After all the recent changes, what's the possibility of doing undergrad from India?

[learning_spree]

Hello all, 

             I recently found about the Big 3 while searching for online undergraduate degrees. I joined and dropped out of Bachelor of Technology Mechanical Engineering in India between 2011-2013. Then I worked in various organizations as an IT consultant, they are small companies so they cared about my skills rather than education. 

            But having no degree became a hurdle for me to progress. I want to complete a Computer Science degree online because I can't attend full-time college at this point in time. While the programs from the University of Florida, Oregon State University look good, but they are very expensive for me. The concept of TESU is what I needed right now,
1. But am I allowed to pursue this degree from India? Is there someone attending these colleges from India?
2. I am totally confused about the new policy of credit transfer, was it easier to transfer credits before this change?  Can we complete most of the degree from Saylor.org, Sophia.org, Straighline, etc.,?
3. Do community colleges provide credits for outside students like me?

Your help regarding these is much appreciated, thanking you in advance.

[rachel83az]

TESU does not care where you are in the world. The biggest hurdles are getting your Indian school credentials evaluated by an American evaluator (WES, ACEI, ECE, etc.) and taking the TOEFL or IELTS if your schooling was not in English. https://www.tesu.edu/admissions/apply-in...al-student

However, you do need to be aware that the Indian system does not look favorably upon distance-learning degrees. If you get a grad degree from TESU, you may not be able to get an undergrad from an Indian university unless you get a second undergrad from an Indian university. They just don't like online-only degrees. You could still continue on to an American Master's degree easily enough, though. If that sounds okay to you, that's great! Continue on.

For question 2: No, not really easier. You could transfer in more credits from Sophia, etc., but you still had to complete essentially the same courses as now. Yes, you can still complete most of the degree using inexpensive alternate credits such as those named. With the right planning, a TESU comp sci degree will cost around $7500USD.

Question 3: Some will. Some won't. Fortunately, TEL Learning and ONU (Olivet Nazarene University) offer some of the cheapest of these kinds of credits and they have no issues with international students. I would suggest completing one class through TEL ($200USD) and using that university transcript to gain entrance to ONU for $150USD per course.

[SteveFoerster]

1. You wouldn't be able to do the Pierpont BOG program or anything at WGU, but I'm not aware of restrictions on internationally-based students at TESU, Charter Oak, or Excelsior.

2. Most, but not all. Some you will have to transfer from regionally accredited sources of credit, which include UExcel and TECEP exams, which I believe one can sit remotely.

3. Yes, but as an out-of-state student they're often more costly than UExcel or TECEP exams. (There are a few exceptions, but one can usually put together a perfectly viable plan without them.)

One question is whether you might be able to get credit for the study you did during your BTech program. Be sure to ask admissions people at each of those three schools what their process might be for determining that.

[ss20ts]

UMPI would be an option to consider. UMPI's not an online school. The diploma doesn't say the degree was completed online. Neither do the transcripts. You also don't need community college courses for UMPI. You can take 90 credits on Sophia, Study.com, and InstantCert and transfer into UMPI then complete 30 credits at UMPI which is a requirement.

UMPI has a campus in upstate Maine on the Canadian border. It's one of the universities that makes up the University of Maine system. It is a state university.

https://online.umpi.edu/

They do not have a tech degree at this time, but there is a BLS (Bachelor's of Liberal Studies) with an option to minor in Management Information Systems or Project Management.

[Supermind]

Hello all, 

             I recently found about the Big 3 while searching for online undergraduate degrees. I joined and dropped out of Bachelor of Technology Mechanical Engineering in India between 2011-2013. Then I worked in various organizations as an IT consultant, they are small companies so they cared about my skills rather than education. 

            But having no degree became a hurdle for me to progress. I want to complete a Computer Science degree online because I can't attend full-time college at this point in time. While the programs from the University of Florida, Oregon State University look good, but they are very expensive for me. The concept of TESU is what I needed right now,
1. But am I allowed to pursue this degree from India? Is there someone attending these colleges from India?
2. I am totally confused about the new policy of credit transfer, was it easier to transfer credits before this change?  Can we complete most of the degree from Saylor.org, Sophia.org, Straighline, etc.,?
3. Do community colleges provide credits for outside students like me?

Your help regarding these is much appreciated, thanking you in advance.

