CLEP Exam Ranking

[Merlin]

At TESU, you only need 4 institutional credits: the 3-credit capstone and 1-credit cornerstone

Wow! I think I'll take another look at TESU. Thanks for the info.

So, as you look at schools, the Big 3 have the lowest institutional requirement of any accredited colleges in teh USA (that's why they got the pet name) but the strategy being used is to max out the transfer policy by taking EVERYTHING away/ apart from the school.  To do this, you can create a patchwork quilt of credits and then send everything (perfectly aligned, of course) to the school and voila, you're ready to take 1-2 classes and graduate.  That kind of planning only works if you're highly motivated and a little bit brave.  
If you want an advisor to plan your classes and to take the classes through the college instead, the big 3 are VERY expensive. You can, of course do that - most of their students are doing that, but this board comes at it differently.

Hi Cookderosa, what you're saying make senses and aligns with what I'm thinking. I guess I still need to see how many of my previous ITT credits TESU would accept for their B.S degree, and then take as many exams as possible for the remaining courses, right? Are there any other requirements I need to consider or plan for this "fast track" method?

One note. ITT was nationally accredited, not regional accredited, so it is unlikely that TESU will accept any of those credits. Given the school is defunct now, there may be exceptions made, but the only way to see is to ask for an evaluation.

Edit: I responded before I saw the rest of the thread. Others have pointed this out as well.

[bjcheung77]

Out of the Big 3, TESU does not accept ITT or any Nationally recognized credits/credentials. COSC and Excelsior will as ITT went under and they were nice enough to take some orphaned students last year. However, technically, they really don't need to take any of ITT credits, but they were nice enough to allow that to transfer in. If you want to maximize your credits, it's either COSC/Excelsior, you can throw WGU into the mix. But TESU would not be your first/final option, it would be your last choice if you had to choose from those 4. If you are adamant with going to TESU, you can try your luck with the MS/CLEP, Onlinedegree.com, Saylor/SL, combo to get the quickest credits for LL, then finish the degree requirements with Study.com

[Bachinayr]

So, as you look at schools, the Big 3 have the lowest institutional requirement of any accredited colleges in teh USA (that's why they got the pet name) but the strategy being used is to max out the transfer policy by taking EVERYTHING away/ apart from the school.  To do this, you can create a patchwork quilt of credits and then send everything (perfectly aligned, of course) to the school and voila, you're ready to take 1-2 classes and graduate.  That kind of planning only works if you're highly motivated and a little bit brave.  
If you want an advisor to plan your classes and to take the classes through the college instead, the big 3 are VERY expensive. You can, of course do that - most of their students are doing that, but this board comes at it differently.

Hi Cookderosa, what you're saying make senses and aligns with what I'm thinking. I guess I still need to see how many of my previous ITT credits TESU would accept for their B.S degree, and then take as many exams as possible for the remaining courses, right? Are there any other requirements I need to consider or plan for this "fast track" method?

Tesu should accept pretty much all your previous credits and apply them where appropriate to the degree requirements.

Depending on what degree you pursue, you should be able to use "test out" and a few other "alternative" methods for the majority of your degree, making it significantly faster and cheaper.

What are these other “alternative” methods you speak of?

I have a list I put together for my homeschooling blog, it gives a bit of info on each. I realize you're not a homeschooler, but the list is the same either way. https://homeschoolingforcollegecredit.co...ge-credit/

Thanks! Good stuff!

---

Out of the Big 3, TESU does not accept ITT or any Nationally recognized credits/credentials. COSC and Excelsior will as ITT went under and they were nice enough to take some orphaned students last year. However, technically, they really don't need to take any of ITT credits, but they were nice enough to allow that to transfer in. If you want to maximize your credits, it's either COSC/Excelsior, you can throw WGU into the mix. But TESU would not be your first/final option, it would be your last choice if you had to choose from those 4. If you are adamant with going to TESU, you can try your luck with the MS/CLEP, Onlinedegree.com, Saylor/SL, combo to get the quickest credits for LL, then finish the degree requirements with Study.com

Thanks. I’m still learning the lingo, but can you please elaborate on what you meant here: “ MS/CLEP, Onlinedegree.com, Saylor/SL, combo to get the quickest credits for LL, then finish the degree requirements with Study.com”?

