Organization

The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the world's leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators and schools.The 1960s brought a heightened interest in educational opportunities for people who had not attended college or finished their formal schooling. In response, the Carnegie Corporation, in partnership with the Educational Testing Service (ETS), established a committee charged with the responsibility of implementing a standardized national credit-by-examination testing program. In 1965 the College Board assumed responsibility and oversight for what would become known as College-Level Examination Program (CLEP^®), and soon thereafter sought and received the endorsement of the American Council on Education (ACE). 1967 marked the establishment of 50 test centers throughout the United States and the first national administration of CLEP exams.CLEP has also served active duty service members through a Department of Defense contract since 1974. Recently, Montgomery GI Bill funding was extended to cover the cost of CLEP exams for military veterans, which allow veterans to focus on needed degree coursework as they transition from military to civilian life.CLEP allows students to demonstrate that they have acquired college-level mastery of course content. The 34 CLEP examinations include subjects that are generally taught in the first two years of an undergraduate degree program. Topical areas include: Composition & Literature, Science, Mathematics, Foreign Languages, History, Social Sciences, and Business.Students who successfully complete a CLEP^® exam can enrich their degree programs with higher-level courses in the same discipline, expand their horizons by taking a wider array of electives, and avoid the need to repeat material that they already know. Research indicates that individuals earning credit through CLEP^® are more likely than their peers to perform well in subsequent coursework and to persist in their degree progress.CLEP credit is accepted by 2,900 colleges and universities and examinations are administered via computer at more than 2,000 test centers throughout the United States and overseas. A complete list of CLEP test centers is available on the Web at www.collegeboard.com/clep. Examinations are also administered at military test centers through an agreement with the Department of Defense.