Beginners Guide To Getting Cheap/Fast College Credit

[bjcheung77]

NOTES: Creating a Thread for New Degree Seekers (and a reminder for myself).

You can complete the following for FREE and it will give you the corresponding credits listed beside it.
Kaplan PLA LRC100 - 3
The Institutes: Ethics 312 - 2
NFA Q118, Q137, Q318 - 3
TEEX Cybersecurity 101, 201, 301 - 6
FEMA PDS Cert, 7 Courses - 7 (only for COSC and a small number of schools)
Other FEMA credits all are free - Again only usable at COSC and a limited number of schools

ALEKS - Beginning Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, College Algebra, Precalculus, Trigonometry, Intro to Statistics,
Business Statistics, Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (each is 3 credits) for $20/month membership
- If you can finish the math classes faster, it'll be cheaper for you; these are NON proctored (use online calculators)

Saylor Academy - All courses are FREE (22 of them), but you pay a $25/proctored final for credits.
I tell people to think of it as a cheaper version of a CLEP/DSST/UEXCEL/TECEP etc exam, for the type of credit.
I would choose these and study with additional resources over the proctored exams, you can test at home too!
Unless of course, there is no equivalent exam for credit, i'll go for the CLEP/DSST/UEXCEL/TECEP

Straighterline - $99/month membership, $49-$74 per 3 credit course
They have many courses, if you can finish more than 5 a month, it's cheaper than taking exams.
Many people use this as you are graded on open book course work, the proctored final is 25% of grade.
Finish courses quickly and you save a bundle, if you have a mediocre final, it won't affect the grade as much.

Study.com - $990+/year for 72 credits (2 courses a month). This is a great option if you have the time.
You can take many of the required courses here and transfer them to the Big 3 or other universities.
These are courses with study material, but the credit comes from the final exam only, nothing else.
I would recommend them for several upper level courses in their transfer to TESU/COSC, etc.

CLEP/DSST/UEXCEL are done at test centers, CLEP/DSST are about $100 + sitting fee of $20
UEXCEL are done at PearsonVue centers, are more expensive, generally $145+sitting fee
TECEPS are done online, so it's great when you can do it at home for $114.
CSU-Global are online exams as well, great for Upper Level at $250/exam

Jumpcourse.com is very similar to Study.com, but it's $149/3 credit course
ed4online/Prospero/Sophia - $299/3 credit course, I would recommend them for hard to find Upper Level

Penn Foster - Although they are NA (Nationally Accredited), they have many courses that are ACE Recommended.
Each course is $237/3 credits and transferable to the Big 3. You should get pre-approval from the Big 3 first.
They are using "snail mail" correspondence style, good value - upper level credit for mainly Business Courses.

More to come...

[varJosh]

Just what I was looking for. Thanks.

[bjcheung77]

People are worried about starting and getting accepted at the Big 3. Don't, sit back and relax.
If you don't know where to begin, get a spreadsheet going and enter in the required courses.
Find all required courses from what's available and plug in that info. Work on those courses.

Your first step should be to find the degree and requirements for that degree and create a spreadsheet.
Second step is to work on most of those requirements, I would get almost halfway, such as getting all your Gen Ed + Free Elective done.
Third, apply to ACE Credit Registry and have your courses sent to them if they are ACE recommended.
Four, apply to Big 3 and send them your transcripts from ACE and whatever else you have.
Five, speak with an adviser on completing your AOS (Area of Study) courses and match it with your spreadsheet.

Basically, you might want to plan and map out your degree, fill all those credits up, and apply at the latest point.
The reason is you will have all your stuff together for them to process and graduate before they charge you another annual enrollment fee. This is explained on the wiki actually. Please take a bit of time and read the DegreeForum wikia page, it helped me and others as well.

If you're still confused, the Big 3 allows you to transfer pretty much everything but their capstone and cornerstone courses.
This means, you don't need to apply right away. You can spend 6-10 months, get 90+ credits or more and then apply to them.
Note: You don't have to send them anything until you are ready, example, transcripts.
Don't rush yourself and work your courses according to your own plan and pace.

