What Courses Are Available on Modern States?

Updated

Modern States offers more than 30 free online courses, each built around a CLEP exam subject. The courses are taught by professors from world-class universities and cover the content of freshman-level college classes. If you complete a course, you can then take the corresponding CLEP exam through the College Level Examination Program, which is recognized for credit by nearly 3,000 colleges and universities.

How the Course Catalog Is Organized

Every course maps to a CLEP exam. That structure matters because the course is not an end in itself — it is preparation for an exam that can convert into college credit. When choosing, start from the exam your target school accepts, then work backward to the matching Modern States course.

The site lists six courses as its most popular:

  • CLEP College Composition
  • CLEP College Algebra
  • CLEP Spanish Language
  • CLEP American Government
  • CLEP Biology
  • CLEP History of the United States I

These six are a starting point, not the full list. A "View All Courses" link leads to the complete catalog of over 30 offerings.

How to Choose a Course

  1. Check credit acceptance first. Use the CLEP Acceptance Tool on the site to confirm that a college or university you care about recognizes the exam you are considering.
  2. Match the subject to your goal. If you need a general education requirement, courses like College Composition or College Algebra often fit. If you are testing out of a language or history requirement, Spanish Language or History of the United States I may be more direct.
  3. Confirm the course exists for that exam. Browse the full catalog rather than assuming the six popular titles are the only options.
  4. Sign up and start. Creating an account is the entry point; the site distinguishes individual learners from those in a group learning experience.

What to Expect From a Course

The courses are free and flexible, and the site describes them as covering the content taught in freshman-level college classes. Completion is the trigger for the next step: taking the CLEP exam. Note that the site is in the process of moving to a new learning management system, and login screens differ depending on whether your course progress sits in D2L or Open edX — so use the login image that matches your normal screen to stay in the same system as your progress.

Common Questions

Are all courses free? The site states that learners can take college-level courses and earn college credit for free, and that the CLEP exams can be taken for free as well.

How many courses are there? Over 30.

Can I see the full list? Yes — the "View All Courses" link opens the complete catalog beyond the six popular titles.

Who teaches them? Professors from world-class universities, per the site.

If you already know which exam your school accepts, the fastest path is to open the full catalog, find that subject, and sign up. If you are still deciding, start with the CLEP Acceptance Tool so your course choice leads to credit you can actually use.