College · Family Resources · Earning credit early

One exam fee
against a
semester’s tuition.

Type the college’s tuition per credit and the exams you plan. The calculator sets each exam’s fees and study costs against the tuition it replaces, ranks exams by return on study time and allows for the chance of a retake.

Count the savingsWhat you get

The CLEP savings calculator

The worked example is a made-up senior-year plan at a $420-a-credit college. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

College · Family ResourcesFree

What you finish with
Tuition avoided, exam costs, net and expected savings, and saving per study hour for each exam. It prints as a plan and downloads as a spreadsheet.
Who it is for
High school students and families planning college credit, homeschool families, and adult learners returning to college.
Format
Browser calculator for a phone, tablet or computer, by touch or keyboard. Prints a summary; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Family Resources space in Caveat College.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Find the target college’s CLEP policy: the exams it accepts, the score and the credits.
  2. Type its tuition per credit, including per-credit fees.
  3. Confirm the current exam fee and your test center’s fee.
  4. List the exams with credits, study costs and hours.
  5. Start with the exam that saves most per study hour.

Count the savings

How the savings are counted

Credits times tuition, minus the costs of testing.

The worked example: College Composition at a $420-a-credit collegeCredits6College CompositionTuition avoided$2,5206 × $420Cost$150$95 + $30 + $25 studyNet$2,370for one examThe worked example: College Composition at a $420-a-credit collegeCredits6College CompositionTuition avoided$2,5206 × $420Cost$150$95 + $30 + $25 studyNet$2,370for one exam
One exam fee against a course’s tuition: that is the whole case for CLEP, if the college accepts it.

What CLEP replaces

The College-Level Examination Program, run by the College Board, offers exams in about 34 introductory subjects. Colleges that accept them award credit for a passing score, often 50 on a scale of 20 to 80, which is what the American Council on Education recommends. Each college decides which exams it takes and how many credits each is worth.

Allowing for a retake

Not every attempt passes. If you might need a second try, which CLEP allows after a three-month wait, the expected saving counts the chance of passing within two tries and the extra fees a retake costs. Subjects you already studied in high school have the best odds and the best return on study time.

Sources

  1. College Board. CLEP exams, fees, scores and retesting policy (clep.collegeboard.org).
  2. American Council on Education. Credit recommendations for CLEP exams (acenet.edu).
  3. Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES). Funded CLEP exams for eligible service members (dantes.mil).
  4. U.S. Department of Education, College Navigator. Tuition and fees by institution (nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator).

The worked example is made up. Fees change; confirm them with the College Board and your test center, and the credit with your college. Your entries stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.