The College Level Examination Program is a group of standardized tests created and administered by the College Board . These tests assess college-level knowledge in thirty-six subject areas and provide a mechanism for earning college credits without taking college courses. They are administered at more than 1,700 sites (colleges, universities, and military installations) across the United States. There are about 2,900 colleges which grant CLEP credit. Each institution awards credit to students who meet the college's minimum qualifying score for that exam, which is typically 50 to 60 out of a possible 80, but varies by site and exam. These tests are useful for individuals who have obtained knowledge outside the classroom, such as through independent study, homeschooling, job experience, or cultural interaction; and for students schooled outside the United States. They provide an opportunity to demonstrate proficiency in specific subject areas and bypass undergraduate coursework. Many take CLEP exams because of their convenience and lower cost (price varies by institution, though typically $ 89) compared to a semester of coursework for comparable credit.
59-478: The test is offered by the College Board. Approximately 2,900 colleges and universities will grant college credits for each test. Both U.S. and international schools grant CLEP credit. Most of the tests are 90 minutes long. As of 2023, they cost $ 90 each; they will cost $ 93 in the 2023–2024 school year. The tests are free to U.S. military service members and some veterans. There is an additional fee of $ 10 for
118-500: A flat rate for full-time students, such that a student taking over 12 or 15 credit hours will pay the same amount as a student taking exactly 12 (or 15). A part-time student taking less than 12 hours pays per credit hour, on top of matriculation and student fees . Credit for laboratory and studio courses as well as physical education courses, internships and practica is usually less than for lectures – typically one credit for every two to three hours spent in lab or studio, depending on
177-580: A "B" (three grade points) in a four-credit class yields 12 "quality points". It is these which are added together, then divided by the total number of credits a student has taken, to get the GPA. Transfer credits are not necessarily counted in the GPA. Some courses may require a grade higher than that which is considered passing. In this case, a grade of "D" will still add to the total number of credits earned (unlike an "F") Various types of student aid and certain student visas require students to take and complete
236-425: A 15-week semester. Homework is time the student spends applying the class material without supervision of the professor: this includes studying notes, supplementary reading, writing papers, or other unsupervised activities such as labwork or fieldwork. Students are generally expected to spend two hours outside class studying and doing homework for every hour spent in class. The Code of Federal Regulations defines
295-534: A FEE-HELP loan from the Australian government up to a lifetime limit of $ 150,000 for medicine, dentistry and veterinary science programs and $ 104,440 for all other programs. Student fees for vocational education vary between jurisdictions, with some states implementing fee-free courses in some fields and all offering some form of government subsidised training. Funding responsibilities for student fee subsidies are agreed between state and territory governments and
354-543: A compulsory HELP repayment, but a person with a HRI of $ 80,000 would make a payment of $ 4,400. This is 5.5% of the HRI (not taxable income or the debt balance) of $ 80,000. The compulsory repayment amount cannot exceed the balance of the HELP debt. The rates for compulsory repayment since 2006 have been: It is also possible to make voluntary payments to further reduce the debt. Until 31 December 2004 voluntary payments over $ 500 earned
413-403: A computer in a lab style setting. Final results are available immediately after completing the exam. CLEP tests are primarily multiple-choice exams (though some include fill-in or ordering questions, and one College Composition exam has an essay section) which are scored on a scale from 20 to 80. The majority of schools grant credit for a score of 50 or higher, but passing scores are determined by
472-538: A contribution to the higher education provider towards the cost of a student's education. The student makes a contribution towards the cost of education, known as the "Student Contribution" (SC). Commonwealth supported places are available to citizens of Australia and New Zealand and Australian permanent residents . The majority of CSPs are managed through the Tertiary Admissions Centre (TACs) in each state or territory, although universities make
531-431: A credit, and a full year course is worth a full credit. A normal class load consists of five to six classes a semester, which leads to five-six credits being accumulated each school year. In Europe , a common credit system has been introduced. The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is in some European countries used as the principal credit and grading system in universities, while other countries use
590-705: A half credit per course per semester . This credit is formally known as a Carnegie Unit . After a typical four-year run, the student needs 26 credits to graduate (an average of 6 to 7 at any time). Some high schools have only three years of school because 9th grade is part of their middle schools, with 18 to 21 credits required. Tertiary education fees in Australia Tertiary education fees in Australia are payable for courses at tertiary education institutions . Responsibility for fees in vocational education and training (VET) rests primarily with