I am an Indian citizen too, and have earned my Bachelor’s from TESU & Master’s from Walden - completely online. So, yes, you can complete degrees online from anywhere. But hope you know that the AIU (Association of Indian Universities) does not accept foreign degrees earned online. This is likely to change in the coming years, but for now, these degrees will not be fully accepted in India. Private organizations in India will accept your qualifications, but Government organizations will not. Also, if you chose to do a Master’s or Ph.D. in India, most universities will deem your online degree invalid, and might deny you admission. I have no problems with this; I went ahead with getting my degrees mainly for personal fulfillment. In my experience, the online learning process has been very immersive and valuable. I also found the curriculum more challenging than many distance learning curricula in India. I happened to compare my learning with some friends who are completing distance learning courses in India. And my understanding feels as good, or dare I say, superior to theirs.  You should know these practical details, and make your decision after carefully considering all these factors.

[rachel83az]

UMPI would be an option to consider. UMPI's not an online school. The diploma doesn't say the degree was completed online. Neither do the transcripts. You also don't need community college courses for UMPI. You can take 90 credits on Sophia, Study.com, and InstantCert and transfer into UMPI then complete 30 credits at UMPI which is a requirement.

UMPI has a campus in upstate Maine on the Canadian border. It's one of the universities that makes up the University of Maine system. It is a state university.

https://online.umpi.edu/

They do not have a tech degree at this time, but there is a BLS (Bachelor's of Liberal Studies) with an option to minor in Management Information Systems or Project Management.

I am not sure that AIU would accept a UMPI degree with a bunch of alternate credits on it. The degree doesn't have to actually say that it was earned online to be rejected. None of the Big 3 degrees say that they were earned online either.

[ss20ts]

I am not sure that AIU would accept a UMPI degree with a bunch of alternate credits on it. The degree doesn't have to actually say that it was earned online to be rejected. None of the Big 3 degrees say that they were earned online either.

But the Big 3 are online schools whereas UMPI is not an online school was my thinking. UMPI has an actual campus. The Big 3 don't really. They just have an office building.

[Supermind]

UMPI would be an option to consider. UMPI's not an online school. The diploma doesn't say the degree was completed online. Neither do the transcripts. You also don't need community college courses for UMPI. You can take 90 credits on Sophia, Study.com, and InstantCert and transfer into UMPI then complete 30 credits at UMPI which is a requirement.

UMPI has a campus in upstate Maine on the Canadian border. It's one of the universities that makes up the University of Maine system. It is a state university.

https://online.umpi.edu/

They do not have a tech degree at this time, but there is a BLS (Bachelor's of Liberal Studies) with an option to minor in Management Information Systems or Project Management.

I am not sure that AIU would accept a UMPI degree with a bunch of alternate credits on it. The degree doesn't have to actually say that it was earned online to be rejected. None of the Big 3 degrees say that they were earned online either.

I think they find out somehow that it was earned online. Perhaps, by looking at the websites. In my case, they asked me straight: ‘Did you complete it online?’ Walden transcripts also show the date on which each course was completed. So, that gives away the truth too- that this was a self paced degree completed in 6 months. I don’t think alternative credits is really a problem. They looked at my TESU transcript; most courses had no letter grades. I told them it is because I transferred them from other sources. They did not say anything about it. They seemed to be only bothered about the online learning format.

[ss20ts]

I think they find out somehow that it was earned online. Perhaps, by looking at the websites. In my case, they asked me straight: ‘Did you complete it online?’ Walden transcripts also show the date on which each course was completed. So, that gives away the truth too- that this was a self paced degree completed in 6 months. I don’t think alternative credits is really a problem. They looked at my TESU transcript; most courses had no letter grades. I told them it is because I transferred them from other sources. They did not say anything about it. They seemed to be only bothered about the online learning format.

UMPI transcripts only show the semester the courses were completed. They don't have dates listed. One has to complete their ACE credits prior to applying to UMPI so it really is longer than 6 months. Most people don't complete their degree at UMPI in 6 months either.

[Supermind]

I think they find out somehow that it was earned online. Perhaps, by looking at the websites. In my case, they asked me straight: ‘Did you complete it online?’ Walden transcripts also show the date on which each course was completed. So, that gives away the truth too- that this was a self paced degree completed in 6 months. I don’t think alternative credits is really a problem. They looked at my TESU transcript; most courses had no letter grades. I told them it is because I transferred them from other sources. They did not say anything about it. They seemed to be only bothered about the online learning format.

UMPI transcripts only show the semester the courses were completed. They don't have dates listed. One has to complete their ACE credits prior to applying to UMPI so it really is longer than 6 months. Most people don't complete their degree at UMPI in 6 months either.

Even if it were 10-12 months (I completed my TESU degree in 11 months), it still makes no difference. The AIU will settle for nothing short of 3 years for a Bachelor’s or 1.5/2 years for a Master’s. And in any case, an online degree is not accepted- even if you took 4 years to complete it. Some Indian universities are slowly being authorized by the UGC to offer fully online degrees. That is accepted. Foreign online degrees are not yet accepted.