far: $29,500 in Straight Tuition.
*She also has 59 Semester Hours (of her 120 needed....so essentially, she's a Junior @ 18 Years Old)
DON"T FORGET: 2 years saved from Room & Board, Books, Junk Fees, Parking, Insurance etc..
We'll say $15,000 x 2 = $30,000 additional...
So----about $60,000 Saved using the "Speed to Degree" Strategy,
*NOT TO MENTION 2 YEARS OF HER LIFE!
*We can see you're having a tough time believing all this right now.
Let's break it down "Marine Style"
-She Only Took 10 AP or Dual Credit classes during 4 YEARS of HS
-She Took 11 total CLEP or DSST exams (from Sophomore Year until just after Graduation)
-She Took 5 AP Exams - passing 3 (60%----Slightly Below Average)
-Of the 11 CLEP/DSST Exams she took- Susie passed 8 (73%----About Average w/ Online Prep Site)
NOTE: If you didn't already visit our "Origin Story" about an Average Student taking 20 CLEPs...
We invite you now. That should put the above into perspective.
Let's Add One More Little Thing to Susie's Scenario
as a Bonus Before We Go...
What you don't know about Susie's Scenario is, she also got 3 "Automatic Scholarships" (w/ just a 3.5 GPA)! (weighted)
1. One for $5000 per year (State-Based SC)
2. One for $3000 per year (Institutional Based - In-State Regional College)
3. One for $2500 for her IT Major (STEM degree earning Bonus $) - Years 2-4
*And all without writing those dumb essays!!!!
Total "Automatic Scholarships": Since we used the example of Susie only having about 2 years remaining
above---we'll keep it consistent.
That's Roughly $18,000 MORE
Thus - this Simple Plan Netted up to $78,000 (Total for All)
(for an On-Campus Student at a Public University)
*NOTE: The "SAVINGS" at a Campus-Based Private University would be about double the 60k shown up top (before these Merit Awards)
IMPORTANT: Susie received no Pell or Other Grants - and all Examples are available to ALL INCOME LEVELS. *Additionally, this does not include ANY Scholarships she applied for on her own.
How does all this sound?
You don't have to answer...it was Rhetorical.
So, To Wrap This Up...
*Most of the savings in the example above was covered in the "Speed to Degree" Section.
But you're about to get the "Automatic Scholarships" info in just a few.
That ended up yielding another 18k! (using just 2 years). Good Times...
You Can Do It Too----Now Go Be a Susie!