The Best College Aid: 7 Ideas to Earn College Credit Cheap

College can be fun if you have the money and the time. What if you don’t? I have seven college aid ideas to save money, save time, and earn more credits. I’ve used a few of these myself, and they work great.

Testing Out - Exams

1. Advanced Placement Exams: If you are still in high school, you can test out of classes. This is serious mojo: you have already taken calculus, European history, American history, English Language, or whatever, so you take the advanced placement exam, also called an AP test.

Do they work? Like a charm, if your college accepts them as credit or at least to skip a class. I took 4 of these, and ended up with 32 credits when I started college. Nice.

2. College Level Examination Program, or CLEP test: Another way to test out of a class. Some schools offer variable credit amounts based on the scores you receive.

A few facts about these tests. Both tests cost little and have wide acceptance: CLEP costs about $20 per test, and over 1400 schools accept it.

The AP program charges $84 for each test, and some discounts apply. Scholarships to take the test have also been awarded to help needy students. You can make that babysitting or selling on Amazon and eBay. AP is a world wide program with 15,000 participating schools. Talk about a standard.

You don’t have to go to the class, by the way. You can use this system to test out of classes all together. For instance, if you speak Spanish. When I took the test, I struggled for a 3. My Costa Rican friends could pass without studying. And homeschoolers can take them as well.

3. University Testing: A fourth option for this great way to skip college classes but get credit, check with your university. The school itself may have an in-house program to help. See if you can test out by asking your department, your professors, or your counselor. Talk about college aid, get credit but don’t take the class! Sweet.

4. Distance Education: One more you may want to try. We used to call it independent study. Kind of a do it yourself method. This can help you if you really know your subject. You pay the fee for a distance class, probably on the internet today. You can do the assignments fast, being proficient already. Turn everything in as quickly as the school allows, then take the test. You get out of the class quickly and for minimal hassle, and no class time.

Alternative Credits

The next two don't require class. And they don't require testing. What do you have to do? Take a look.

5. Portfolio Evaluation or Life Credit. In this, the university evaluates your experiences and gives you college credit for them. Expect the college to have some limits to this, such as 30 credits. And you will probably have to pay a fee. You’ll find many colleges have a portfolio or life credit program.

To make it work well, quiz the professor or department handling the evaluation. Find out what they want to see, how the evaluation works. Then, tailor your portfolio to the evaluation. Don’t misrepresent yourself, but do find the best way to present your work, to organize it for optimum results.

This type of college aid can really put you ahead, since you won’t have to take a class if you qualify. Each school has different programs. Check with yours or the one you want to attend if it is important to your plans.

The school will either award you with credits equivalent to one or more classes, or will exempt you from requirements. While credit seems better, exemption brings privileges and opportunities as well. It gives you room in your schedule to take that class you normally wouldn’t have time for, like dance, choir or art. Or you could pursue a minor.

6. Work Credit: Instead of Life Credit, colleges have another version called Work Credit. You can get credit for work you have done, positions you have held. The evaluation information above will come in handy here as well. Find out what makes the program work, what qualifies for credit. Present yourself in the best possible light, while being genuine.

By showing that you have accomplished and learned what the school teaches in a class or several classes, you can earn credits toward graduation. They just have to see that you know the material.

One quick way to apply this for older, more experienced students: if you have ever taken a class at work, especially a technical class, apply for work credit. A class you take as a one week seminar then use on the job can translate into 3 credits of college.

One Last College Aid Idea for New Students

And one last idea for the younger crowd or those just getting ready to go to school.

Entrance Exams: whether the SAT or the ACT, take it twice. If you have a great score and you are happy with it, never mind. But if you can improve your score significantly, think about it. Or if you can eliminate some basic requirements like a math class or another class by retaking it, you should think about retaking.

I have found that many schools require a basic math class if you don’t score high enough on your entrance exam. Also, many in house college aid programs and scholarships depend on the exam as well. If you retake, you may qualify. You can only do this before you go. It isn’t huge, but it can help with aid from your college.

To do this right, you need to know you will get a better score. Study, practice your weak points, and then take a full practice test if at all possible. You should leave a couple of weeks between the dry run and the actual test so you can polish anything that still needs work.

College Aid Without The Money...

Try some of these ideas. You can get credit without the cost, or at least without the class in many cases. And when you need college aid in real money, you can find ideas on this site as well. Under the right circumstances, a loan can be just the way to finish.

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