INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — How do free college credits sound to you?

On Tuesday, Purdue University announced its Fast Start program, aimed at getting more students to go to college. It’s completely free and university officials say it could save you and your family thousands of dollars.

For 17-year-old Colten Lewis and his family, money matters.

“We don’t make top dollar. So I think this opportunity in itself is helping my family immensely,” said Lewis, a junior at Purdue Polytechnic High School in Indianapolis.

Lewis was there Tuesday as Purdue University President Mitch Daniels unveiled the Fast Start Program. It’s open to all Indiana residents, and it’s expected to really help rural and inner-city students.

“To complete many credits, perhaps a whole year completely free,” the former governor and current Purdue president said.

It’s a partnership with the ModernStates, a nonprofit dedicated to making college free and accessible to everyone. Students who finish 10 free online courses and pass the College Level Examination Program test — which ModernStates pays for — will get 30 credits, the equivalent of an entire freshman year for free at Purdue University. Tuition plus room and board costs Indiana residents just over $20,000 a year.

“We hope that this will lead to a significant increase in young people who will otherwise not even make the attempt to know there is a way to Purdue, for them,” Daniels explained.

Pass at least five of those CLEP exams, and you’ll earn guaranteed admission to Purdue — and it’ll save you $11,000.

“Learning that I can get into freshman year for free, I can complete it, it’s a relief on time and money,” Lewis explained. “It’s a major relief for me.”

Indiana’s Commissioner for Higher Education said Tuesday’s announcement is a game-changer.

“The idea that a student can start college with a semester of credit or a year of credit and save the money for that, for housing or books, is a really a game-changer for people. We need to look for ways to drive down the cost of higher education,” said Teresa Lubbers, Indiana’s Commissioner for Higher Education.

“Yes you can do it!” Daniels emphasized. “Yes, you belong!”

Lewis already knows he wants to go to Purdue.

So students who successfully finish a ModernStates online course will get a voucher to pay for the College Board CLEP exams. Those exams usually cost $89 each. They’ll also reimburse you for test center fees.

If you would like more information about the program, call 765-494-1776 or, for hearing impaired, call 800-743-3333. You can also visit Fast Start for more information.