Enrolled at TESC without a plan... Woops...

[mrs.b]

Bless the weekend, and all it’s pseudo-free time! I ran some quick numbers and came up with the following comparison between Enrolled and Comprehensive Tuition options, to see which will maximize employer reimbursement (and minimize out-of-pocket expense), while completing in two years. This operates under a few assumptions: 1) you want to save some of that tuition reimbursement money for an eventual graduate degree, 2) you do want to finish as quickly as possible, 3) you have the means to meet the out-of-pocket figures on your own, and 4) you are a New Jersey resident to qualify for those rates. There could be some adjustments needed (I tossed it together pre-coffee and am preparing to paint the house so am in swatch-land), but it is a quick summary.

Enrolled Options – Total Out of Pocket Expense $2,673.00
Year 1: $5,151.00 at TESC ($1533 annual enroll, $113 tech fee, $52x4 term enroll, 21 creditsx$157)
$1,261.00 CLEP/DSST tests ($77 test fee, $20 proctor fee; 39 credits/3 credits per exam)
Out of pocket Total = $151.00 (TESC difference) + $1261.00 = $1,412.00
Plan 21 credits TESC courses (7 courses) and 39 credits externally (13 exams/courses)
Year 2: $4,854.00 at TESC ($1340 annual enroll, $113 tech fee, $52x 4 term enroll, 21 creditsx$157)
$1,261.00 CLEP/DSST tests ($77 test fee, $20 proctor fee; 39 credits/3 credits per exam)
Out of pocket Total = $0.00 (TESC) + $1,261.00 = $1,261.00
Plan 21 credits TESC courses (7 courses) and 39 credits externally (13 exams/courses)

Comprehensive Tuition – Total Out of Pocket Expense $1,318.00
Year 1: $5,322.00 at TESC ($5322 includes annual enrollment, fees, and allowance of 36 credits)
$776.00 CLEP/DSST tests ($77 test fee, $20 proctor fee; 24 credits/3 credits per exam)
Out of pocket Total = $322.00 (TESC difference) + $776.00 = $1,098.00
Plan 36 credits TESC courses (12 courses) and 21 credits externally (7 exams/courses)
Year 2: $5,026.00 at TESC ($4,432.00 annual + $99x6 TECEPs)
$194.0 CLEP/DSST tests ($77 test fee, $20 proctor fee; 6 credits/3 credits per exam)
Out of pocket Total = $26.00 (TESC difference) + 194 = $220.00
Plan 36 credits TESC courses (12 courses), 18 credits TECEPs (6 exams), and 6 credits externally (2 exams/courses)
* Confirm employer reimburses for TECEP exams. If not, duplicate Year 1 plan and figures.

[For non-TESC credit totals, some courses will need to come from other external sources than CLEP/DSST at a higher rate (SL, PF, other schools), but for the sake of simplicity, $97/3 credits worked for direct comparison. Likewise, if FEMA credits are to be used for Free Electives, both plans can be reduced by that cost, so I discarded that assumption since it equally reduces both.]


Comprehensive tuition is roughly half the out of pocket expense, and still requires approximately the same amount of realistic time and effort. With it, a total of 72 TESC course credits would need to be planned (36 each year, 12 courses/yr), 30 CLEP/DSST credits (8 exams during year 1, 2 exams during year 2), and 18 TECEP credits (6 TECEPs all during year 2 for employer reimbursement to reach $5k cap). Ryoder, Geezer, and the others that developed similar degree plans would be best-suited to help place courses and exams, but those are the credit source numbers to minimize out of pocket expense that I came up with.

This will leave $15k or three years’ worth of tuition reimbursement funds for a graduate degree, if that is appealing to you, and put your undergraduate degree in your hand for only $1,318.00 of your own money.

[LaterBloomer]

Cookderosa, as usualy, makes excellent points. You're fortunate in your employer. See if they can be flexible with you. It's in both their and your best interests.