Make the Most of Your Education Benefits

Each year, nearly 50,000 military service members from the Army, Navy, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard, as well as eligible spouses and civil service employees, take CLEP exams to reach their education goals. Because the exams are funded by the United States government through the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), you could save hundreds or even thousands of dollars toward your degree.

Exams are administered at over 2,000 colleges across the country and at on-base testing centers worldwide. Credits are awarded for successful scores at 2,900 colleges and universities.

The following groups are funded under contract with DANTES:

Military personnel (active duty, reserve, National Guard): Army, Navy, Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Navy Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, Army, and Air National Guard.

Spouses of: Coast Guard (active and reserve)

Civilian employees of: Air Force*

Review the DANTES Eligibility Chart (.pdf/473 KB) for information about who can benefit from DANTES funding. CLEP exams for civil service employees, inactive guard or reserve personnel, and spouses and dependents not listed on the chart are not funded through DANTES.

*To be eligible, Air Force civilian employees must test at on-base or U.S. fully funded test centers.

For Veterans

New Changes to Veteran Education Benefits

Starting Aug. 1, 2018, changes to the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017, also known as the “Forever G.I. Bill,” officially go into effect. Originally, under the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill, if a veteran were to take a CLEP exam, an entire month of entitlement benefits would be charged. With the Forever G.I. bill, entitlement charges will be prorated so only the actual amount of the exam and administration fee will be billed.

To learn more about the Forever G.I. bill, visit U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Education and Training page.

What You Need to Know

When registering for a CLEP exam, military personnel should keep in mind the details below.

You must clearly specify your military status during the My Account process . When purchasing an exam in My Account, you will be asked if you are eligible for DANTES funding in the “Edit Personal Details,” section of the process. Military test takers must correctly designate themselves as DANTES funded and answer questions about their military status in order to receive DANTES funding.

. When purchasing an exam in My Account, you will be asked if you are eligible for DANTES funding in the “Edit Personal Details,” section of the process. Military test takers must correctly designate themselves as DANTES funded and answer questions about their military status in order to receive DANTES funding. You need to request your transcript through military channels . A military transcript will include all scores for CLEP exams (taken after July 1, 1974). To obtain a CLEP transcript, military personnel must order a military transcript online using the Parchment Transcript Ordering Service.

. A military transcript will include all scores for CLEP exams (taken after July 1, 1974). To obtain a CLEP transcript, military personnel must order a military transcript online using the Parchment Transcript Ordering Service. DANTES-funded candidates who register for a CLEP exam will receive the corresponding CLEP examination guide automatically, at no cost. When you register for a CLEP exam, the examination guide will be added to your cart automatically prior to checkout. DANTES-funded candidates can also order free examination guides separately, even if they have not yet registered for an exam.

When you register for a CLEP exam, the examination guide will be added to your cart automatically prior to checkout. DANTES-funded candidates can also order free examination guides separately, even if they have not yet registered for an exam. Bring your Geneva Convention Identification Card ID on test day. Refer to the DANTES Eligibility Chart (.pdf/473 KB) for additional information on IDs for active duty members, spouses, and civil service civilian employees.

Read the Information for Test Takers (.pdf/2.23 MB) bulletin for more information on CLEP benefits, resources, registration, and exam day information.

Fully Funded Test Centers

The College Board and DANTES have partnered to launch a program that provides more fully funded test center locations to DANTES-funded test takers. At fully funded centers, eligible participants taking a test for the first time will not only have their exam fee funded by DANTES but will also have their administrative fee waived. In addition, all on-base military test centers waive the administrative fee for DANTES-funded test takers.

Find fully funded test centers near you. Visit the test center search page, and check the fully funded test center box. All centers that appear in your search will have a "fully funded" tag in the test center type column.

Military Retest Policy

Eligible military candidates who take a CLEP exam can have the $89 exam fee waived for the first attempt per subject funded by DANTES. If a test taker tests at an on-base or fully funded test center, they do not have to pay the test center administrative fee. Eligible military candidates should contact a test center to find out if they are responsible for paying the test center's administrative fee.

DANTES does not pay the exam fee for a previously funded CLEP exam. If military test takers want to retake an exam previously funded by DANTES, they need to wait three months and pay the $89 exam fee in addition to the administrative fee required by the test center. A test taker’s DANTES-funded eligibility can easily be found on the registration ticket, which will indicate, "No," next to DANTES funded under Test Taker Information on the ticket.