“Freshman Year for Free” helps make college more accessible and affordable for high school students, college students and adult learners, including active-duty military personnel, their families, and veterans. Modern States, the philanthropy behind “Freshman Year for Free”, created a library of 30+ high-quality, free online courses taught by college professors. These freshman-level courses prepare students to take the corresponding credit-bearing College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams offered by the College Board. A passing score on a CLEP exam is accepted for credits by more than 2,900 U.S. colleges and universities. There are no prerequisites for the self-paced courses available 24/7. Since launching in 2017, Modern States has developed relationships with various organizations, colleges, high schools, school districts and states. Most notable is its partnership with New York City, which evolved into the NYC x FYFF program. Established in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, today over 35 public high schools and more than 1,600 students from under-resourced communities use the program. NYC x FYFF allows students to study college-level subjects and prepare to take and pass CLEP exams while they are still in high school, alleviating the burden of future student debt and making the dream of a college degree possible.
