Anne Arundel County Public Schools will continue covering the cost of a wide range of college and career readiness exams and courses for students this school year, funded through the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell announced.
The commitment covers every AACPS high school and includes the in-school PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10, PSAT/NMSQT, and SAT exam fees; Advanced Placement exam fees for up to four AP courses; International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme exam fees; Career and Technical Education industry certification exam costs; and tuition and fees for Anne Arundel Community College dual enrollment courses tied to a school’s Signature Program, plus one AACPS-approved AACC course per semester for any student. Students who meet the state’s College and Career Readiness (CCR) definition get broader access still — up to four AACC dual enrollment courses instead of one per semester, and AP exam fees for every AP course they’re enrolled in rather than a four-course cap. Students who qualify for Free and Reduced-Price Meals also get AP fees covered for all their AP courses regardless of CCR status.
“Our Strategic Plan is clear about our responsibility to prepare students not simply to graduate, but to be ready for what comes next,” Bedell said, framing the funding as a way to remove “financial barriers that can stand between students and opportunity.” Since the Blueprint’s passage, AACPS students have posted more than 37,000 qualifying scores on AP and IB exams and earned credit for roughly 11,000 dual enrollment courses — savings Bedell called worth millions of dollars to students and families.
The renewed commitment comes as other Maryland districts are moving the opposite direction. Montgomery County Public Schools announced this summer it will stop covering AP and IB exam fees for students who haven’t met the state’s CCR benchmark, citing reduced state Blueprint funding for college and career readiness — a cut MCPS said forced roughly $4.8 million in AP and IB exam costs back onto some families starting this school year. AACPS has not announced a comparable rollback; its continued coverage extends a funding commitment the district first made in 2022, when it began paying AP, IB, and CTE assessment costs alongside a separate move to cover Anne Arundel Community College tuition and fees for eligible dual enrollment students.
Families with questions about eligibility or specific programs are directed to contact their student’s school directly.
