Beginners Guide To Getting Cheap/Fast College Credit

[edwardfurlong]

I applied to COSC in April to see how things would be evaluated, they say my application is active through September.

I would think you would want to apply once you were close to finishing so you would not end up having to reapply.

[rebel100]

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.

I think this one comes down to an individuals need. For one thing, we generally only see major changes between academic years, so by the middel of summer or so new issues are generally figured out and this group can pretty much tell you what to expect. I will add that of late TESU seems to be undergoing the most substantive changes from year to year. EC priced itself beyond what we do here for the most part a few years ago, it's almost down to the "big 2". Charter Oak hasn't had a big change in 4-5 years, maybe more. Generally speaking it is not necessary to matriculate early, in fact this can be of considerable cost, COSC runs $250/semester, EC is $500/year, TESC has a cost associated with continued enrollment. through careful planning and attention to changes one can mitigate the risk and save a good bit of money.

Further, while it certainly matters how your credits are evaluated, this isn't completely unknown in most cases (if you're one of those cases then by all means apply and figure it out). I went to Charter Oak which by many accounts has the best customer service in the business....I still ended up with a little bad advice and had to teach them a few things about their own policies....so I'm just not in the camp that paying a rolling fee for a mediocre level of service is required to find success in alternative higher ed.

.....be smart though, and if you don't KNOW something find a satisfactory answer even if that means applying to all three and matriculating if required.....the savings in time and money off the conventional path will still be significant in most cases.

[rebel100]

I applied to COSC in April to see how things would be evaluated, they say my application is active through September.

I would think you would want to apply once you were close to finishing so you would not end up having to reapply.

I will add though that spending $75 to see where things are likely to land puts people at ease, heck it's only the cost of dinner and a movie.

[KayV]

Excelsior might still be a good choice if:
you have a lot of IT certs;
you are a member of one of their partnership programs;
you are extremely math-phobic and can only get through ALEKS Beginning Algebra;
you have a lot of already-transcripted FEMA credits that work best in an Excelsior degree plan;
you have a lot of already-earned credits and for whatever reason, they fit best in an Excelsior degree plan (this often occurs with their liberal arts concentrations).

[rebel100]

Excelsior might still be a good choice if:
you have a lot of IT certs;
you are a member of one of their partnership programs;
you are extremely math-phobic and can only get through ALEKS Beginning Algebra;
you have a lot of already-transcripted FEMA credits that work best in an Excelsior degree plan;
you have a lot of already-earned credits and for whatever reason, they fit best in an Excelsior degree plan (this often occurs with their liberal arts concentrations).

They are the only Big 3 choice for things like RN Bridge (I still think about it from time to time)...

[KayV]

I think they are the best of the Big 3 for IT certs. WGU is another good choice if you have a lot of previously-earned IT credits. TESU lacks in this aspect. Frankly, I am not sure about COSC.

[TrailRunr]

It's cheap to matriculate early at TESU. It's not a considerable cost. Why wouldn't you do it? Most of the changes have been bad for students. GE changes, no more UL for CC, no more FEMA, capstone, cornerstone, etc. If you matriculate, your transfer credits will remain undisturbed. If you break enrollment, you might see your eval stripped of credits that were previously accepted like FEMA and UL for CC. Your eval is where you should store your credits, not at other colleges or ACE. Advising could be better, but they can help you avoid taking courses that don't count for xyz requirement. That may save you a ton of money, especially when trying to take expensive UL courses that can't be tested out.

Year 1 - $75 app fee, $114 TECEP, cost of transcripts. You get 3 credits for the $189 + transcripts.
Year 2+ - $114 TECEP and you get another 3 credits

If you're careful, you won't run out of easy TECEPs to hold your current catalog and your current transfer credits.

[bjcheung77]

I think they are the best of the Big 3 for IT certs. WGU is another good choice if you have a lot of previously-earned IT credits. TESU lacks in this aspect. Frankly, I am not sure about COSC.

I second this, I think WGU is a great way to earn a BSIT and also get credit for certifications. I was doing a little reading, I think this is best for someone who is going to get certifications anyways through them as it's included in the tuition (2 exams, I haven't verified this), and if you pass, it could be free for those who have tuition reimbursement from work (I need to find that type of job, haha). I haven't looked at the Excelsior programs that closely yet, but think they are a great fit as well. If I wasn't looking for a quick BSBA, those would be my choices (especially since I'm in IT already).

[jsd]

You can complete the following for FREE and it will give you the corresponding credits listed beside it.
Kaplan PLA LRC100 - 3

this has been discussed in multiple other threads, but in case anyone down the road is stumbling across this thread, I just wanted to point out that after 4/30/2016, this course is no longer approved for college credit by ACE. It is possible they will go for renewal, but (in my opinion) does not seem likely.

[crazyzippo]

This is answers pretty much most of the beginner questions I had.

I would highly recommend this be a sticky cheersmate