In this savings hack, I’ve broken down how you can earn a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies from the University of Maryland Global Campus in 2 1/2 years after high school for only $300. This degree plan is CLEP-forward for high school students AND will also work for adults who want to use CLEP to gain a huge head start!
Here’s a complete, homeschool-friendly degree plan that merges an HS4CC high school plan with the Papa John’s Dough & Degrees program to earn a B.S. in Legal Studies at the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) for $300. I optimized it to outsource the maximum in high school via CLEP/DSST and finish the rest fully online in just over 2 years while using Dough & Degrees’ 18 credits/year benefit. You can modify this degree for other majors as well.
Overview
- I mapped this out for 4 years of high school, but when you take any exam, is your decision. It’s possible for a motivated student to take all of these exams in 1-2 years instead of 3-4.
- School / Major: University of Maryland Global Campus, B.S. Legal Studies (120 credits). UMGC is one of my “Next 9” colleges that offers an incredible opportunity to outsource up to 75% of the degree using lower-priced college credits.
- This plan achieves 73 credits in high school, leaving 47 to complete after high school.
- Since CLEP is free with a Modern States voucher, we will use as MUCH CLEP as possible.
- DSST is a second brand of credit by exam that costs about $100 each, and offers subjects not available through CLEP.
- Dough & Degrees: Starting the summer your student graduates from high school, your student will work at Papa John’s (part-time), and enroll in Dough & Degrees. This program will pay for 100% of your tuition for 18 credits per year. (Application fee and tech fees also waived!)
Program Requirements (current catalog)
Core Courses (33 credits at UMGC – after high school)
- LGST 101 Introduction to Law
- LGST 200 Techniques of Legal Research
- LGST 201 Legal Writing
- LGST 204 Legal Ethics
- LGST 301 Advanced Legal Writing
- LGST 312 Torts
- LGST 315 Domestic Relations
- LGST 320 Criminal Law and Procedures
- LGST 325 Litigation
- LGST 340 Contract Law
- LGST 495 Legal Studies Capstone
Residency & Upper-Level Rules
- At least 30 credits at UMGC (normally final 30).
- At least half of the major at UMGC and ≥15 upper-level credits at UMGC.
- At least half of any major must be graded coursework (exam/portfolio credits don’t count as graded).
DID YOU KNOW? Freelancers and degree planning companies sell plans just like this to homeschooling parents for $450-$800. Instead, use HS4CC free plans and resources as models to teach yourself how to do this for your teen. (Where do you think they learned how to do it?)
Approved Alternative Credit Providers (what UMGC explicitly accepts)
- CLEP (College Board): UMGC publishes a full CLEP equivalency list with required scores and UMGC course matches (most at score 50; some languages higher). Writing note: CLEP College Composition yields WRTG 111 + elective (6), but UMGC still requires two graded WRTG courses to complete Communications (including WRTG 112), and limits writing-by-exam to 3 credits.
- DSST UMGC posts DSST equivalencies with a required score of 400.
Suggested High-School Outsourcing Path (sample sequence)
- Goal: ~73 transfer credits via CLEP/DSST
- Result: Enter UMGC needing ~47 UMGC credits (WRTG 112, UL writing, PACE 111, 1-cr LIBS 150, possibly a 4-cr lab).
- 9th–12th grades: Focus on Gen Ed via CLEP/DSST
- HS graduation: Begin working at Papa John’s part-time to qualify for Dough & Degrees.
If you’d like to learn a smarter way to pay for your education, my new book, Creative College Funding: How Smart Homeschooling Families Get Through College Without Debt, is dedicated to this topic!
I’ve always been willing to find creative ways to get through college without debt, and my family is on degree #14 without debt. You can do this too!
High School Planner (73 credits)
This breakdown maximizes the use of credit by exam in your homeschool program. There is no age restriction on CLEP, and UMGC admits all students the same (freshman/transfer), so your student can take their time or zip through this- it’s up to you. This schedule roughly aligns with what a student would normally study in high school, making integration of CLEP relatively simple.
CLEP-first, DSST only where it fills a real UMGC requirement. Prices shown per exam. Pairs (I & II) stay in the same year because they are chronological.
9th Grade (12 credits / $0)
- CLEP U.S. History I → HIST 156 (3 cr)
- CLEP U.S. History II → HIST 157 (3 cr)
- CLEP Introductory Sociology → SOCY 100 (3 cr)
- CLEP Analyzing & Interpreting Literature → Literature elective (3 cr)
- Mappings per UMGC’s CLEP table. University of Maryland Global Campus
| FALL | SPRING |
|---|---|
| CLEP Sociology | CLEP Analyzing Literature |
| CLEP U.S. History I | CLEP U.S. History II |
10th Grade (18 credits / $100)
- CLEP American Government → GVPT 170 (3 cr)
- DSST Ethics in America → PHIL 140 (3 cr).
