July 2018 current fees at the Big 3

[armstrongsubero]

The major in Robotics Systems Development I go approved only has one course with the title "Robotics" in it. All the other courses are courses from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and and upper level math courses available at TESU and from other colleges  I got pre-approved. It was my way to put all the prerequisite courses that a masters in EE or Robotics would require without doing the "engineering technology" degree that is "lower level" than an engineering program and allows me to specifically target masters entry.

For example the BSESET at TESU lacks a lot of the courses you would need to gain entry into a masters in EE program, though the price now is very lucrative I am considering doing it at TESU and supplementing with the upper level math and EE courses at AMU.

Though I am torn because COSC has an "engineering studies" program that offers the same benefit of me being able to do the exact courses that meet the masters in EE requirement without committing to the cost and rarity of a fully online EE program.

This is so hard.

[MNomadic]

We are getting a little off the original topic so I will PM you.

[Idreamofadegree]

I looked up costs as of today.  COSC just raised their rates, so now all 3 schools are within $500 of each other, which in my book means there's no clear cut winner.  It totally depends on which degree you want (which school offers it), how many credits you're bringing in, where they'll fit best, and finally how long it will take to finish.  The ONLY reason I would choose TESU over the others is because they only require 12/15cr of UL (plus capstone), and that I know where everything fits (meaning I know their degree requirements better than the other 2, so I can give better guidance).  I would not recommend them based solely on cost.

This is based on taking the remaining courses from CLEP/Modern States for free, or low cost courses through Saylor.  COSC has an additional free option for FEMA IS courses.

TESU (utilizing study.com discount)
117cr
Application fee $75
Tuition for capstone $1098
Residency waiver $1800
Graduation fee $332
Total fees without 117cr $3305
At least 12cr (for a BSBA) or 15cr (for BALS) have to be UL, so that's going to cost an additional $400/$500
Speech is required, for an additional $100
Total minimum cost $3805/$3905


COSC
114cr
Application fee $75
Tuition for cornerstone $1224
Tuition for capstone $1224
Student Services Fee $354 (per semester)
Technology fee $68
Graduation fee $215
Total fees without 114cr $3160
At least 30cr have to be UL, so that's going to cost an additional ~$1000
Speech & global understanding are required, for an additional $200
A lab is required for an additional $40 minimum (Study.com)
Total minimum cost $4400

EC
117cr
Application fee $50
Tuition for capstone $1530
Enrollment fee $1095
Graduation fee $495
Total fees without 117cr $3170
At least 30cr have to be UL, so that's going to cost an additional ~$1000
Info lit is required, for an additional $100
Total minimum cost $4270

I was looking into the FEMA IS courses recently and this the message posted at the top of their page:

The Independent Study Exams are currently unavailable. EMI is working with FEMA OCIO to determine the cause of the outage and find an resolution. Currently, there is not an estimated time of recovery.

Just a heads up, in case anyone was interested or knows any more than stated. 

[davewill]

If you do 36 credits at tesu, it comes to ~$176 per credit plus any books, lab kits, etc. Not a bad price if you needed 36 credits worth of specific classes that can't be done via test out and other alternative provider. However, tesu doesn't offer very many useful classes in that regard. If you did less than 36 credits, the price rises per credit hour. Also, that would include TECEPS, which are cheaper to buy on their own.

It also helps to factor in that you don't have to pay the residency waiver. However, people should remember that:

A. It's HARD to finish 36 credits in a year.
B. If life happens, you could be out a lot of tuition money.

[sanantone]

The comprehensive tuition plan covers all sources of credit. You only need 24 credits in online or guided study courses to receive a full financial aid award. The rest of the credits can come from TECEPs, e-Packs, and/or portfolio assessments.

[davewill]

The comprehensive tuition plan covers all sources of credit. You only need 24 credits in online or guided study courses to receive a full financial aid award. The rest of the credits can come from TECEPs, e-Packs, and/or portfolio assessments.

Sure, but doing less credits, or using your comprehensive plan for TECEPs makes the effective per credit rate worse. That's not to say that you shouldn't go ahead and take a TECEP or two if you're going to have room in your 36 credit limit anyway.

[sanantone]

The comprehensive tuition plan covers all sources of credit. You only need 24 credits in online or guided study courses to receive a full financial aid award. The rest of the credits can come from TECEPs, e-Packs, and/or portfolio assessments.

Sure, but doing less credits, or using your comprehensive plan for TECEPs makes the effective per credit rate worse. That's not to say that you shouldn't go ahead and take a TECEP or two if you're going to have room in your 36 credit limit anyway.

A credit is a credit regardless of how you earn it. If you need the AOS courses, then you might as well take TECEPs without having to pay extra. Paying $9,000 for 36 credits is better than paying $10k+ for 30 credits at some other school.

[MNomadic]

I think what What Davewill(and myself) meant was that while yes, $6-9k for comprehensive is a good value for 36 credits, but if lots of those credits could have instead been earned via cheaper means like ACE providers, CLEP, TECEPS, etc then it may not be the best choice. For instance, taking 36 credits worth of TECEPs would be ~$1404. While taking 36 credits of the TESU online courses(paying per credit) could be as much as $18,000. So people should weigh their own options and calculate if comprehensive is ideal for their own individual needs.

[sanantone]

I think what What Davewill(and myself) meant was that while yes, $6-9k for comprehensive is a good value for 36 credits, but if lots of those credits could have instead been earned via cheaper means like ACE providers, CLEP, TECEPS, etc then it may not be the best choice. For instance, taking 36 credits worth of TECEPs would be ~$1404. While taking 36 credits of the TESU online courses(paying per credit) could be as much as $18,000. So people should weigh their own options and calculate if comprehensive is ideal for their own individual needs.

But, that's not what was being discussed. Someone said that this is a good deal if you have to take certain courses, and it is. Many degree program requirements cannot be completed through alternative sources of credit. If you need an engineering technology degree, CBEs and ACE-approved courses are not going to cut it.

Taking 30 credits per year is the norm.

TESU offers the courses for these programs. You can't test out of several of them.

https://www.tesu.edu/academics/online-degrees

[dfrecore]

The comprehensive tuition plan covers all sources of credit. You only need 24 credits in online or guided study courses to receive a full financial aid award. The rest of the credits can come from TECEPs, e-Packs, and/or portfolio assessments.

Yes, the comprehensive plan is great for anyone who qualifies for financial aid, even if there are cheaper schools - because a large percentage is paid for, and it's 36cr rather than 30cr that you might take at another school.

For those who don't qualify, it's a good chunk of change to throw down, and as davewill says, life happens.  At least at a "regular" school with semesters, you're only paying for that semester at one time.  If something were to happen (car accident leaving you in the hospital, then several weeks of PT, then not really being 100% for another couple of months), the semester would be lost, but you could start fresh the next semester.  With TESU, you could lose several months of school time, but be out the full amount, and have to then restart everything, and try to cram more into less time.

But for someone who isn't doing a degree plan that can be tested out of, the comprehensive plan is a great way to save some money and take the courses you need for the degree.  It would just make me a bit nervous to gamble that much money at one time.