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Advanced Placement classes
Many universities and colleges will award college credit if you score well enough on an AP exam. That qualifying score depends on the school.
High scores may allow some students to earn a spot in a more advanced class or skip an introductory class; some universities and colleges will allow high-scorers to do both. Students can check the College Board website for policies at individual schools and for public schools in each state.
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International Baccalaureate program
The International Baccalaureate program was registered in Switzerland in the 1960s on a recommendation from teachers affiliated with the International Schools Association. The first official diploma program exams were taken by students at 12 schools from 10 countries in 1970.
Colleges and universities in the United States offer credit for the IB diploma and for individual classes. How much credit students can receive depends on their scores and individual schools. Some schools accept only the IB’s higher level exams; others consider standard level exams as well.
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Dual enrollment
Dual enrollment typically involves a partnership between a high school or school district and a community college or university. High school students are given the chance to take college-level classes and earn credit before graduating. Oftentimes, credit for a course counts at both levels.
Classes may be taught at a college campus, in a high school classroom by a visiting college professor, or by a high-school teacher teaching a college-level class. Students may also enroll in online instruction. How many credits a student can earn also varies.
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College-Level Examination Program
The College-Level Examination Program allows students to gain credit for introductory-level college material by getting a passing score on an exam. Students can choose from among 34 exams. More than 2,900 colleges and universities in the U.S. participate in the CLEP program. The exams cost $89 plus the test center’s administration fee. The exam topics range from history and literature to languages and sciences.
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Summer school programs
Colleges and universities may offer summer programs for high school students with college credit. The pre-college programs focus on a variety of subjects, from software coding to climate change. They might emphasize a particular area such as STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) or the performing arts. Some classes are part of the regular summer curriculum so the high school students will attend classes with undergraduates and complete college-level work.
The programs also offer students a chance to find out about life on a college campus.
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