Choosing your College
- CLEP Policies of Individual Colleges

Choosing the right college is an integral part of your study plan.
Over 2,900 colleges award credit for CLEP, including top schools such as Harvard and Cornell.

Almost every community college or state school has generous CLEP Policies. However, the CLEP policies of private colleges and Universities tend to vary. While some may award credit for all 34 CLEP exams, others restrict themselves to only a limited number of subject exams. If you feel confident about passing a number of CLEP exams, you might prefer attending a college that awards credit for more of them.

Some schools may use CLEP to place students out of lower level classes such as foreign languages, but may not award credit for passing grades.

If saving money is your key concern, please note that some class waivers do not always amount to tuition waivers. However, the financial rewards of hitting the workplace early are well worth it- even if you do not get an outright tuition waiver!

Test Centers
You can take your CLEP exam at over 1200 centers nationwide.

While most will schedule a multiple-choice test on a day of your convenience, the policy for open-response exams may differ.

Certain schools administer tests only to those students who are enrolled with them, so we recommend that you check with your test-center first.

You can check for colleges giving credit against CLEP by clicking here

Qualifying Scores
Most colleges specify their own qualifying threshold in their catalog or brochure. The threshold may vary from exam to exam, so it's a good idea to confirm the minimum acceptable score before deciding your exam subjects.

Information about the CLEP policies of individual colleges may only be obtained from the concerned college, and is subject to change. Neither the College Board (which administers CLEP) nor the InstantCert Academy maintains updated information about the same.

On average, a score of 50 points can earn you from 3-12 credits towards your College Degree, for each CLEP taken.

Outline long-term goals through Academic Counseling
Prior to taking your exams, it is important to discuss the significance of your CLEP credit with the Academic Advisor assigned by your test center, or a concerned authority at the college you wish to join.

You may also be recommended additional courses necessary to achieve the desired course level. Spare adequate time to determine which tests are actually worth taking, before deciding upon your test schedule.

With today's convenient test schedules, it is very tempting to turn up directly on the test date. However, skipping this vital step could lead to a lot of wasted time and money!

External Degree Programs
External degree programs are offered by New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, enabling you to earn your degree through exams such as CLEP or through credit transfers from other colleges.

You can also get credit for work experience or for meeting specific educational requirements.

Residents as well as out-of-state candidates can earn credit through External degree programs.

It is essential to weigh your options and priorities carefully before choosing any particular college or exam subject!