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Removing Barriers to College Credits: Where and for Whom AP Exam Fee Waivers Work. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1345

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Title: Removing Barriers to College Credits: Where and for Whom AP Exam Fee Waivers Work. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1345
Language: English
Authors: Md Twfiqur Rahman, M. Cade Lawson, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Source: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. 2025.
Availability: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 51
Publication Date: 2025
Sponsoring Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF), Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
Contract Number: 1937956
Document Type: Reports - Research
Numerical/Quantitative Data
Descriptors: College Credits, Advanced Placement Programs, Placement Tests, Achievement Tests, Fees, Student Costs, Barriers, Student Financial Aid, Low Income Students, State Legislation, State Policy, Access to Education, Student Participation
Geographic Terms: North Carolina
Abstract: Do policies that broaden educational access also foster success? We study this question in the context of North Carolina's universal Advanced Placement (AP) exam fee waiver policy. Using student-course level administrative data, we exploit within-student variation on a sample of students who took multiple AP courses to estimate the policy's effect on exam participation (access) and pass rates (success). We find that fee waivers significantly increased exam participation but had no overall effect on the pass rate for these enrollees. This, however, masks a robust 3 percentage point increase in the pass rates among low-SES students. We also find imprecise but suggestive evidence of gains among underrepresented minorities (non-Asian and non-White). A complementary analysis, leveraging the full sample of AP courses, shows that fee waivers had the greatest impact in courses where predicted financial barriers to exam participation were highest, and that the policy's benefits far exceed its cost. Finally, our results help reconcile the seemingly disparate findings from prior work on AP exam funding.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED678318
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
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  Data: Removing Barriers to College Credits: Where and for Whom AP Exam Fee Waivers Work. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1345
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Md+Twfiqur+Rahman%22">Md Twfiqur Rahman</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22M%2E+Cade+Lawson%22">M. Cade Lawson</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Annenberg+Institute+for+School+Reform+at+Brown+University%22">Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University</searchLink>
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  Data: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
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  Data: 51
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Credits%22">College Credits</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Advanced+Placement+Programs%22">Advanced Placement Programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Placement+Tests%22">Placement Tests</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Achievement+Tests%22">Achievement Tests</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fees%22">Fees</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Costs%22">Student Costs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Barriers%22">Barriers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Financial+Aid%22">Student Financial Aid</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Low+Income+Students%22">Low Income Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22State+Legislation%22">State Legislation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22State+Policy%22">State Policy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Access+to+Education%22">Access to Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Participation%22">Student Participation</searchLink>
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  Label: Geographic Terms
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22North+Carolina%22">North Carolina</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Do policies that broaden educational access also foster success? We study this question in the context of North Carolina's universal Advanced Placement (AP) exam fee waiver policy. Using student-course level administrative data, we exploit within-student variation on a sample of students who took multiple AP courses to estimate the policy's effect on exam participation (access) and pass rates (success). We find that fee waivers significantly increased exam participation but had no overall effect on the pass rate for these enrollees. This, however, masks a robust 3 percentage point increase in the pass rates among low-SES students. We also find imprecise but suggestive evidence of gains among underrepresented minorities (non-Asian and non-White). A complementary analysis, leveraging the full sample of AP courses, shows that fee waivers had the greatest impact in courses where predicted financial barriers to exam participation were highest, and that the policy's benefits far exceed its cost. Finally, our results help reconcile the seemingly disparate findings from prior work on AP exam funding.
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  Data: As Provided
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: ED678318
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    Languages:
      – Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 51
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: College Credits
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Advanced Placement Programs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Placement Tests
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Achievement Tests
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      – SubjectFull: Fees
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      – SubjectFull: Student Costs
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      – SubjectFull: Barriers
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      – SubjectFull: Student Financial Aid
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      – SubjectFull: Low Income Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: State Legislation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: State Policy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Access to Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Participation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: North Carolina
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Removing Barriers to College Credits: Where and for Whom AP Exam Fee Waivers Work. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1345
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