649-472: A maximum of 7 years full-time (16 years part-time) at CSP rates. This is known as a Student Learning Entitlement (SLE). After that period the student has to take either a FEE-HELP loan (if available) or study at full-fee rates. If a student receives a HECS-HELP loan, the Commonwealth government pays the loan amount directly to the higher education provider on behalf of the student. An alternative option
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#1732781181051708-465: A minimum number of course credits each term. Schools often require a minimum number or percentage of credits be taken at the school to qualify for a diploma from that school—this is known as a residency requirement. Credit by examination , also known as credit by exam , is a way of receiving course credit without taking the course. This grade often shows as a "K" on a transcript , however it carries no credit hours, and therefore has no effect on
767-642: A minimum of 75% of a standard load (i.e. 0.750 EFTSL per year) is typically required to achieve and retain full-time status. There is no unified academic credit system in Brazil . The regulating bodies of the Ministry of Education and the legislation count the hours of instruction. A full-time year of higher education takes between 800 and 1200 instruction-hours in Brazil, which would be equivalent to 50-80 US credits and 60 European ECTS . In Uruguay 's University of
826-466: A particular semester, anything less is considered a part-time student. Between 2012 and 2017, an eligible student who paid the entire or a part of the student contribution upfront received a 10% HECS discount on the amount paid (prior to 2012, the HECS discount was 20%). Only Australian citizens and permanent humanitarian visa holders were eligible for the up-front 10% HECS discount. The up-front discount
885-415: A score of 50, 12 credits for a score of 62 and 18 credits for a score of 73. CLEP administrators will send test scores to any school the student designates. Currently, over 2,900 colleges will accept credit earned by CLEP tests. However, some colleges do not accept the credit for every test that CLEP offers. Both CLEP and AP ( Advanced Placement ) programs are offered by the College Board and offer students
944-663: A section) may have "load lifts" or "course reductions." Faculty at research universities typically have an official teaching load of 12 SCH per semester, but their actual load is reduced because of the requirement for significant peer-reviewed published research. While faculty workloads are almost universally based on the number of SCH taught, faculty teaching in technical "clock hour" programs in technical and community colleges have workloads that more closely resemble high school teaching, so that Faculty in community colleges typically teach 15 SCH or more per semester (5 days per week at 3 hours per day). In Canada , credits can be earned at
1003-399: A week are generally awarded six credit hours. Third and fifth-year classes are more specialized so some facilities may offer half-courses that run from September to December or January to April. These courses are awarded three credit hours. In some provinces, such as Ontario, a different system is used. The school year is often broken into two semesters. A single semester class is worth half
1062-491: Is FEE-HELP which provides eligible fee-paying students with a loan to cover their tertiary education fees. The Commonwealth government determines the number and allocation of undergraduate "Commonwealth Supported Places" (CSP) with each public higher education provider each year, through the Commonwealth Grant Scheme (CGS). A CSP is a higher education place for which the Commonwealth government makes
1121-562: Is a direct measure of the notional learning time in hours. If credit is assigned for a qualification or a components of a qualification on the RQF, this is a tenth of the TQT rounded to the nearest whole number. In high schools in the United States , where all courses are usually the same number of hours, often meeting every day, students earn one credit for a course that lasts all year, or
1180-507: Is a learning outcomes-based credit system, with one credit representing ten hours of notional learning. Credits are embedded in the qualifications frameworks for Wales and Scotland, while their use in England is voluntary but covered by a national agreement that is consistent with use in Wales and Scotland. Credits are associated with a level on the relevant qualifications framework, representing
1239-474: Is available in the form of scholarships . Overseas students are charged fees for the full cost of their education and are ineligible for HELP loans, but may apply for international scholarships. In 1940, the Curtin Labor dramatically increased the number of scholarships to increase the number of university graduates and allowed women avail these scholarships as they were previously exclusive to men. In
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#17327811810511298-549: Is separated into two semesters, or four terms; while it takes one semester for one credit, there are two compulsory courses taken in Grade 10 that each take up one term, earning half a credit upon completion, adding up to one credit, and being considered as one course that has merely been separated. In Alberta , Nunavut , and Northwest Territories , 100 credits are required to graduate high school. The course credit system in Ontario