Which courses to take first, when to create an ACE Credit Registry account? Checklist Q&A:
I usually tell people to begin with the FREE courses first as it will give you an idea of online learning.
If you complete the free gen ed elective/free elective courses, there's no cost for 14 credits to start you off!
My suggestion is do them in this order: Kaplan PLA LCR 100, NFA courses, Institute Ethics 312, TEEX courses.

Start your ALEKS College Algebra, it's $20/month, if you can finish quickly do the Intro to Stats.
These two are the most recommended courses, if you want more, you can go for Intermediate Algebra and PreCalc.
For me, I am taking all 8 for a max of 12-18 credits total, it depends on the school accepting the credits.
Guess what? You're at 26+ credits, it cost you just $20-$40, and you are pumped up to do more cheap courses!
When you are done all of these, continue updating your spreadsheet and you can then start your Saylor or Straighterline courses.

What's the easiest method to go through the FREE credits quickly? It's not proctored!
It's an open book exam. So, open multiple browsers/tabs (or a second monitor) and go through them.
Especially when you have the NFA, TEEX courses, you can have the answers at your fingertips.
Have the questions on one screen/window and have the course materials open on another tab/window.

For ALEKS, I go through topics and it's the online calculators that I use to "confirm" my answer is correct.
In order to check steps to get to your answer (explain hyperlink), I also have the Master Account open to view previous assessment. I do an assessment, go through topics until I reach a few % higher (or to 70%), and do another assessment.
You need to do this a few times until you reach the 70% or higher on the last assessment; once there, request your ACE credit.

More to come...

[bjcheung77]

Next Up: Saylor, Straighterline, Penn Foster and useful Hyperlinks...

Saylor ACE/NCCRS: Saylor exams are just that, you get credit for the proctored final exam passed.
You can think of it as a different CLEP/DSST, even a TECEP or another online ProctorU exam.
This is what I recommend: Review the table of contents from Saylor course and skim through lengthy material.
Grab a textbook from the library and review the same details as well as an extra resource.

Enter your own Coles Notes version of the details you're studying for review and helping you remember info.
One thing I do is, create a second Saylor account for practice final exam, to see how I do.
This is because, if you fail the practice exam, you have to wait 14 days for the proctored final, it hinders your speed.
And the second reason is, it will tell you what you need work on, you're familiar with possible questions for final.

Note: The practice final questions are not going to be identical to the proctored final.
Having a second account isn't cheating and it's giving you an extra practice set to "gauge" where you're at.
Hope this helps, more practice testing is where it's all at to pass any proctored exam.
Example: TECEP for Network Technology actually uses the Saylor Course as a free resource.
I'll use the Saylor course for review, but will use a Network+ study guide for good measure.

Straighterline: Another option is taking courses at Straighterline for $49-$74 if it's more suited for you.
It's a quick set of work, midterm, and then the proctored final exam, generally 75-80% work/20-25% exam.
People like this as they can "pass" the course with high grades for coursework, and mediocre final.
If you're taking Straighterline courses, take as much as you can in a monthly membership.
Basically work hard on "coursework/exams" and on the final, having peace of mind knowing you passed.

Penn Foster: These courses are geared towards the individuals wanting upper credit courses for TESU BSBA.
There are webinars, homework, exams and finals. Individuals have been able to complete these within 3-4 weeks.
I thank the people who have updated the degreeforum.wikia.com webpage with details. See hyperlink.
I'm taking 3 courses with them just for the "Area Of Study" in Business from this link.
Unofficial List of Course Equivalencies for Penn Foster & Thomas Edison State College - Degree Forum Wiki - Wikia

