New Purdue program could make ‘first year free,’ guarantee admission for Hoosier students – IndyStar
Hoosiers will have a chance to earn up to a full year’s worth of college credits for free starting this fall, thanks to a new initiative from Purdue University aimed at raising the state’s educational attainment rate and broadening the pipeline from Indiana high schools to the university.
Purdue is partnering with Modern States Education Alliance, which already offers more than 30 college courses — in subjects like calculus, chemistry and psychology — online tuition-free, to launch the Purdue Fast Start program.
The Modern States courses are aligned with exams offered by the College Board – called the College Level Examination Program, or CLEP — and accepted for credit at nearly 3,000 colleges and universities nationwide.
By allowing students to earn up to a year’s worth of credits, tuition-free, while still in high school, Purdue is hoping to offer an “on-ramp” to students who may not have considered college a viable option.