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Option #1: Take a CLEP Exam

The College Board, which is the same organization that offers AP and SAT tests, has 33 CLEP exams that lead to widely accepted college credit. Use CLEP exams to test out of your college general education requirements and cut up to two years off the length of your degree program.

CLEP Exam Details

• 33 exams covering general college subjects
• Credit accepted at over 2/3 of U.S. colleges and universities
• $80 per exam (plus a small test center fee that varies)
• Each exam worth 3-12 college credits
• 90-minute long exams
• Over 1,700 U.S. testing centers

Ready to earn college credit? Here's how:

1. Make sure your school accepts CLEP credit.
2. Choose an Education Portal course and start learning.
3. Find a local CLEP testing center and register for your exam.
4. Take the exam and have your credit reported to your school.
5. Tell us about your experience by filling out this short survey. Your feedback will help us make our courses better and those who passed their exam will automatically be entered into our monthly $1,000 CLEP scholarship award.

Option #2: Take Excelsior College's Credit-by-Exam

Excelsior College is a regionally accredited, not-for-profit college that offers 54 exams that lead to credit accepted at many universities. You can use Excelsior College's exams to test out of general education requirements or upper-level college classes.

Excelsior College's Exam Details

1. 54 exams covering general and upper-level college subjects
2. Most exams are $95
3. Each exam worth 3-8 college credits
4. Over 4,000 U.S. and international testing centers
5. See more details here

Option #3: Take a DSST (DANTES) Exam

The 38 DSST (DANTES Subject Standardized Tests) have been evaluated and approved for college credit by the American Council on Education's College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT). Accepted at over 2,000 colleges and universities, the DSST exams are an affordable and time saving way to earn college credit without taking a traditional course.

DSST Exam Details

1. 38 exams covering many general education subjects
2. Credit accepted at over 2,000 colleges and universities
3. $80 per exam (plus a small test center fee that varies)
4. Exam worth 3 college credits
5. Most exams are two hours long
6. Over 1,000 U.S. testing centers
7. See more details here.

Earning Credit FAQs

1. Is college credit earned by exam really transferable?
2. Does Education Portal earn money when I take a credit-granting exam?
3. How do your scholarships work?
4. I'm not enrolled in school. Can I still earn credit?
5. How else can I use the credit earned by exam?
6. Can high school students earn college credit?

Is college credit earned by exam really transferable?

In most cases, yes. Credit-granting exams are designed to help you graduate more quickly and with less debt. Credit by the College Board's CLEP exams are accepted by 2/3 of all U.S. colleges and universities, and thousands of students have cut their education costs by taking these exams. Excelsior College's credit is also widely accepted and is recommended by the American Council on Education.

Does Education Portal earn money when I take a credit-granting exam?

No. We do not have any financial relationship with the organizations that offer credit-granting exams. Our mission is to provide you with free college courses that lead to credit, and we do not see a penny of the exam fee. We discuss our business model more in depth here.

How do your scholarships work?

We award $1,000 to the first ten students each month who take one of our completed courses and earn credit by passing an exam. Read success stories on our testimonials page and click here to apply for your own $1,000 award!

I'm not enrolled in school. Can I still earn credit?

Yes. You can take a credit-granting exam and earn credit even if you are not currently enrolled in school. In fact, credit-by-exam is a great way to start testing out of your general education requirements before starting a degree program. You can also use our courses to check out a subject you think you might want to major in. Not all schools accept this credit, so we recommend checking the schools that you may be interested in attending. Once you enroll in school, talk to your advisor to find out how to transfer the credit.

How else can I use the credit earned by exam?

There are many uses for credit-by-exam even if you are not enrolled in a degree program. Your employer might recognize the credit as professional development credit. Also, you can use credit-by-exam to satisfy certification requirements, such as requirements for teacher certification and subject-area endorsement in some states.

Can high school students earn college credit?

Yes. High school students can use our courses to test out of general education requirements and earn college credit that can be transferred to over 2,900 colleges and universities. Talk to a college advisor to find out if credit-by-exam is accepted at the college that you plan to attend.