Kaplan PLA LRC100 - https://opencollege.kaplan.com/opencollege/LRC100/
Institutes Ethics 312 - Preserve the trust on which insurance transactions are based with an understanding of ethics
NFA Q118, Q137, Q318 - USFA NFA Courses, Schedules and Instructors Course Search Results
NFA Course Login: https://nfa.plateau.com/learning/user/login.jsp
TEEX Cybersecurity 101, 201, 301 - https://teex.org/Pages/Program.aspx?catID=607
TEEX Course Login: https://my.teex.org/TeexPortal/Default.a...=mExtLogin

Alternative Credit Project: The Alternative Credit Project
Ace Credit Registry: https://www2.acenet.edu/credit/?fuseacti...ripts.main
Saylor Academy (College Credit Overview): Earn College Credit | Saylor Academy
TESU ACP List: Alternative Credit Project
COSC ACP List: https://www.charteroak.edu/alternative-credit-project/
COSC Master Exam List: https://www.charteroak.edu/exams/exams-master-list.pdf

Straighterline TESU Equivalency: Thomas Edison State University Course Equivalency Guide | StraighterLine
Straighterline COSC Equivalency: Charter Oak State College Course Equivalency Guide | StraighterLine
Straighterline Excelsior Equivalency: Excelsior College Course Equivalency Guide | StraighterLine
Study.com $990+/yr (72 credit, 2 courses/month): https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/study.com/?c=1
Study.com TESU Transfer: Thomas Edison State College
Study.com COSC Transfer: Charter Oak State College

CLEP/DSST/ALEKS Tips FreeClepPrep: Free Clep Prep.com
DegreeForum.net Wiki - Degree Forum Wiki - Wikia
Sources of Credit: Sources of Credit - Degree Forum Wiki - Wikia
Again, the degreeforum.wikia.com webpage has numerous pages and degree templates.
You can read through the templates and see how others have completed their degree.

More to come...

[KayV]

For TESU, you may take the ALEKS classes in any order. The lowest-level ALEKS course that TESU takes is Intermediate Algebra, so if your math skills are rusty, you might as well start with that.

TESU will take Intermediate Algebra, College Algebra, Precalculus OR Trigonometry (not both), and any one of the stats courses. Precalculus and Trigonometry have some overlap, but Trig has many fewer concepts to get through. TESU will not accept Beginning Algebra, but if you might want to begin with it anyway if you need the refresher. Once you move on to Intermediate Algebra, ALEKS seems to recognize that you have already mastered some of the previous-level concepts.

Excelsior accepts ALEKS too, but in different ways. First of all, they want math classes to be done in sequential order, so you should take Beginning Algebra before Intermediate and so on.

If you are math-phobic and completing a liberal arts (=not business or technology) degree, you just need 2 or more math credits and can fulfill that with ALEKS Beginning Algebra.

Excelsior accepts a total of 9 hours under the level of MAT-150 Calculus. I have seen older posts stating that people got non-duplicating credit for Beginning Algebra, College Algebra, and Trigonometry/ Precalculus, but confirm with your advisor that those would still work. Since Statistics counts as MAT-210, you could add that as well if you are trying to get lots of credits from your ALEKS subscription.

If you are pursuing a business degree, you need "Precalculus or above" AND Statistics (except the BPS, which requires College Algebra OR Statistics and a math elective).

Excelsior technology degrees generally require 12 or more hours of math above the level of College Algebra, which usually includes Calculus, Differential Equations, etc. You could use ALEKS credits for Arts and Sciences electives though.

Charter Oak accepts up to 18 hours of ALEKS math courses, the most of the Big Three:

Beginning Algebra
Intermediate Algebra
College Algebra
Trigonometry (or Pre-Calculus)
Intro to Statistics
Business Statistics (or Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences)

However, while they will accept Beginning and Intermediate Algebra for six hours of general ed credits, you must also take College Algebra or higher to fulfill the quantitative literacy requirement. I have seen conflicting reports about whether COSC accepts Intermediate Algebra for quantitative literacy and also about whether they want the classes to be taken sequentially, so as always, check with your advisor.

