How To Save Tuition With AP Tests

Thinking about engineering school but scared of taking on too much debt? If so, you must consider taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses and tests.

What are AP Tests & Courses?

There are around 40 AP courses available ranging from Calculus to Japanese Language and Culture.

These advanced placement courses allow students to learn material at the college level. They give more in-depth, rigorous coverage than a typical high school course.

They are perfect for motivated students.

You’re in AP courses? Great! If not, go speak with your advisor and ask if you are eligible to take one or more of them.

If your school doesn’t offer the AP course you’re interested in, there may be other options. Your advisor will be able to help with that also.

Now, here’s the great part! There are tests that correspond to these courses.

If you take a course, you are eligible to take the exam that goes with it. If you score at a certain level, you can get college credit.

For example, if you took the Calculus AB exam and did well enough, you’d get credit for a college level Calculus class. Pretty cool, right?

Hopefully you’re starting to see dollar signs here…

How Will AP Tests Benefit Me Financially?

At a university there are obviously set classes you have to take. If you can get college credit for some of these courses without having to actually pay tuition, wouldn’t you want to do that? YES! Of course you would! You’d be crazy not to.

These tests alone can save you from having to take (and pay for) several classes.

Doubting me? Let’s take a look…

CollegeBoard offers the following courses that are relevant to an engineering program:

• AP Calculus AB
• AP Calculus BC
• AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
• AP Physics C: Mechanics
• AP Chemistry

If you were to take and get a passing score on these exams, that would cut 5 courses from your list of courses to take. That’s an ENTIRE SEMESTER!

Check Out The Savings

Let’s be hypothetical, say you’re an in-state student going to a state university and living on campus.

The average cost for two semesters is about $25k. Since you took these tests and passed, you just knocked off a semester of classes.

That equates to a savings of roughly $12.5k. This is huge!

If you are an out-of-state student the result would be even more dramatic.

The average annual cost of attendance for out-of-state students is around $38k.

Now once that’s cut in half, you saved $19k. That’s $19,000!

This is a tremendous amount of savings and one that should be sought after.

Test Fees…

Now, of course, we have to mention the fees for taking the tests. Currently tests are $94 each. Sounds pricey? Well, this is nothing compared to tuition dollars and the fact that you won’t have to buy the latest and greatest edition of a $250 textbook for each class.

Early Graduation Anyone?

These savings mentioned above don’t even consider the fact that you’ll graduate one semester EARLY.

This means you’ll be working as an engineer, making good money, 4-5 months earlier than you would have otherwise.

If your starting salary is around $60k, that’s about $20,000 dollars you wouldn’t have made had you still been in school.

Plus, if you’re working earlier you’ll be able to start investing, and getting the employer match, in a 401k earlier. This will pay off again when retirement comes around.

What About The Dreadful Core Classes Engineering Students Hate?

Above, I just listed STEM courses that all engineering schools typically require. There are additional courses you can take for credit though.

Think core classes like: art history, psychology, history, government, English comp, foreign language.

Most students hate them but they are required. Good news is, you can test out of them! This will save even more money and time.

Now I know you may be questioning the feasibility of taking all these tests.

But, as an advisor for thousands of students, I know it can be done because I’ve seen students do it countless times.

Save That $$$

Obviously, this money-saving idea only works for the really motivated students who are willing to put in the test prep time.

I’d think though that saving that much money and graduating early would be a huge motivator.

So get motivated, prepare for the AP tests, pass them and SAVE THAT MONEY!