1357-596: Is similar to the one used in the United States . The credit and qualifications frameworks for Scotland and Wales use the same UK credit, equivalent to ten hours of notional learning, as the higher education sector. All qualifications tied to the Welsh and Scottish frameworks have a credit value, covering schools, further education, higher education and vocational education. The Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) for non-higher education qualifications in England and Northern Ireland uses 'Total Qualification Time' (TQT), which
1416-630: The National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli , one of the top technical universities in India, the GPA is calculated on a ten-point scale, with weighted average of the grades received in the respective course. The grades awarded are; S, A, B, C, D, E and F (fail). This GPA is also known as CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average). On an average, students in India need to complete 180-185 credits after their four-year engineering course to be awarded
1475-674: The Whitlam Labor government abolished university fees to make tertiary education in Australia more accessible to working and middle class Australians. In 1989, the Hawke Labor government began gradually re-introducing fees for university study and setup the Higher Education Contributions Scheme (HECS). In 1996, the new Howard Coalition government , introduced tiers in the HECS fee structure (now called HECS-HELP). Fees are charged on
1534-606: The 1960s, the Menzies Liberal rapidly established new universities, mostly in outlying suburbs , and offered special research scholarships to encourage students to undertake postgraduate research studies. Many of these universities are members of Innovative Research Universities Australia . In 1967, the government created a category of Commonwealth-funded non-university tertiary institution, called College of Advanced Education (CAE), to provide cheaper & easier access to equivalent of bachelor's degrees. In 1970s,
1593-676: The Commonwealth under the National Skills Agreement which commenced at the start of 2024. Australian citizens (and in some cases overseas professionals completing bridging studies in order to be accredited permanent residents ) are able to obtain loans from the government under the Higher Education Loan Programme ( HELP ) which replaced the Higher Education Contribution Scheme ( HECS ). As of April 2016,
1652-592: The ECTS as a secondary credit system for exchange students . In ECTS, a full study year normally consists of 60 credits. ECTS grades are given in the A-E range, where F is failing . Schools are also allowed to use a pass/fail evaluation in the ECTS system. In India, in engineering colleges which follow the course credit system, the number of 'contact hours' in a week of a particular course determines its credit value. Typically, courses vary from two to five credits. According to
1711-625: The GPA. This also means that a student often must take other classes instead, to meet minimum hour requirements. This still benefits the student, because he or she can learn something new and useful, instead of repeating what is already known. Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) are two programs that offer college bound students credit by examination. Faculty in comprehensive or baccalaureate colleges and universities typically have 12 SCH per semester. Faculty teaching significant graduate work or large classes (100 or more students in
1770-510: The Gillard government. Other students may obtain a full fee place (FFP) if they do not receive a Commonwealth supported place, subject to meeting relevant qualifications. Most postgraduate courses do not have Commonwealth supported places available and therefore, all these students are full fee-paying. Fee-paying students are charged the full cost of their course, with no Commonwealth contribution. Some fee-paying students can obtain loans under
1829-662: The Higher Education Loan Programme, called FEE-HELP loans, to cover all or part of their fees. This is available to Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens and permanent humanitarian visa holders. Undergraduate students who obtain these loans are charged a 20% loan fee on top of the amount borrowed. This does not apply to post graduate courses. Students are able to borrow a lifetime maximum FEE-HELP loan of $ 112,134 for medicine, dentistry and veterinary science programs and $ 89,706 for all other programs (adjusted for inflation ). In 2005, FEE-HELP loans replaced
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1888-713: The Open Learning Deferred Payment Scheme (OLDPS), the Postgraduate Education Loan Scheme (PELS) and the Bridging for Overseas-Trained Professionals Loan Scheme (BOTPLS). OS-HELP is a loan scheme to assist some undergraduate domestic students to undertake some, but not all, of their course of study overseas. Students are able to obtain a loan up to $ 6,470 (if the student will not be studying in Asia) or $ 7764 (if
1947-567: The Republic , a credit stands for 15 hours of work, including classes, personally studying and task activities. Since semesters last 15 weeks, a credit corresponds to one hour of work a week. In Canada, the term college often refers to a community college or trade school, whilst the more formal and inclusive term for post-high school education is post-secondary education. Most university courses run from September to April with 13 weeks before Christmas and 13 weeks after. Classes that meet three hours
2006-538: The SSAF (student services and amenities fee). The universities are not allowed to charge more than A$ 336 per year as SSAF. HELP debts do not attract interest (in the normal sense), but are instead indexed to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on 1 June each year, based on the annual CPI to March of that year. The indexation rate applied on 1 June 2006 was 2.8% and 3.4% on 1 June 2007. Indexation applies to
