If you’ve been around Homeschooling for College Credit for more than five minutes, you’ve probably heard me talk about CLEP. I talk about it a lot. Why? Because CLEP is the smartest, most flexible, and most resourceful way to earn college credit in high school while homeschooling with your favorite homeschool curriculum. And yet, it’s still the best-kept secret in college prep. Let’s fix that today!
What is CLEP?
CLEP stands for College Level Examination Program. It’s a standardized exam created by the College Board (yes, the SAT people). CLEP exams cover college-level subjects like U.S. History, Biology, Spanish, and College Algebra. When your teen passes an exam, they become eligible for potential college credit at over 2,900 colleges and universities.
I say “potential” because passing a CLEP exam never guarantees college credit. It depends on where your teen eventually goes to college and how that school applies exam scores. But here’s the beauty: CLEP scores are completely private unless you send them to a college. That means your teen can test confidently, and if they don’t pass, it’s never recorded or required to be reported. You stay in control. This is vastly different than how college credit through Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, Dual Credit, Concurrent Enrollment, PSEO, etc. are handled.
Why homeschoolers love CLEP
- No age requirement – from middle school to grandma, anyone can do it.
- No specific curriculum- unlike AP or dual enrollment, you decide the worldview.
- No semester schedule – take as long or as little time as you need.
- No college transcript until you decide to create one.
CLEP fits beautifully into a homeschool program. You teach the course the way you want, at your pace, using your curriculum. Then you layer in CLEP prep at the end and let your teen attempt the exam.
If they pass, they’ve earned potential college credit. If they don’t, they still earned high school credit. No loss.
This is the HS4CC way
I teach what I call “resourceful high school planning.” That means you’re getting the most out of the work your teen is already doing. If your teen is taking U.S. History this year, they can prep for the CLEP exam and maybe earn 3 college credits at the end. You’re not creating more work, you’re being strategic with the work you’re already doing.
That’s why I love CLEP. It stacks into your homeschool!
Notice that this method is very similar to how a public or private school student takes Advanced Placement courses and exams. They are separate activities- this is key because when done this way, your teen earns high school credit no matter what. You are awarding high school credit because they learned, not because they tested. This is a striking contrast to how the “teaching to the test” programs pitch CLEP tests. In that type of program, they hope to give you the bare minimum necessary to memorize enough facts to pass. While that can work for adults who already went to high school, it’s a poor substitute for high school, and one that we don’t promote.
Bonus: Free exams!
CLEP exams are about $93, but you can get them free through Modern States, a nonprofit that provides free prep and a voucher that pays for the exam and remote proctoring. There’s no catch and no limit. One voucher per exam, as many exams as your teen wants to take. ModernStates.org We strongly recommend your teen use Modern States after, not instead of, their regular high school course.
Final Thought
If you’re just starting, pick a subject your teen is already studying. Add in a little CLEP prep. Take the exam. That’s it. Your teen will either earn potential college credit, or they won’t-but they’ll learn a ton in the process, and you haven’t wasted a thing.
CLEP is flexible. CLEP is affordable. CLEP works for homeschoolers. https://clep.collegeboard.org
