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Ohio Receives nearly $350,000 to Defray AP Exam Costs

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Ohio is among 40 states receiving a cut of more than $28 million in federal money to help low income students pay for advanced placement exams.

Students who take AP courses in high school earn college credit if they score well on the exam.  And that can reduce the time and expense of completing a college degree. 

Ohio will get just under $350,000 this year to help defray the cost of the exams for low income families

In a conference call from Washington, U.S. Assistant Education Secretary Debra Delisle said the grants would likely defray all but about 18 dollars of the cost of each test, which can run upwards of $100.  And Delisle said the department would work with states and localities to find ways to reduce that cost to families even further. 

“We know and recognize that that $18 is still a problem, and it is a significant challenge for some people deciding whether or not to pay for a test, or to have lunch or dinner the next day,” Delisle said.  “It’s really a critical one, and one that we don’t want our students face.”

Over a ten year stretch the number of kids each year from low income families taking an AP exam rose nearly six-fold, from nearly 550 in 2003 to almost three thousand in 2013. 

The exams are administered each year in May.  Those earning a three or higher out of five points can earn credit at any of Ohio’s public colleges or universities.