2065-422: The amount of actual instruction necessary prior to lab. However, for some field experiences such as student teaching as a requirement for earning one's teaching license, a student may only earn 8-10 credits for the semester for doing 40 hours a week of work. To figure a grade-point average (GPA), the grade received in each course is subject to weighting , by multiplying it by the number of credit hours. Thus,
2124-656: The amount of money owed to the Australian government under the HECS scheme was AUD$ 60 billion and is expected to increase to $ 180 billion by 2026. HELP is jointly administered by the Australian Department of Education, Skills and Employment and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). In addition, qualified students may be entitled to Youth Allowance or Austudy Payment to assist them financially while they are studying. These support payments are means and assets tested. Further assistance
2183-420: The basis of the perceived value of courses. Courses considered to have most likelihood of generating higher income for students in the future (e.g. Law and Medicine ) are the most expensive and those least likely to generate higher income (e.g. Nursing and Arts ) are the least expensive. Since 2007, HECS places are known as Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP). A student in a CSP is only entitled to study for
2242-436: The chosen CLEP must pay to take it again. Previously, personnel could retake a CLEP as many times as possible free of charge. Course credit A course credit is a measure of the size of an educational course , often used to determine whether the requirements for an award have been met, to facilitate transfer between institutions, or to enhance intercomparability of qualifications. Credit may be input-based – defined by
2301-505: The conversion of credit hours to clock hours as: For courses that are not required to use the conversion between credit hours and clock hours, a further definition is given in the Federal Student Aid Handbook of: A credit hour is an amount of work that reasonably approximates not less than Normal full-time studying is usually 15 credit hours per semester or 30 credit hours per academic year. Some schools set
2360-485: The credit point structure at each university. This is used as a common measure primarily for calculation of tuition fees and subsidies for government-supported places, including loans under the Higher Education Loan Program (see Tertiary education fees in Australia ), but also for the determination of "full-time" status for the purposes of government assistance and requirements of student visas;
2419-580: The degree B.Tech/B.E. and a one-semester-long thesis project. A new CBCS (Choice Based Credit System) scoring system was devised by UGC for undergraduate students from the academic year 2016–17. The system provides an opportunity for students to pick courses from core, elective or skill-based courses. In the United Kingdom , the standard credit system in higher education is the Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS). This
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2478-477: The depth and complexity of the learning. A full academic year normally consists of 120 credits. Two UK credits are equivalent to one ECTS credit. In a college or university in the United States, students generally receive credit hours based on the number of "contact hours" per week in class, for one term, better known as semester credit hours ( SCH ). A contact hour includes any lecture or lab time when
2537-453: The end of a course in high school . Earning a credit depends whether a person passes the course or not. A certain number of credits are required to graduate high school. A minimum of 30 credits are needed in order to graduate in specifically Ontario , those being 18 compulsory credits and 12 elective credits. One credit is equal to one completed course per semester, with the maximum credits earned per semester being four-to-five. Each school year
2596-449: The government and are required to pay only part of the cost of tuition, called the "student contribution", and the government pays the balance. Some government supported students can defer payment of their contribution as a HECS-HELP loan. Other domestic students are full fee-paying (non-Commonwealth supported) and do not receive direct government contribution to the cost of their education. Some domestic students in full fee courses can obtain
2655-475: The individual schools and may vary. The schools are responsible for awarding the number of credits you would receive for each test. The scores in the table below are endorsed by the American Council on Education as recommended credit-granting scores for each of the exams. On foreign language tests, the score will determine the number of credit granted. For example, one university may grant 8 credits for
2714-535: The next year. After indexation, the new balance is rounded down to a whole dollar amount. Additionally, HELP debts are subject to a 25% fee which does not count towards a student’s HELP debt limit. As of 1 January 2017 the Commonwealth Government removed the 5% voluntary repayment bonus on all HELP debt repayments. If a person with an accumulated HELP debt dies, any compulsory repayment included on their income tax notice of assessment relating to
2773-801: The opportunity to master introductory college-level work. The main difference between the two is that CLEP programs are designed to be taken without enrolling in classes, while AP exams are normally taken after completing an AP course. AP exams are graded in 5 grades, while CLEP exams has a score range of 20 to 80, with 50 being the recommended minimum passing score. There is an upper age limit of 21 for taking AP exams, while CLEP exams can be taken by people of all ages. CLEP exams are available free of charge for all qualifying United States Armed Forces personnel. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs also reimburses veterans for taking CLEP exams. Currently, for all United States Armed Forces, personnel are allowed to take one free CLEP; however, personnel that fail
