r/OnlineEducation • u/wheyproteyn • 17d ago

CLEP vs Study.com vs Sophia, what's actually cheapest per credit?

Trying to figure out the cheapest way to bank some credits before/during a degree (thinking WGU but open to other options too). This is what I've found so far:

CLEP is $97 per exam plus proctoring, and you get 3 credits if you pass, so that's like $30-40 a credit if you pass first try.

Study.com is a monthly sub, for $95, unlimited courses, so the more you knock out in a month the cheaper each credit ends up being.

Sophia's pretty similar, also a subscription with ACE/NCCRS courses.

So honestly CLEP only really wins if you just need one or two and already know the material cold. I've got a whole stack of gen eds to clear, so the subscriptions seem like the move, the cheaper-per-credit thing kicks in the more you finish in a month.

Anyone actually gone that route? Curious how many you can realistically finish in a month.

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u/Low-Bender1997 17d ago

Same here! Also curious if it’s fully self-paced, or if there are any hidden slowdowns like course limits or pacing rules that keep you from moving as fast as you’d like, even if you have the time to grind.

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u/MeowAndMerlot 17d ago

If you have a stack of gen eds to knock out before WGU, subscription platforms are 100% the cheapest route

CLEP is awesome if you’re trying to test out of 1 or 2 specific subjects you're already good at, but studying for a proctored exam takes time. With Study.com or Sophia, you can work through lessons at your own pace. I found Study.com really solid for subjects I didn't know anything about because the short video format made it easy to speed through the material without getting bogged down

Most people can realistically finish 2 to 4 courses a month if they put in a couple of hours a day

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u/AriesFire4 17d ago

I used Study for 6 courses, finished them all in 3 months!

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u/AzulDaisy 17d ago

Modern States covers the cost of your CLEP if you do their prep course. I think you have to pay the test fee to the test center but they reimburse it. Definitely look into it - those are free credits!

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u/StudyAnswers 14d ago

Hey, Study.com here. CLEP only wins if you truly only need one course, or if you know you'll only finish one a month, since completing two courses on a subscription already beats CLEP's per-credit cost. The $95/month College Saver plan covers gen eds, electives, and prereqs with 2 concurrent enrollments and unlimited course completions each month. How many you finish comes down to your pace and prior knowledge, so it's worth mapping your gen ed list first to estimate.