What’s LL, MS/CLEP, and Saylor/SL?

[MNomadic]

Hi Cookderosa, what you're saying make senses and aligns with what I'm thinking. I guess I still need to see how many of my previous ITT credits TESU would accept for their B.S degree, and then take as many exams as possible for the remaining courses, right? Are there any other requirements I need to consider or plan for this "fast track" method?

Tesu should accept pretty much all your previous credits and apply them where appropriate to the degree requirements.

Depending on what degree you pursue, you should be able to use "test out" and a few other "alternative" methods for the majority of your degree, making it significantly faster and cheaper.

What are these other “alternative” methods you speak of?

I have a list I put together for my homeschooling blog, it gives a bit of info on each.  I realize you're not a homeschooler, but the list is the same either way. https://homeschoolingforcollegecredit.co...ge-credit/

Thanks! Good stuff!

---

Out of the Big 3, TESU does not accept ITT or any Nationally recognized credits/credentials.  COSC and Excelsior will as ITT went under and they were nice enough to take some orphaned students last year.  However, technically, they really don't need to take any of ITT credits, but they were nice enough to allow that to transfer in.  If you want to maximize your credits, it's either COSC/Excelsior, you can throw WGU into the mix.  But TESU would not be your first/final option, it would be your last choice if you had to choose from those 4.  If you are adamant with going to TESU, you can try your luck with the MS/CLEP, Onlinedegree.com, Saylor/SL, combo to get the quickest credits for LL, then finish the degree requirements with Study.com

Thanks. I’m still learning the lingo, but can you please elaborate on what you meant here: “ MS/CLEP, Onlinedegree.com, Saylor/SL, combo to get the quickest credits for LL, then finish the degree requirements with Study.com”?

What’s LL, MS/CLEP, and Saylor/SL?

LL= Lower level courses aka community college courses, first and second year courses, freshman and sophomore courses

MS= Modernstates.org:  they offer completely free study materials to prepare for CLEPs, and will potentially pay for your CLEP(making it free)

SL = straighterline: they offer a large amount of inexpensive ACE recommended courses

Saylor: they offer some extremely cheap ACE and/or NCCRS recommended courses

onlinedegree.com: they offer a handful of extremely cheap NCCRS recommended courses



-------------------------------------------------

Again, sorry I was mistaken before about TESU, but checking with excelsior may be your best bet for something along the lines of a tech management degree. Like others said, WGU and COSC might be good ones to look into as well. 

My recommendation: check with excelsior first since the page I linked to before states(in regards to former ITT students); "Excelsior College has agreed to provide a free transcript evaluation so prospective students can see how many of their credits would transfer first before applying."

https://www.excelsior.edu/article/itt-te...-get-help/
---------------------------------------------

WGU would be the next pick to apply to. They have a lot of IT programs and will waive the application fee.


------------------------------------------------------
After you get an evaluation from one or more of the above, we would be happy to help you plan the best route to finishing your degree as fast/easy/cheap as possible.

[Bachinayr]

Tesu should accept pretty much all your previous credits and apply them where appropriate to the degree requirements.

Depending on what degree you pursue, you should be able to use "test out" and a few other "alternative" methods for the majority of your degree, making it significantly faster and cheaper.

What are these other “alternative” methods you speak of?

I have a list I put together for my homeschooling blog, it gives a bit of info on each.  I realize you're not a homeschooler, but the list is the same either way. https://homeschoolingforcollegecredit.co...ge-credit/

Thanks! Good stuff!

