WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) today announced that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded the Maryland State Department of Education a grant of $596,621 to pay Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) test fees for low-income high school students. The Department of Education’s Advanced Placement Test Fee Program program is designed to increase the number of low-income students who take advanced placement tests and receive college credits for their scores.

“All students, regardless of income level, should have the opportunity to succeed and receive college credit for high-level course work,” said Senator Cardin. “This grant is important because it will provide thousands of Maryland students with the chance to earn college credits for their hard work in high school.”

 

“Education is the opportunity ladder of this nation and higher education is a critical rung in that ladder,” Senator Mikulski said. “Every child, regardless of race or family income, deserves a chance to go to college. College is an American dream. And I’m proud to help make it a reality for students in Maryland who work hard to achieve their dreams.”

 

The Advanced Test Fee program awards grants to state educational agencies to pay all or a portion of the fees for Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) tests taken by low-income students.   Each Advanced Placement test costs $87 to take, while each IB tests costs $96. The Maryland State Department of Education will use the grant to help pay for 9,645 AP tests and 636 IB exams that will be taken by low-income

students this spring.

 

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