BISMARCK, ND ( KXNET ) — Advanced Placement (AP) courses are a part of many high school students’ journey to college. These classes often give students a workload similar to one they would expect in college, and sometimes can be substituted for college courses.

These classes can stress students out, whether it’s because of the amount of work that goes into them, or the advanced concepts studied. And then there are the tests.

Usually timed and taken in a quiet classroom, AP tests are the culmination of all the hard work put in by the students throughout the year. Students are given scores on a scale of 1-5, of which three or higher is considered passing.

In North Dakota, students scored three or better on 69% of their AP exams, according to the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler says these results will save students $2.1 million in college tuition costs.

This is because of a continuing state program that has saved students $11.5 million in college tuition expenses since 2015. Baesler initiated this program, called the “Leveraging the Senior Year” initiative, and it was approved by the North Dakota Legislature in 2015.

The Department of Public Instruction subsidizes the cost of up to four AP exams for each student in math, science, English, and computer science, which each typically cost about $100. This year, the state paid for 2,073 tests in which students scored three or higher. Baesler says that if each of these tests is good for four hours of college credit, the program will save students $2.1 million in tuition costs.

Baesler says the North Dakota University System charges an average of $257 per credit hour.

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