MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 02/05/13 -- Education Portal, a Silicon Valley start-up that develops free online curricula that lead to real credit, today announced that it has expanded its offerings to include courses that help students prepare for the General Education Development (GED) test.

Over one million students have partially completed the GED, and they now have less than 12 months to fully complete the program. According to a recent announcement from the GED Testing Service®, a new version of the exam will be introduced in 2014. Current students need to fully complete the GED by December 31, 2013 or lose all credit earned. In response, Education Portal is introducing its high-quality GED curriculum to help these students complete the exam before the new version is implemented.

"Access to top-quality GED preparation materials could mean the difference between success and failure," said Ben Wilson, president and co-founder, Education Portal. "Our free courses are eliminating barriers to education and making it easier for students to pass all five sections of the current version of the GED before the upcoming deadline."

Now is the time for non-traditional students to make the GED exam a priority. According to the December 2012 Millennial Jobs Report, the nation's youth unemployment rate for 18-29 year olds is at 11.5 percent, while another 1.7 million young adults are not considered labor force participants, meaning they have given up looking for work due to the lack of jobs. Statistics show that:

• Those with a GED degree on average earn $3,100 per month -- about $700 more -- than those with only some high school education
• Approximately 43 percent of GED recipients go on to complete at least some postsecondary education
• 95 percent of U.S. employers accept GED recipients, often on the same terms as those with high school diplomas
• 90 percent of colleges and universities recognize the GED

Education Portal's unique model of teaching adapts traditional education for today's web user. The site's free GED courses feature engaging video micro-lessons that can be accessed anytime, anywhere, even on a mobile phone or tablet. All of Education Portal's free online micro-lessons are designed and taught by subject matter experts and experienced instructors.

About Education Portal
Education Portal makes higher education accessible through free online courses that help students earn widely-accepted college credit. Taught by experienced instructors and subject matter experts, Education Portal's 31 courses consist of over 1,200 fun and engaging video lessons designed specifically for the online learner. Education Portal is owned by Remilon, LLC and based in Mountain View, California.