---

Out of the Big 3, TESU does not accept ITT or any Nationally recognized credits/credentials.  COSC and Excelsior will as ITT went under and they were nice enough to take some orphaned students last year.  However, technically, they really don't need to take any of ITT credits, but they were nice enough to allow that to transfer in.  If you want to maximize your credits, it's either COSC/Excelsior, you can throw WGU into the mix.  But TESU would not be your first/final option, it would be your last choice if you had to choose from those 4.  If you are adamant with going to TESU, you can try your luck with the MS/CLEP, Onlinedegree.com, Saylor/SL, combo to get the quickest credits for LL, then finish the degree requirements with Study.com

Thanks. I’m still learning the lingo, but can you please elaborate on what you meant here: “ MS/CLEP, Onlinedegree.com, Saylor/SL, combo to get the quickest credits for LL, then finish the degree requirements with Study.com”?

What’s LL, MS/CLEP, and Saylor/SL?

LL= Lower level courses aka community college courses, first and second year courses, freshman and sophomore courses

MS= Modernstates.org:  they offer completely free study materials to prepare for CLEPs, and will potentially pay for your CLEP(making it free)

SL = straighterline: they offer a large amount of inexpensive ACE recommended courses

Saylor: they offer some extremely cheap ACE and/or NCCRS recommended courses

onlinedegree.com: they offer a handful of extremely cheap NCCRS recommended courses



-------------------------------------------------

Again, sorry I was mistaken before about TESU, but checking with excelsior may be your best bet for something along the lines of a tech management degree. Like others said, WGU and COSC might be good ones to look into as well. 

My recommendation: check with excelsior first since the page I linked to before states(in regards to former ITT students); "Excelsior College has agreed to provide a free transcript evaluation so prospective students can see how many of their credits would transfer first before applying."

https://www.excelsior.edu/article/itt-te...-get-help/
---------------------------------------------

WGU would be the next pick to apply to. They have a lot of IT programs and will waive the application fee.


------------------------------------------------------
After you get an evaluation from one or more of the above, we would be happy to help you plan the best route to finishing your degree as fast/easy/cheap as possible.

No worries on the TESU transfer credit suggestion. I’m just glad that I found this forum. I will definitely look into Excelsior to see how my credit would stack up. I never considered WGU (I had to look that up ) because They weren’t part of the BIG three. If they have an equally flexible credit transfer policy, then it may be a good fit for what I’m trying to do. However, I’m not stuck on getting a technical degree, I’d rather keep it more business focus. Thanks again for the info!

[Bachinayr]

What are these other “alternative” methods you speak of?

I have a list I put together for my homeschooling blog, it gives a bit of info on each.  I realize you're not a homeschooler, but the list is the same either way. https://homeschoolingforcollegecredit.co...ge-credit/

Thanks! Good stuff!

---

Out of the Big 3, TESU does not accept ITT or any Nationally recognized credits/credentials.  COSC and Excelsior will as ITT went under and they were nice enough to take some orphaned students last year.  However, technically, they really don't need to take any of ITT credits, but they were nice enough to allow that to transfer in.  If you want to maximize your credits, it's either COSC/Excelsior, you can throw WGU into the mix.  But TESU would not be your first/final option, it would be your last choice if you had to choose from those 4.  If you are adamant with going to TESU, you can try your luck with the MS/CLEP, Onlinedegree.com, Saylor/SL, combo to get the quickest credits for LL, then finish the degree requirements with Study.com

Thanks. I’m still learning the lingo, but can you please elaborate on what you meant here: “ MS/CLEP, Onlinedegree.com, Saylor/SL, combo to get the quickest credits for LL, then finish the degree requirements with Study.com”?

What’s LL, MS/CLEP, and Saylor/SL?