[KayV]

How to Use ALEKS for Math Credits

By the Amazing Cookderosa

ALEKS is a curriculum - some (not all) of their maths are for credit. Be sure you look for the * marking next to the class that verifies it is ACE-evaluated for college credit.

You pay per month for ALEKS, so the faster (or slower) you progress determines the cost.

You must create an account with ACE. This is FREE. Do this first.

When you enroll in math with ALEKS, there is a pie (homework) and a test (assessment). You'll take an initial assessment. Yes, if you score 70% or more you're done. At that time, go into your ACE account and request that they add your ALEKS math to your transcript. This does NOT COST ANYTHING. Once it is showing up on your ACE transcript, go back into ALEKS and start your next class. This verification/documentation process can be slow especially if it's a holiday or weekend, so plan for a few days, and if it's faster- just be happy .

If you've still got time left on your ALEKS account, and desire, start another course. You have the whole month, so if you just paid, might as well grab all the low hanging fruit you can!

Now- if you don't hit 70%.....
No big deal. You'll do the problems in your pie until you learn enough for the system to automatically issue you another assessment OR you can go in on the master account and issue yourself one. Either way, it's the ASSESSMENT that must be passed 70% or greater- not the pie. You could be 100% in the pie, but the class is not for credit until you pass your assessment.

There is no proctoring of any kind- this is a home test.

When you have finished all of your ALEKS classes, at that point, you request 1 ACE transcript. You'll pay for that 1 transcript ($40 I think) and it will be sent to your school. It will have every ALEKS course on it (as well as any of your other ACE courses).

Hope that helps!! Enjoy!

EDIT: I wanted to add that many people here, including myself, scored VERY LOW on their initial assessment. I think my initial stats score was like 3% lol. I just kept plugging away. Don't worry if you're not at a high % when you take your initial assessment! My kids and I have done lots of ALEKS classes, some easier than others.

****************
[Jennifer wrote this in the middle of a thread from a few years ago, which of course I cannot find right now. It is excellent advice.]

[bjcheung77]

Next Up: The all important yet simple Spreadsheet - Progress Tracker/Reference Tool

Use a spreadsheet to track your progress and reference what is complete or still required, cost, UL/LL, etc.
For many of us, we've not used a spreadsheet for this particular purpose, but it's an amazing tool for it!
I've copied two examples from dfrecore and modified the plan, one that is completely done through online testing.
I thank dfrecore for creating these for myself and many others, THANK YOU. Please download and customize.

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For myself, I live about 1.5 hours away from a CLEP/DSST testing location and don't want to drive 3+ hours for each test.
I'd rather get paid overtime at work instead of driving and make up the $ for online testing if it's more expensive than the CLEP/DSST. I'll chose a Saylor or SL course for the majority of them, but for the ones that don't have a comparable test, i'll use PF for example. Now you have pretty much all you require to get started and completing courses, tracking them along the way and sending them to ACE.

BUT... How do you begin? Which courses to take first and why? As mentioned earlier, you can start with the FREE courses first! You don't have to go from top to bottom of that list, I suggest getting the FREE ones completed and tracked in the spreadsheet. Send to ACE Credit Registry for credit and storing a history of completed courses, such as credit banking these for a transcript.

Then you can work on the ones that are from ALEKS to get your 2 Math/1 Statistics courses and 1 extra math for general electives. Basically, finish the General Education Requirements and Electives off. I would group courses together so you can finish them faster. Example: Take Intro to Communications from SL and also English Comp I and II. Then work on Intro Religion/American Government.

Afterwards, work on the Professional Business Requirements and finally, work on the Area of Study courses last. Again, grouping them, such as taking Accounting I & II, Macro/Micro economics, and so it would be easier for you if it's grouped together, more overlap of info. You don't want to rush taking too many courses, so, you need to pace yourself and follow your plan. You're not in a race against others. Some are fine with 2-3 courses, others are fine with 4-5 courses a month. You're doing this according to your schedule and skill set.

