By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com


Michigan residents have the opportunity to earn college credit without taking coursework through a new partnership with the state.

The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) has joined with Modern States Education Alliance and the College Board to offer local residents free online prep courses for any of College Board’s College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams. CLEP offers 34 exams covering introductory-college level course content. With a qualifying score, students can earn 3 or more credits and test out of a corresponding college class. There are no class requirements.

According to a release from LEO, students who earn credit through CLEP perform as well as or better in subsequent courses and are more likely to complete their degree. Adult students who earn 15 CLEP credits could save thousands of dollars per year, through this program. LEO Director Jeff Donofrio said that the state’s economic competitiveness and resident earning potential is directly linked to education. He said that earning college credits, certificates and degrees during difficult economic times will help create new career pathways.

To help with the program, Modern States is committed to paying for 10,000 CLEP exams for Michigan residents in the next year.

To learn more or register, visit www.Michigan.gov/SkillsToWork.

For more on Modern States, visit www.modernstates.org.

More information on CLEP can be found at www.clep.collegeboard.org.