College Information
Should I take the AP Test?
The simple answer is yes. You are taking the course, and the district pays for 3 exams (2024 test date), so there is little reason not to for most of you.
If you need more information, consider the following:
What score do your prospective colleges require?
Here you can look up what each college requires and accepts. (This shows score you need.)
How much money am I actually saving? This is difficult to answer. Depends on tuition & fees, living arrangements, and cost of materials. Since the exam is paid for by the district, you are saving whatever it would cost you to take the equivalent course in college.
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is an official State of Illinois site meant to support students planning for, during, and after college. They used to list the tution at all Illinois colleges and universities, but I couldn't find this year (Fall 2023). However, it still has lot of useful information.
This site lists the tuition and fees at public Illinois Colleges and Universities.
US News & World Report has an article about the average college tuition for 2023-2024.
The Hettinger Report (covers education) has a Tuition Tracker tool. Its data is a few years behind though.
U.S. Department of Education offers a College Scorecard that helps determine the actual cost you will pay.
College Board Big Future Pay for College - Of course, the College Board has information available on it's Big Future site about paying for college. They do have services that can match you up with scholarships.
True Cost - Consider all items that go into the cost.
Do I even need Human Geography or World History in college? While it may not be required for your major or minor area of study, most university have general education requirements. World History and Human Geography often qualifies as a history, social science, or humanities course in this area.
The numbers in this AP Human Geography Prezi won't be up to date but it helps track some of the things you should consider in your decision.
Tuition Free Colleges
Like all things that are "free," you need to check the fine print before you get too excited.
College Consensus has a ranking of the top 35 Tuition free school. I cannot vouch for this site. There is no information on their funding stream, but they do list all the publications and ranking services that are used to come up with their list on their "About Us" page.
Berea College offers degrees across 28 fields. An expansive labor program helps to insure that most students finish their college careers debt free.
NYU School of Medicine
In an attempt to address doctor shortages and the rising levels of college debt, the NYU School of Medicine offers full tuition scholarships to all current and future students in their MD program.