San Rafael students offered free AP exams, college fees

San Rafael high school students who might not be able to afford hundreds of dollars for advanced placement tests may receive free passes.

Karma Club, a nonprofit that runs a teen community center at Northgate mall in Terra Linda, opened signups on Sept. 30 for students from San Rafael and Terra Linda high schools.

The program, called FuturePrep, is designed to provide equitable college preparation resources for students from moderate- or lower-income families, said Sally Newson, founder and executive director of Karma Club.

“Thanks to a generous grant from an anonymous family education foundation and individual donors, FuturePrep will help level the playing field for low- to mid-income students by covering key college prep expenses and offering professional college guidance that rivals resources typically available only to more affluent communities,” Newson said.

Katy Dunlap, the principal of Terra Linda High School, said students who pass the AP exams with a grade of 3 or above can earn college credits, thus reducing the overall cost of tuition.

“This is an incredible opportunity for all of our students at Terra Linda and San Rafael high schools,” Dunlap said.

“At TL, we have 390 exams that will be taken by students who qualify for reduced funding,” Dunlap said. “We have an additional 710 exams that will be taken by our remaining students.”

“I am constantly amazed and grateful for the generosity of our community, which is what makes San Rafael stand apart from anywhere else,” said Joe Dominguez, principal of San Rafael High School. “Anything we can do to eliminate barriers and increase access to opportunities for our students is always appreciated.”

In addition to covering the costs of multiple AP exams, which can run from $63 to $99 each, FuturePrep will cover college admission fees and the cost of hiring professional college guidance counselors and coaches.

College admission fees can run up to $500 each. A professional college counselor could charge substantial fees as well. All these costs combined could make the difference between whether a student attends college or not, Newson said.

“One student told me she was getting straight As, wanted to go to Oxford and is planning on taking five AP courses, but there was no way her single mom, working night and day to make ends meet, would be able to afford the AP exam fees that could potentially change the trajectory of her life,” Newson said.

“Having the opportunity to take AP testing for free is such a benefit for students who are taking AP testing,” said Kelera Vuli, a senior at Terra Linda High School. “This helps so many students who come from low-income families and have trouble affording paying for AP tests.”

Terra Linda senior Shama Stropes agreed.

“Over the past three years, I have taken numerous AP tests, compiling a lot of money paid towards college board testing,” Stropes said. “To know that this year not only could I potentially go into college with a few less classes to pay for, but that I have this opportunity for free, is something I know myself and my peers are incredibly grateful for.”

Melinda Borello, a math teacher at Terra Linda High School, said she “often sees students who are more than capable of passing the AP exam opting to not take the test for financial reasons.”

“Having all tests paid for will greatly increase student accessibility to taking the AP exam and to earning college credit that they worked hard throughout the year for,” Borello said.

A flood of students has come in to sign up for the program, Newson said.

“On Tuesday, Oct. 1, the second day of launching the program, there was a line of 14 teens waiting for us to open our doors to receive their AP exam fee payments from us,” Newson said. “In all last week, we paid AP exam fees for 34 students for a total amount of $12,000, which does not include students who receive discounted fees, which we will pay separately at a later date.”

Fifty to 70 teens a day come to Karma Club, Newson said. The program got some backup support from 10 student-learning interns from Dominican University of California in San Rafael, she said.

The FuturePrep program signups will be available through Nov. 15.