- CLEP Biology → BIOL 101 and BIOL Lecture (3 Credits, satisfies Biological & Physical Sciences Gen Ed Requirement) (6 cr total). The required science lab is taken later at UMGC.
- CLEP Western Civilization I → HIST 141 (3 cr).
- CLEP Western Civilization II → HIST 142 (3 cr).
- Mappings per UMGC’s CLEP table. University of Maryland Global Campus
| FALL | SPRING |
|---|---|
| CLEP American Government | DSST Ethics in America |
| CLEP Western Civilization I | CLEP Western Civilization II |
| X | CLEP Biology (allow a full year) |
| High School Spanish I | High School Spanish I |
11th Grade (15 credits / $100)
- CLEP College Algebra → MATH 107 (3 cr.)
- CLEP Information Systems → IFSM 201 (3 cr.)
- CLEP Introductory Psychology → PSYC 100 (3 cr.)
- CLEP Human Growth & Development → PSYC 351 (3 cr.)
- DSST Criminal Justice → CCJS 100 (3 cr.)
- Mappings per UMGC’s CLEP table. University of Maryland Global Campus
| FALL | SPRING |
|---|---|
| High School Spanish II | High School Spanish II |
| X | CLEP College Algebra (allow a full year) |
| CLEP Information Systems | DSST Criminal Justice |
| CLEP Human Growth & Development | CLEP Intro. Psychology |
12th Grade (30 credits / $100)
- CLEP Principles of Macroeconomics → ECON 201 (3 cr).
- CLEP Principles of Microeconomics → ECON 203 (3 cr).
- CLEP Introductory Business Law → BMGT 380 (3 cr).
- CLEP College Composition → WRTG 111 (3 cr) + 3-cr elective (6 cr total). (UMGC caps writing-by-exam at 3 cr; you’ll still do WRTG 112 and an upper-level writing at UMGC.)
- CLEP Spanish with Writing (Level 2) → SPAN 111, 112, 211 + Spanish elective (12 cr) with score ≥65.
- DSST Business Ethics & Society $100 → BMGT 496 (3 cr).
| FALL | SPRING |
|---|---|
| College Comp Modular* | College Composition |
| High School Spanish III | CLEP Spanish with Writing** |
| CLEP Macroeconomics | CLEP Microeconomics |
| CLEP Business Law | CLEP Business Ethics & Society |
*College Comp Modular will not count for writing credit, but it is the multiple choice section of the College Composition exam – in other words, the SAME exam but without the essay. Use this as a practice test. If your student passes, they can spend the second semester getting ready for the essays that will be on the College Composition full exam.
**This exam is harder than the Spanish Language exam, but worth 12 credits!! This translates into a $1,500 advantage over the language exam – give it a try!
With ~73 credits earned using CLEP/DSST in high school, the UMGC portion to complete after high school is ~47 credits. Since 18 college credits are FULLY PAID per calendar year under Dough & Degrees, you can spend $0 out of pocket by taking the remaining courses over 2 1/2 years (5 terms) that’s 18 (Year 1) + 18 (Year 2) + 11 (first term of Year 3). If you have a 529, savings, scholarships, or qualify for the Pell Grant, you may wish to accelerate the program beyond 18 per year – just remember to move at the speed of budget to stay out of debt.
The following is an example of what it might look like after high school. The real schedule will be determined based on what UMGC is offering, but this will give you an idea of how it might break down if your student takes 3 online courses per semester while working at Papa Johns.
Year 1 at UMGC (18 cr, covered)
- PACE 111 (3)
- WRTG 112 (3)
- LGST 101 Introduction to Law (3)
- LGST 200 Techniques of Legal Research (3)
- LGST 201 Legal Writing (3)
- LGST 204 Legal Ethics (3)
Total: 18
Year 2 at UMGC (18 cr, covered)
- WRTG 393/394 (Upper-Level Writing, 3)
- LGST 301 Advanced Legal Writing (3)
- LGST 312 Torts (3)
- LGST 315 Domestic Relations (3)
- LGST 320 Criminal Law & Procedure (3)
- LGST 325 Litigation (3)
Total: 18
Year 3 at UMGC (11 cr, first semester only, covered)
- LGST 340 Contract Law (3)
- LGST 495 Legal Studies Capstone (3)
- Science Lab course (4) (pairs with your CLEP Biology lecture)
- LIBS 150 (1)
Total: 11
Notes
- Stay under or at 18 credits in each calendar year to keep tuition fully covered.
- Keep working for Papa John’s and submit your employer authorization each term so UMGC bills at the Education Access rate.
- Want to finish within two calendar years total? Two options:
- Out-of-pocket the extra 11 credits in Year 2 once you hit the $5,250 cap, or
- Transfer in a few graded courses before UMGC (e.g., UL writing, lab, info literacy) so UMGC drops to 33 major credits and everything fits in two covered years. Arizona State University Universal Learner courses are graded, as are dual enrollment courses through your local community (which may be free for some of you!)
