By Paul Menke
Controversy has surrounded itself around CollegeBoard yet again after the organization recently imposed a $40 fee for any late submitted Advanced Placement exams. There is already a charge of $94 per A.P. exam for students inside the United States, and fee waivers do not even cover half of the cost of the exam. This can be especially detrimental to poorer students that schedule to take multiple A.P. exams. Does it really pay to be smart?
The costs do not end here, however. CollegeBoard has now adopted other miscellaneous paths for increased revenue. Now, if a student does not submit full payment for the A.P. exam(s) by the November 15 deadline, the payer is slapped with an additional $40 late fee. There are not even circumstantial exceptions to the fee, even if the student or their family is unable to receive the necessary funds due to their financial situation.
Controversy has surrounded itself around CollegeBoard yet again after the organization recently imposed a $40 fee for any late submitted Advanced Placement exams. There is already a charge of $94 per A.P. exam for students inside the United States, and fee waivers do not even cover half of the cost of the exam. This can be especially detrimental to poorer students that schedule to take multiple A.P. exams. Does it really pay to be smart?
The costs do not end here, however. CollegeBoard has now adopted other miscellaneous paths for increased revenue. Now, if a student does not submit full payment for the A.P. exam(s) by the November 15 deadline, the payer is slapped with an additional $40 late fee. There are not even circumstantial exceptions to the fee, even if the student or their family is unable to receive the necessary funds due to their financial situation.
Almost every student who applies to college has experiences with the CollegeBoard, whether they know it or not. CollegeBoard is the organization behind almost all of the vital aspects of the college application process. From distributing, issuing, and grading the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), sending and releasing scores from the SAT, and administering Advanced Placement Exams, students must go through the CollegeBoard.
The new changes do not end there. If any exams are cancelled or simply not taken, the student will now be charged with a $40 fee, however, the original exam fee is nullified. Essentially, the student or their family has to pay $40 for an exam they did not even take.
CollegeBoard classifies itself as a “mission-driven, not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity,” but all of these services come at a considerable price to the students despite the fact that CollegeBoard receives money from governments at all levels.
In 2017, reported a revenue of roughly $1.068 billion, expenditures of about $928 million and a profit of almost $140 million. This high profit makes many wonder where the money is going, especially when it could be used for scholarships and financial aid for students that desperately need it.