Almost every high school student has been faced with the dilemma of whether or not they should take College Prep (CP), Honors, or Advanced Placement (AP) courses each school year. Albeit, Advanced Placement courses are more rigorous and time consuming, but if you’re willing to commit the effort, then you will definitely reap the benefits. The “philanthropic program” Freshman Year for Free aims at helping students study for and pass AP courses so they won’t have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for those course equivalents when they get to college (Washington Post).

You might be surprised to learn that while high schools are not required to offer AP courses, students at these schools may still have the ability to take AP tests at the end of the school year. This is because high schools are obligated to offer (or find a nearby facility to host) the time, classroom or auditorium space, and materials for students wanting to take AP tests. Check out this video of a high school student who was able to take AP tests despite the fact that he was unable to take in-class AP courses during the school year.

If you’re looking into attending a four-year university, then taking--and passing--AP courses during high school can save you thousands of dollars (if not tens of thousands of dollars). Depending on the university you attend and what passing scores they accept, you could potentially complete up to two years worth of undergraduate courses solely through AP credits! Here's a thread on Quora which tackles the practicalities of how colleges think about credits earned through AP test success. 

At $94 per exam (Spring 2018 price), test expenses can add up quickly, especially if you’re taking more than one AP exam or you have other siblings taking AP exams as well. College Board, the AP exam provider, allots funding to public schools for AP tests to be used on students who come from a low-income family. Check out this video explaining how AP tests are accessible regardless of financial situation. What can we do to mend the disparity between low-income and high achieving schools so that all students have access to a worthy education?

Here's a recent NY Times article that shows the trends around the growth of A.P. test takers and an analysis of their success rates: 

From one viewpoint, the expansion has been successful. In 2005, only 6.4 percent of the nation’s high school seniors who took A.P.s were black; that figure increased to 9.5 percent in 2015. Hispanics’ participation grew to 20 percent from 13.4 percent. For low-income students, that figure doubled, to about 30 percent from about 15 percent. But taking an A.P. class and succeeding at it are two different things.

In the long-run, it’s worth the $94 per test investment to take AP tests during high school considering most college courses typically cost anywhere from $500 to $3,000--and that doesn’t even include the cost of textbooks per course!

Question:

• What do you estimate is the return on investment on each AP test that you take and pass?
  • Research one college that you are interested in to see..
    • How they handle AP Credits
    • How many credits are required for each year you are in the college you are interested in
    • Cost of Attendance (COA) for one year at the school 
  • Estimate the number of credits you could earn taking into account AP Courses you have taken, are taking now or plan to take. 
  • Divide this number of credits you could earn by the number of credits required per year of school. This is the percentage of one year you could save due to AP credits.
  • Multiply this percentage by the COA for one year at the school that you are interested in. This is how much you could potentially save by passing all those AP Exams. 

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If you liked this article, be sure to check out our lesson plan, Paying For College, to get a better sense of the real cost of college and get a good estimate on how much you’ll save by taking AP courses in high school!

About the Author

Danielle Bautista

Danielle is a native of Southern California and a recent graduate from the University of Maine, where she braved the frigid winters—a feat in and of itself—and earned her Bachelor's degree in International Affairs. She has a passion for working with non-profit organizations and serving populations in underprivileged communities. When Danielle isn't writing NGPF blog posts, spearheading various outreach projects, or managing contests and flash surveys, you can find her doing some sort of outdoor activity, learning a new hobby, or cracking what she thinks are witty puns!