The cost of a college education continues to rise beyond the means of most Americans. Despite growing sources of federal financial assistance, more Americans carry excessive levels of student debt than ever before.
Americans can reduce the cost of tuition in various ways, but among the most popular is earning course credit for work done before finishing high school. In some cases, high schools can engage in “dual enrollment”—namely by taking certain courses at a community college. In others they can take a college-level class in high school, and ear college credibly by earning a score of 3 or more on Advanced Placement (AP) subject tests or completing the International Baccalaureate curriculum.
Of course, those programs come at a cost to the colleges where those students matriculate—registrars can’t charge students for classes they’ve already taken. And unfortunately, administrators have gotten him to that trick and worked to avoid losing that extra revenue. Over the years, colleges and universities have erected new hurdles to receiving dual enrollment, AP, and IB credit.
A recent study by the center-left think tank PPI looked at which of the top 150 colleges and universities were the most and least generous when awarding advanced college course credits (to see the complete list visit here). The data makes clear that many institutions of higher education are intentionally limiting the use of AP and IB credit towards a degree, thus curtailing ways that students can save.
The Worst Offenders
The worst offenders are ten schools that offer zero credit for AP or IB work, no matter how high students scored on their work. These include some of the most elite institutions of higher education in the country:
- Dartmouth College
- Brown College (Accepts IB but not AP)
- California Institute of Technology
- Williams College
- Amherst College
- Harvey Mudd College
- Colby College
- United States Military Academy
- Yeshiva University (Accepts AP but not IB)
- Soka University
Disturbingly, even while not issuing credit, many of these colleges and universities let students waive out of the introductory classes—giving the pretense of some benefit but with no loss of tuition revenue for the school. Cynically, more than half of schools cap the total amount of credit students can apply to their degree, in some cases at levels just below the number needed to finish a semester or two early. Seventy-five don’t accept scores in all subject areas, and almost half have hiked the minimum score to earn credit.
And the scheming doesn’t end there. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, between 20% to 50% of new university students have transferred from community college. But as students move between community college and four-year programs, many find it very difficult to navigate the system of credit transfers.
Furthermore, prospective students often have to register and start attending classes before finding out how much course credit they have earned (if any), from all their advanced coursework. This puts students at the mercy of college administrators, with no recourse to get a full refund or time to enroll at another undergraduate program.
There’s no denying that recent efforts by the College Board to “recalibrate” some of their tests has raised legitimate questions about their accuracy. And some argue that any complaints about the failure to recognize AP credit would simply put more money into the pockets of the College Board. But the AP program is not the only way to earn advanced standing, and colleges and universities should demand improvements to AP tests rather than penalize incoming students.
Students who successfully complete AP or IB courses in high school could save anywhere between 12.5% to 25% of the total cost of the degree by graduating a semester or two early. According to the College Board those who score a 3 on an AP exam have achieved mastery sufficient to earn a grade of C, C+ or B- in a college class.
That said, however, 64 of schools on PPI’s list don’t recognize that score whatsoever. Among various elite schools—Harvard, MIT, and Haverford, among others—the minimum score is a 5. In response to this trend, Texas, Illinois, and other states have begun to require their public colleges and universities to issue credit for scores of 3 or higher, with some exceptions. This law should be applied nationally, and a similar standard should be put in place for IB and dual enrollment coursework. Other reforms should include the creation of a national database detailing clearly the AP, IB, and dual enrollment credit policies for all colleges, and a mandate that schools provide admitted students with a detailed list of the advanced course credits they have been awarded prior to the start of classes.
As the cost of college continues to rise, students need other tools besides loans and financial aid to pay their tuition and fees. AP, IB, and dual enrollment give students an opportunity to dramatically cut the price tag for college by helping them to graduate early. But more schools are finding ways to deny students advance credit in order to protect their bottom line. Stopping this practice would go a long way to make college more affordable without burdening taxpayers.