The College Board is in control of some of the most important tests that students take in high school. From the SAT and PSAT to numerous AP exams, College Board controls it all.

Many of these tests and classes are crucial to strengthening a student’s high school transcript and college applications. Having a full load of AP classes is essentially considered a minimum requirement for a competitive application at many selective universities.

While AP classes are important for getting accepted into college, they also provide students with many lifelong skills. “AP is very monopolistic and centered around money, but I think the skills you learn for writing in college in an AP class are more important than the AP class getting you into college,” said AP teacher Erin Klage.

At many schools, including Pleasant Valley, there is no substitute for AP classes. If someone wants to have a chance at getting accepted to an elite college he or she must take AP classes. But these classes do not come without a cost.

At the end of every AP course, the student can take an AP exam. While this exam is optional, it is a cumulative assessment that proves one has mastered the material taught in the AP class. Receiving a passing score of a 3, 4, or 5 is crucial in strengthening the student’s college application and receiving college credit. 

Each one of these exams costs nearly $100, so they can add up quickly. A full course load of AP classes and their respective exams can end up costing close to $600.

While there are certainly some expenses that go along with designing, administering, and scoring such tests, one can’t help but wonder where all the money goes.

Each year around 4 million AP exams are taken. At $100 a piece, that accounts for $400 million of revenue for College Board every year. Yet the College Board’s annual revenue is much higher than this. In 2022 College Board took in $1.1 billion in revenue.

Even though the College Board is listed as a non-profit organization, they certainly don’t use $1.1 billion dollars a year on their various classes and tests. In 2019 the CEO of College Board was paid $1.67 million dollars. 

Many students are confused how a company that makes so much profit can be registered as non-profit. “I think it is strange that a company like College Board can be considered a non-profit yet the CEO can profit off it in huge ways,” said AP student Jack Cabay.

While College Board does certainly provide quality education through their AP classes and exams it can be hard to understand how the chief executive officer of a “nonprofit” organization can make $1.67 million a year.

College Board is essentially a monopoly and profits off students trying to gain admittance to elite universities. While College Board is legally a “non-profit” organization, the term can be misleading.