Hope this helps... I'm not sure if there's more to come. But work your butt off and reap the rewards afterwards :coolgleam: After each completed course, pat yourself on the back, you're 1 course closer to the goal. Well done! Keep on going! Many people have completed an entire year of coursework in a few months, and many have completed a degree in a year. There's light at the end of the tunnel, it's just requiring you to head to that end. Wish you luck, you have my support!

Update: When you apply to the school you would like to attend, there are academic advisers assisting you as well.
There's no reason to put off working towards your educational goal. You have many people helping you (without knowing them). Sending your transcripts to the school will result in an academic evaluation and it will tell you what else is required to finish the degree. I usually would recommend people who have completed about 90+ credits to transfer their credits in for an evaluation.

[dfrecore]

I would like to add that you should also group courses/exams by where you are getting the credit from. It may be easier to take multiple tests/courses from 1 place because you get a "feel" for what the tests/courses are like.

Study.com gives you 2 courses/exams in a month. So you will want to figure those 2 courses out and take them in the same month - you're paying for 2, you may as well get those both done.

For SL, you're paying the $99/mo membership fee plus a fee for each course, so the more courses you can take from them in a month, the better off you'll be (in terms of cost).

For CLEP/DSST, if you're going to drive to the testing center, you may as well take more than 1 exam if you can.

For Saylor, the courses are VERY time consuming if you try to work all the way through them (and let's not mention how awkward the set-up is, or all of the broken links and redundant material), so you may want to just go nuts and take the finals and see how you do if you feel ready. You can retest later if you don't pass, and it's only $25 per course (for the proctored final). Take the un-proctored final first, and if you have close to a passing grade, you may just want to spend a little time going through IC flashcards and then take the proctored final. If you pass, you've saved yourself countless hours of studying. If you don't, you've wasted $25 but very little time, and you now know you need to study that course more before retaking the final.

For ALEKS, you may or may not need all of the courses, but it certainly can't hurt to go as far as you can in each series. If you get to precalculus and find that you can get through in the time remaining on your monthly fee, by all means take it. But, if it's going to be very time-consuming, and you're going to need more than a month, or if it's taking up too much of your time, and you don't need the course for your degree, skip it and move on to something else.

TEEX courses can also take a lot of time, so if it's going to take you a long time to get through these courses, skip them.

Remember, you need credits, but you also don't want to get bogged down in courses that will take a very long time for you to complete. You want to spend your time wisely, so getting caught up in long courses for elective credits is probably not the best use of your time.

[High_Order1]

Sorry that I don't have anything of substance to add to this thread, so I'll be brief:

Thank you for the most excellent summation on the topic! This distillation is what I was basically looking for when I came here. You have come a *long* way in the short time you've been here, and this should be of great help to the ones that come after us. You clearly stood on the backs of some giants to gain this info!

The only two things I'd like to see added somewhere is a discussion about what happens when you're ready to apply. I am unclear; when you send them your transcripts and pay the fee, are you locked in? What happens when you send to the Big Three simultaneously? Can you just pay basically an assessment fee and then, when you select the one best suited to your path, pay more and proceed with them?

Second - I'd like to see the cornerstone / capstone concepts fleshed out. What exactly does one do to accomplish that?

Thanks again for your informative post!

[davewill]

... what happens when you're ready to apply. I am unclear; when you send them your transcripts and pay the fee, are you locked in? What happens when you send to the Big Three simultaneously? Can you just pay basically an assessment fee and then, when you select the one best suited to your path, pay more and proceed with them?
...

You become accepted and they evaluate your transfer units. You also gain access to academic advising. You aren't locked in, you aren't even really a student until and unless you enroll. Even after you enroll, you can change your mind and transfer to one of the others.

I do want to strongly disagree with this FAQ in one detail. I do not believe people should wait so late to apply. For one thing, degree requirements and transfer policies can suddenly change. If you're enrolled and your units are already transferred, those changes don't apply to you. Second, if units don't transfer the way you expect, the sooner you know the sooner you can modify your plan.