Help a beginner please! Big 3 questions

[Mira]

Hello everyone,

I just stumbled upon the world of credit-by-examination today and was quite intrigued. However, I had a couple of questions that I would very much appreciate those of you who are more experienced answering.

So, I wanted to ask which one out of the big 3 allows you to earn the most credit by examination? Also, assuming max credit was earned by outside examinations, how much does the university itself cost? Also, what other requirements do they have so I heard COSC requires a lab experience? 
Basically, overall, what would be the most suitable, cheapest, quickest  option for an international student who prefers self-studying?
Also, how do you meet the individual requirements for the degree. I checked TESU's website for a couple of degrees but it seemed a bit vague. How do I know what examinations would be required? Is it also possible to graduate with two degrees if you meet the requirements for both and would you have to pay more for that?

Sorry, they are a lot of questions but I would very much appreciate you answering them. Thank you very much!

[rachel83az]

Alphabetically:

Charter Oak limits you to 90 ACE credits from a very short list of sources. 24 of the remaining credits can be from any regionally-accredited (tldr version: college/university) credit source. They do require a science-with-a-lab but there are a number of options for this requirement that are (relatively) easy to get. In theory, this is the least expensive option. However, the limit on alternate credit sources and the lack of degree options makes this a less desirable option for some people.

Excelsior allows you to transfer in EVERYTHING from alternate credit sources except the required 7 credits that must be taken. This does not mean that they are cheaper than COSC. On the contrary, they are solidly in the middle, as far as prices go, because of the various fees.

TESU is the most expensive before you factor in the cost of the RA credits that they are now requiring (same policy as COSC). However, they do offer a number of degrees that the other schools don't have. They also accept more alternate credit sources than COSC does.

Exactly what degree do you want to get? That will determine which school is "best" for your needs. If you just want "any" degree, then a general studies degree at COSC may be the right option for you. On the other hand, if your needs would be better met by a degree specifically in something like Computer Science or English then TESU is the way to go. Don't worry about the RA credit requirement at either school. There are a number of these sources (such as TEL Learning or TECEPs/UExcels) that act very similarly to alternate-credit sources. Self-study, take exam, get credit. These RA sources are pretty affordable!

As far as figuring out which courses fit what degree, that's partly what this forum is for. For TESU, you can find a few degree options available on the wiki: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ts_Roadmap For COSC and Excelsior, the requirements are a bit more vague but there are people here who can help you with your plans. You just need to decide which degree to get.

[dfrecore]

If you want to do an entire degree with alternative credits, then EC is the only way to go. One nice thing about them is cost: if you take 7cr with them, tuition there will be $5300. But, if you want/need 2 additional UL credits, then you can do 13cr through them and tuition is $5850. So an additional $550 for 6 UL credits, which is a fantastic deal. They are also the only school that allows the cornerstone to be UL, so that's a good way to kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

I suggest you spend a couple of weeks here, reading this forum, every post that comes up, to start to understand how to put a degree plan together no matter which school you choose.

I also suggest you sign up for Sophia before 12/31, and do every course on there. Not every course will count at every school, but most will, and it's 90cr for $149 which is a steal - you can't beat that anywhere.

[Mira]

Alphabetically:

Charter Oak limits you to 90 ACE credits from a very short list of sources. 24 of the remaining credits can be from any regionally-accredited (tldr version: college/university) credit source. They do require a science-with-a-lab but there are a number of options for this requirement that are (relatively) easy to get. In theory, this is the least expensive option. However, the limit on alternate credit sources and the lack of degree options makes this a less desirable option for some people.

Excelsior allows you to transfer in EVERYTHING from alternate credit sources except the required 7 credits that must be taken. This does not mean that they are cheaper than COSC. On the contrary, they are solidly in the middle, as far as prices go, because of the various fees.

TESU is the most expensive before you factor in the cost of the RA credits that they are now requiring (same policy as COSC). However, they do offer a number of degrees that the other schools don't have. They also accept more alternate credit sources than COSC does.

Exactly what degree do you want to get? That will determine which school is "best" for your needs. If you just want "any" degree, then a general studies degree at COSC may be the right option for you. On the other hand, if your needs would be better met by a degree specifically in something like Computer Science or English then TESU is the way to go. Don't worry about the RA credit requirement at either school. There are a number of these sources (such as TEL Learning or TECEPs/UExcels) that act very similarly to alternate-credit sources. Self-study, take exam, get credit. These RA sources are pretty affordable!

As far as figuring out which courses fit what degree, that's partly what this forum is for. For TESU, you can find a few degree options available on the wiki: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ts_Roadmap For COSC and Excelsior, the requirements are a bit more vague but there are people here who can help you with your plans. You just need to decide which degree to get.

Thank you very much! This is a lot of useful information. I really appreciate your effort and time.

I didn't know about the whole RA thing so thanks for that! At first glace, this makes it seem like Excelsior may best for me. However, if I understand rightly, then earning RA credits for COSC is still cheaper than Excelsior best. As my main criteria is cost then length, it seems, if I understand rightly, that COSC is the cheaper option although it might limit ways of earning credit.


I have noticed that TESU offered lots of majors and  I liked the BS in data science and analytics and the BSBA in finance. Generally speaking, I am into more mathematical degrees so I will check COSC for that too.

I'll obviously have to do a lot more research into them before deciding but thank you so much for your help!

[rachel83az]

The BS in Data Science at TESU is not really cost-effective, alas. I count 11 courses that need to be taken at Statistics.com (10 if they let you take R Programming at SDC instead of Study.com instead). Statistics.com classes are about $550 each, so that adds another $5k+ to the cost of the degree. The BA Math is doable, though a tad bit tricky. The BSBA Finance is definitely possible. If you haven't already seen it: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan

Charter Oak doesn't really have any math-type degrees. You can create your own concentration with a General Studies degree but I am not completely sure how that works. If this interests you, there are others on the forum who can help you out.

Excelsior has a BSBA in Finance but I'm not sure how easy this degree is to plan for. In theory, it should still be cheaper than TESU.

If you haven't already signed up for Sophia as dfrecore suggested, check out this thread for how to get 1 year of Sophia (which can cover most of your degree requirements) for just $149: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...live-again

[dfrecore]

Let's say you could bring in 90cr from Sophia for all 3 schools.

The 24cr of RA you'll need at COSC and TESU will run you about $1600 through TEL.

The remaining EC credits will cost less than that (max $800 if you used Study.com for your UL).

So the total cost for each is:

COSC $4938
EC $6249
EC2 $6599
TESU $8411

COSC is still the cheapest, but I wouldn't let $1300 induce me to go there over EC, it would really depend on some other things - major/concentration is #1. Ease of finding credits is #2.

TESU still only requires 18cr of UL, all in the major, which is a big benefit. Their business degree is ACBSP-accredited. They have more degrees.

There is no right answer, everyone is different, but I'd still keep my options open and look at all 3 schools (and probably some CB schools as well).