AP tests are advertised as a method to save money by earning credit without taking classes, but at UT, that’s not completely true. Students have to pay a fee of $10 for every hour they claim by exam. Ten dollars per credit hour may not sound like a lot at first, but having to pay for multiple hours can add up. Not all students can afford this fee, especially if they have many credits to claim.

UT should offer fee waivers for low-income students who are claiming AP credit in order to reduce financial barriers.

For instance, computer science sophomore Ryan Huynh ultimately chose not to claim his AP credits, and the $10 fee was one of the factors he considered when making his decision. 

“It’s very possible that if you asked me eight months ago, ‘Are you going to claim these AP credits?’ I (would’ve) just said yes if there wasn’t a fee,” Huynh said. “ It wasn’t just the fee (that made me not) take the credit, … but it still would have been nice if back then I didn’t have that (financial) barrier right in front of me.”

This fee should not be one of the reasons students choose not to claim their AP credit. If a student is in the process of claiming their credit, there shouldn’t be any negative financial implications. It’s disappointing that the University hasn’t done more to help reduce this financial burden on low-income students. 

While it is better to pay a fee over the entire course, the fee does add up for students who take multiple AP exams. One of the founders of Students for Financial Relief, Leland Murphy, took advantage of claiming multiple AP credits and ultimately ended up paying a hefty sum.

“I remember when I was a freshman hearing about the fee; I was kind of surprised. I do come from a working class family, and (the fee) just adds up. … I obviously wanted to claim as much of my AP credit as possible, so I probably ended up spending around that $100 mark,” government senior Murphy said. “Ten dollars is not an exorbitant amount, but it really adds up. … At the end of the day, it’s still a cost barrier. (It’s) a good amount of money. I mean, to me, that’s like a couple of meals.”

Students don’t have to claim their credit immediately in their freshman year, giving them more time to save up money for the fee. However, the earlier a student can claim their credit the better, as it can provide them a higher classification, thus giving them an earlier registration time. Furthermore, a student can have a clearer idea of where they are on their degree plan if they already have those credit hours. 

Despite multiple requests, University administration was not available for comment prior to the publication of this article.

Ultimately, the University should provide fee waivers to low-income students so students can see the benefits of their AP credits earlier and not have to worry about paying a fee. Students ultimately take AP classes to save money, and the University should honor that.

Ponce is a journalism sophomore from Laredo, Texas.