The college board is planning to make changes to Advanced Placement (AP) exams that will make things even more expensive and stressful for students, especially low-income students. Tell the College Board to put students over profits. If enough of us speak out on the changes they are making to exams, we can help make sure every student has a fair chance at a future.

I’m a high school counselor in New Richmond, Wisconsin. Every day I see students in their junior and senior years coping with the anxiety of getting into college. The cost of applications and exams, not to mention the prep courses and other expenses regularly paid by privileged students, are widening the gap between what is possible for those in difficult economic situations.

Now the College Board has added an extra stress for all students, in particular low-income students, by requiring them to register for AP exams in November, rather than in March. School is just getting started in November and there is no way anybody knows at this time whether or not they will be prepared for this high-stakes test. This unreasonable deadline is an unnecessary pressure for students and not in their interest.

In addition, on top of the $94 to take each test, the College Board is now adding a $40 late fee and a $40 cancellation fee – making it even more unaffordable for many families struggling to keep up. Plus, they are knowingly setting up more students to fail. When the College Board piloted these changes, low-income students failed the exam in greater numbers.

I’m also deeply disturbed that through this process the College Board mines personal data from students, which they license to interested parties (i.e. colleges) for $.45 per record, a source of nearly $100 million in revenue for the College Board each year.

Let’s face it, the College Board says they’re a nonprofit, but really they are all about money. They made $200 million last year and paid their CEO $1.4 million. They are going to make at least $40 million more every year with this new policy, which is supposed to go into effect next school year. The College Board doesn’t care about students – they only care about their bottom line.

If we don’t make our voices heard, the College Board will make it even harder for low income students to compete in an already stressful college application process.  Our students deserve better than this, and above all, every student who wants one deserves a fair chance at a college education.

Tell the College Board:

Not to move the AP exam registration deadline to November. It should stay in March.
Not to add new $40 late fees and $40 cancellation fees.  
Not to force students to provide their personal data to the College Board, regardless if they are taking the AP exam or not.

We urge the College Board to respond to this petition in writing on their website by May 15, 2019.

If the College Board refuses to make all three changes outlined in this petition, then the undersigned will call on all appropriate local, state and federal agencies to withhold any and all future funding for the College Board.