/EINPresswire.com/ -- CHATTANOOGA, TN--(Marketwired - Nov 30, 2017) - Modern States Education Alliance, a philanthropy dedicated to making a college degree more affordable and accessible, today announced a partnership with the National Rural Education Association (NREA), an advocate for rural schools and communities. Working together, the organizations will help high school students in rural areas of the U.S. earn free college credit before graduation.

Modern States recently launched "Freshman Year for Free", the first-ever catalog of tuition-free online courses for 40+ core collegiate freshman subjects, enabling learners to earn traditional academic credits at more than 2,900 major colleges and universities. Taught by professors from leading schools, Modern States' free courses prepare students for the well-accepted Advanced Placement (AP) and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams offered by the College Board.

"The relationship with Modern States presents an excellent opportunity for students in rural America who have limited access to educational resources," said Allen Pratt, executive director of the NREA. "We feel access to Modern States' courses will help rural school district leaders and teachers address a need in their communities, as well as help make a college degree more affordable and attainable for today's students."

David Vise, executive director of Modern States, recently spoke at the NREA's National Forum to Advance Rural Education. "This partnership will give rural high school students the chance to learn from top notch professors," Vise said. "All students need is an internet connection. The Freshman Year for Free program will provide them with an 'on-ramp' to traditional colleges."

Earlier this year, Modern States announced it will pay the College Board test fees for the first 10,000 students who complete a Modern States course. The offer enables learners to earn a single college credit or up to a full year's worth of credits for free, reducing the cost of a traditional four-year college degree by 25 percent.

The Modern States courses are taught by faculty members from some of the nation's best universities, including Columbia, Purdue, Rutgers, MIT, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, Baruch College, University of Texas, and Cal Berkeley. For example, Paul Schiff Berman, a former dean of the George Washington University Law School, teaches the "Introduction to Business Law" course for Modern States.

Modern States aspires to help over one million learners earn credit at no tuition cost, saving students and taxpayers approximately $1,000 per course and over $1 billion in total, while also creating a practical "on-ramp" into the traditional college system for anyone who seeks it. The Modern States charity was conceived, and has been funded to date, by Steve Klinsky, a New York-based education reformer and businessman.

About Modern States
The Modern States Education Alliance is a NYC-based philanthropy dedicated to making a college degree more affordable and attainable for everyone. Its first initiative is "Freshman Year for Free": more than 40 online college courses available tuition-free for credit, from top university professors available to anyone with an Internet connection. Students can use these courses to earn college credits by preparing for and taking AP and CLEP exams, as offered by the College Board. Learn more at ModernStates.org.

About the National Rural Education Association
The NREA (National Rural Education Association) was originally founded as the Department of Rural Education in 1907. It is the oldest established national organization of its kind in the United States. Through the years it has evolved as a strong and respected organization of rural school administrators, teachers, board members, regional service agency personnel, researchers, business and industry representatives, and others interested in maintaining the vitality of rural school systems across the country. NREA is the voice or rural communities and schools across the United States.