Over 40 Online College Courses Available Tuition-Free and for Credit to Anyone Who Wants Them
Steve Klinsky, Founder and CEO, Modern States
(New York, NY, Monday, September 18, 2017)
- Tuition plus fees at four-year public colleges jumped 71 percent over the last decade, and historically tuition has risen about 3 to 5 percent a year, according to the College Board. The cost of attending college has far outpaced inflation, forcing many to pursue alternative ways to pay for or to table their education.
- A college education is one of the largest expenses an individual is likely to make in a lifetime, second only to buying a home. Given the rapidly increasing cost of a college education, providing multiple options to pay for and finish a degree program is critical.
- Modern States Education Alliance is a philanthropic effort to make a college degree more affordable and attainable for everyone. Its first initiative is “Freshman Year for Free”: over 40 online college courses available tuition-free and for credit to anyone who wants them. Students can earn college credits by taking these courses that prepare them for AP (Advanced Placement) and CLEP (College Level Examination Program) exams; Modern States pays the CLEP test fees too.
- After taking a Modern States course(s) and then passing AP or CLEP exams, individuals can begin with up to a full year’s worth of credit when they enroll at a traditional four-year college or university. Students can take one course or many; it’s up to them.
Modern States built the first high-quality courses taught by top college professors to specifically help students prepare for an AP or CLEP exam free of charge. More than 2,900 traditional colleges and universities offer credit to students who pass AP or CLEP tests. Also, Modern States Education Alliance will pay the exam fee for the first 10,000 students who complete a Modern States course.
Whether someone takes one course or enough credits to fulfill their first year requirements, Modern States is providing an on-ramp to college and an opportunity to save up to 25 percent of the rising cost of a college degree. Anyone interested in preparing for an AP or CLEP exam may take a Modern States course, including: high school students who may not have access to AP courses, high school juniors and seniors; high school graduates who can’t immediately attend college, college students, adult learners, military and their families, and veterans.
Modern States courses are taught by leading professors — from Columbia, Purdue, Rutgers, MIT, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, GW, Baruch College, University of Texas, and Cal Berkeley, among others — and some were built on the edX software platform. edX is the education platform created by Harvard and MIT.