San Rafael Students Offered Free AP Exams and College Fees

San Rafael high school students who may not be able to afford hundreds of dollars for advanced placement tests can receive free passes.

Karma Club, a nonprofit that runs a community center for teens at the Northgate shopping center in Terra Linda, opened registration Sept. 30 for students at San Rafael and Terra Linda high schools.

The program, called FuturePrep, is designed to provide equitable college preparation resources to students from low- and moderate-income families, said Sally Newson, founder and executive director of Karma Club.

“Thanks to a generous donation from an anonymous family education foundation and individual donors, FuturePrep will help level the playing field for low- and moderate-income students by covering important college preparation expenses and offering professional college guidance that rivals with resources normally only available to more people. wealthy communities,” Newson said.

Katy Dunlap, principal of Terra Linda High School, said students who pass AP exams with a score of 3 or higher can earn college credits, thus reducing the overall cost of tuition.

“This is an incredible opportunity for all of our students at Terra Linda and San Rafael high schools,” Dunlap said.

“At TL, we have 390 exams that will be taken by students who qualify for reduced funding,” Dunlap said. “We have an additional 710 exams that will be taken by our remaining students.”

“I am constantly amazed and grateful by the generosity of our community, which is what sets San Rafael apart from anywhere else,” said Joe Dominguez, principal of San Rafael High School. “Anything we can do to eliminate barriers and increase access to opportunities for our students will always be appreciated.”

In addition to covering the costs of various AP exams, which can range from $63 to $99 each, FuturePrep will cover college admissions fees and the cost of hiring professional college counselors and coaches.

College admission fees can be as high as $500 each. A professional college counselor may also charge substantial fees. All of these costs combined can make the difference between a student attending college or not, Newson said.

“One student told me she was getting straight As, wanted to go to Oxford, and is planning to take five AP courses, but there was no way her single mother, working night and day to make ends meet, could afford AP. testing fees that could potentially change the trajectory of your life,” Newson said.

“Having the opportunity to take the AP test for free is a huge benefit for students taking the AP test,” said Kelera Vuli, a senior at Terra Linda High School. “This helps many students who come from low-income families and have difficulty paying for AP tests.”

Terra Linda senior Shama Stropes agreed.

“Over the past three years, I have taken multiple AP tests, racking up a lot of money paid for college board tests,” Stropes said. “Knowing that this year not only could I potentially enter college with a few less classes to pay for, but that I have this opportunity for free, is something I know myself and my peers are extremely grateful for.”

Melinda Borello, a math teacher at Terra Linda High School, said she “often sees students who are more than capable of passing the AP exam choosing not to take the test for financial reasons.”

“Having all tests paid for will greatly increase the accessibility for students to take the AP exam and earn college credits they have worked hard for throughout the year,” Borello said.

A flood of students arrived to sign up for the program, Newson said.

“On Tuesday, October 1, the second day of the program launch, there was a line of 14 teenagers waiting for us to open our doors to receive payment for their AP exam fees from us,” Newson said. “In all of last week, we paid AP exam fees for 34 students totaling $12,000, which does not include students receiving discounted fees, which we will pay separately at a later date.”

Fifty to 70 teenagers come to Karma Club a day, Newson said. The program received support from 10 student interns at Dominican University of California in San Rafael, she said.

Applications for the FuturePrep program will be available until November 15th.