2832-623: The optional essay portion of some of the exams. Each test usually corresponds to a one or two semester introductory course on the topic, though the Spanish , French , and German Language exams can be used to earn up to 12 credits. CLEP exams are offered at testing centers on over 1,500 college and university campuses, many military installations, and at home with remote proctoring. Most centers charge an administrative or registration fee per student or per test. Fees usually range from $ 15–40, though they vary among test centers. Exams are administered on
2891-485: The part of the debt that has been unpaid for 11 months or more. Thus, indexation is calculated on the opening HELP debt balance on 1 July of the previous year plus any debt incurred in the first half of the current year (usually for first semester courses) less any compulsory and voluntary repayments, with bonus. Any HELP debt incurred on second semester courses (usually determined in June) will not be subject to indexation until
2950-508: The period prior to their death must be paid from their estate, but the remainder of their debt is cancelled. HELP debts are administered by the Australian Taxation Office and will be repaid compulsorily over time through the taxation system. If the HELP Repayment Income (HRI) of a person with a HELP debt exceeds a certain threshold, which for the 2014/15 financial year is $ 53,345, a compulsory payments will be deducted from
3009-406: The person's tax for the year. The HRI is the person's taxable income plus any net rental loss claimed against that taxable income and adding fringe benefits, reportable superannuation contributions and foreign income received, normally exempt from taxation. Unlike marginal tax rates, the repayment rate applies on the full HRI, so that a person with a HRI below $ 45,881 in 2019/20 will not need to make
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#17327811810513068-464: The professor is teaching the student or coaching the student while they apply the course information to an activity. Regardless of the duration of the course (i.e. a short semester like summer or intersession) and depending on the state or jurisdiction, a semester credit hour is 15-16 contact hours per semester. Most college and university courses are three semester credit hours (SCH) or 45-48 contact hours, so they usually meet for three hours per week over
3127-411: The quantity of instruction given – or outcome-based – defined by the learning outcomes and a notional time to achieve those outcomes. In Australian universities , no common credit point system exists, although 48 credit points per full-time year, or 24 per semester, or some multiple thereof , is not uncommon. This permits a semester of study to be broken into more flexible combinations of units than
3186-458: The selections, deciding which students they will make offers to. The allocation is usually based on secondary school results (through the ATAR scores), TAFE qualifications and previous university results. The student contribution varies between courses, and is based on the expected earnings following a students' graduation, not the cost of providing the course. Higher education providers can set
3245-516: The state and territory governments, while fees policy in higher education is largely controlled by the Commonwealth Government . For most domestic students in higher education, the Commonwealth Government provides loans, subsidies, and/or social security welfare payments & benefits to relieve the cost of tertiary education. These benefits are not available to international students . Some domestic students are supported by
3304-401: The student contribution level for each unit of study, up to a maximum level set by the government. It is said that, due to government underfunding of universities, universities almost always charge the highest level allowable. EFTSL (Equivalent Full-time Student Load) is a measure of a full-time student’s annual study load in terms of minimum number of units (subjects) undertaken by a student in
3363-524: The student will be studying in Asia) for every six months, but can only receive a total of two loans throughout their lifetime. Unlike other loans in the HELP, the loan amount is paid directly to the student and the terms for the loans are set out by the tertiary providers. As in the FEE-HELP loan scheme, a 20% fee applies on the amount borrowed. This 20% "administration fee" was removed for OS-HELP loans received after January 1, 2010. SA-HELP loan covers
3422-434: The typical four, due in part to 24 being a highly composite number . Credit points tend to reflect all forms of study and assessment by a student in a unit, not just contact time . The Australian Government 's common measure of university course credits is known as Equivalent Full-Time Student Load (EFTSL). Under this system, a normal full-time load of study is 1.000 EFTSL per year or 0.500 EFTSL per semester, regardless of
3481-411: Was removed on 1 January 2017. The total funding available to institutions per equivalent full-time student is the combination of the student contribution (divided into 3 different amounts/bands) and the Commonwealth government contribution (divided into 8 different amounts/clusters). For 2017 these are: Full fee places for Australian undergraduate students were phased out in 2009 under reforms made by
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