LL= Lower level courses aka community college courses, first and second year courses, freshman and sophomore courses

MS= Modernstates.org:  they offer completely free study materials to prepare for CLEPs, and will potentially pay for your CLEP(making it free)

SL = straighterline: they offer a large amount of inexpensive ACE recommended courses

Saylor: they offer some extremely cheap ACE and/or NCCRS recommended courses

onlinedegree.com: they offer a handful of extremely cheap NCCRS recommended courses



-------------------------------------------------

Again, sorry I was mistaken before about TESU, but checking with excelsior may be your best bet for something along the lines of a tech management degree. Like others said, WGU and COSC might be good ones to look into as well. 

My recommendation: check with excelsior first since the page I linked to before states(in regards to former ITT students); "Excelsior College has agreed to provide a free transcript evaluation so prospective students can see how many of their credits would transfer first before applying."

https://www.excelsior.edu/article/itt-te...-get-help/
---------------------------------------------

WGU would be the next pick to apply to. They have a lot of IT programs and will waive the application fee.


------------------------------------------------------
After you get an evaluation from one or more of the above, we would be happy to help you plan the best route to finishing your degree as fast/easy/cheap as possible.

No worries on the TESU transfer credit suggestion. I’m just glad that I found this forum. I will definitely look into Excelsior to see how my credit would stack up. I never considered WGU (I had to look that up ) because They weren’t part of the BIG three. If they have an equally flexible credit transfer policy, then it may be a good fit for what I’m trying to do. However, I’m not stuck on getting a technical degree, I’d rather keep it more business focus. Thanks again for the info!

Update: So I just spoke with an admissions counselor at Excelsior to see if they would be able to assess my ITT credits before I submitted an application and was told that the free ITT assessment expired in 2016. The AC also mentioned that Excelsior wouldn't count any of my applicable business credits because the credits are over 15 years old. Not that I had lot business credits to begin with, but I'm a little bummed out that I may have to start from scratch with TESU or Excelsior. Any thoughts / suggesstions?

[bjcheung77]

Yes. I mentioned COSC accepted ITT courses. WGU will accept NA credits, try them too.
Here's the info from COSC, they may be the same as Excelsior in accepting it as it's been a couple years, but try them!
Link 1: https://www.charteroak.edu/news/2016-itt...ansfer.php
Link 2: https://www.charteroak.edu/transfer-from-itt-tech/
Possible Degrees: https://www.charteroak.edu/transfer-from...curity.php

[Merlin]

[...]
The AC also mentioned that Excelsior wouldn't count any of my applicable business credits because the credits are over 15 years old. Not that I had lot business credits to begin with, but I'm a little bummed out that I may have to start from scratch with TESU or Excelsior. Any thoughts / suggesstions?

FYI, this isn't unusual as many schools don't accept transfer credits over a certain age. I think at the big 3 they just won't accept them in areas that are required as part of your core degree (or area of study) but will often accept them to fulfill general education requirements (though business courses usually don't fit as GE's).

[Bachinayr]

So quick update: I requested my ITT transcript to be sent to COSC, so while I wait for them to evaluate and respond I thought I'd ask the group here for input on my original plan to attend SNHU. I've attached the course outline and highlighted the accepted CLEP and DSST classes that I plan to take which once completed will put me at 90 credits. My initial thought was to take one class of the remaining mandated 30 institutional credits every semester, but that would likely mean a two year stint to get my bachelor.

The questions I have are:
a) Given the ten remaining IC courses, would it be insane to try and take two classes per semester to try and knock down the overall time to a year or year and half? Keep in mind, I'm working full time and have family commitments etc.

b) If I go with two classes per semester, can I use other study guides etc, to speed up the learning curve and supplement the school's curriculum?

Any other ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks a bunch!

[bjcheung77]

Bro, you don't want to go to SNHU, if you can go to their CollegeforAmerica for FREE. It's only for a few Bachelors, but if your Bachelors is any one of these following, well buddy, it's a no brainer to get it from CFA instead of SNHU, the degree parchment actually should show it's from SNHU if I recall correctly. I contacted them before, it's a tuition reimbursement program with your workplace. Review their website for details - https://collegeforamerica.org/