Need a plan for my Bachelors. TESU? COSC? Other?

[Ideas]

TESU and Excelsior's health programs are not test-friendly.

Thanks. That really narrows things down.

I'm not completely opposed to courses, depending on the format, but it seems unlikely to be cost-effective, and not as flexible if I had health problems arise. The only plus might be getting financial aid for the courses, I'm guessing.

COSC charges a student service fee of over $200 per semester. You only need to pay the student service fee while you're taking the cornerstone and capstone.

The cornerstone seems like the Excelsior "Information Literacy". No getting out of the cornerstone, I suppose.

TESU is extremely picky about what you can create with the Learner Designed Area of Study. If the area of study you design is anything like one of their majors, they will not approve it.

Thanks. Too bad I think I could still design something different enough, but, that could be frustrating and time-consuming to work it out with them.

The capstone and residency waiver at TESU will cost you $3,997. The cornerstone, capstone, and two semesters of the student service fee at COSC will cost $2,796. So, even if you couldn't use FEMA credits at COSC in the future, COSC will be over $1,000 cheaper for the required tuition and fees, alone. And, if you choose a TESU degree that requires several courses that you can't cheaply test out of, the difference in cost will be even greater.

Thanks for summarizing it this way.

So I guess there's a pretty clear winner, considering the other paragraph you wrote too (not quoted).

TESU's portfolio assessments are cheaper than COSC's, but PLAs require a lot more work than people think. It is usually much faster to test out or complete an ACE or NCCRS-approved courses.

That was my original thought, but hmmm, I am still wondering. I saw some posts about completing a PLA in a week. I know it would be hard work still. I am figuring it would be like writing a small research paper. Although I do like testing out, and papers kind of suck, I feel like the paper is almost like an open-book test. I'm not sure, and maybe my impression of it is wrong. I guess the best part is if the COSC scholarship covered the fee. Though applying for scholarships can make it drag on.

I'm mostly clueless about financial aid in regards to the required costs (capstones, enrollment fees, service fees, etc).

[sanantone]

There is a write-up on the "sister" forum on completing TESU PLAs very quickly, but I believe that is from about a decade or more ago. TESU changed its PLAs (now portfolio assessments) several years ago. It probably is possible to complete a portfolio in a week if you're used to writing 20-page papers in a week.

In order to qualify for financial aid, you need to attend at least half-time. Half-time is 6 credits per semester (or 6 months for schools with non-traditional terms) and 12 credits per year. If you attend half-time, you will only receive half of your award. Full-time is 12 credits per semester (or 6 months) and 24 credits per year. While TESU is not on the quarter hour system, they do have 12-week terms rather than 16-week semesters. They disburse financial aid on a quarterly basis.

[Ideas]

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Thanks again for being incredibly helpful

I do really like the General Studies w/ Health Sci focus at COSC. I am still wondering though how much quicker I could do that cheaper TESC Business degree? And how much money I would save, if any.

Can you give me an idea of how much extra it'd cost to get an Assoc degree, then later get the Bachelors at COSC? (If I plan, so all Assoc credits can be used for the Bachelors, of course.) Would there be any restrictions on timing, like I couldn't get the Bachelors for a year, or other downsides? Most schools seem to allow 2 degrees at the most, so that's a possible factor for me. I feel someday I'll want a second Bachelors or Assoc.

[sanantone]

You'll save time with the BSBA if you can work quickly through finance, accounting, and statistics. You might save $300. Remember that you still have to pay $2500 for the residency waiver. COSC still might come out cheaper with FEMA credits and the credits you'll already have for your certification.

You don't have to wait to complete a bachelor's after getting an associate's.

[Ideas]

You'll save time with the BSBA if you can work quickly through finance, accounting, and statistics. You might save $300. Remember that you still have to pay $2500 for the residency waiver. COSC still might come out cheaper with FEMA credits and the credits you'll already have for your certification.

Ok, I'll cross that off too then. Thanks!

You don't have to wait to complete a bachelor's after getting an associate's.

How about the costs if I got an AS/AA on the way to the COSC General Studies BS/BA? (Compared to just the BS/BA.)

[sanantone]

Ok, I'll cross that off too then. Thanks!



How about the costs if I got an AS/AA on the way to the COSC General Studies BS/BA? (Compared to just the BS/BA.)

It depends on where you're getting the AS/AA. If you choose something general or something that is in the same subject as your BA/BS, the only additional cost would be a graduation fee unless the associate's requires a capstone. Whatever you would pay for a capstone or graduation fee would be the additional cost. If you're going to a different school for the associate's, you have to factor in the additional cost of ordering transcripts.

I forgot to mention the Study.com partnership with TESU. If you're a Study.com student, you'll only pay $1800 for the residency waiver for the time being. Once Study.com's contract with TESU is up, TESU will likely hike up the residency waiver for affiliate members.

[Ideas]

It depends on where you're getting the AS/AA. If you choose something general or something that is in the same subject as your BA/BS, the only additional cost would be a graduation fee unless the associate's requires a capstone. Whatever you would pay for a capstone or graduation fee would be the additional cost. If you're going to a different school for the associate's, you have to factor in the additional cost of ordering transcripts.

I forgot to mention the Study.com partnership with TESU. If you're a Study.com student, you'll only pay $1800 for the residency waiver for the time being. Once Study.com's contract with TESU is up, TESU will likely hike up the residency waiver for affiliate members.

Wonderful, I think I would go for the Assoc first then

Do you possibly have info on doing BS/BA in Individualized Studies at COSC? Like, how difficult they are about accepting a plan? I would love to have this flexibility. It seems to still be "General Studies with concentration in". Their examples seem very good. They seem like what I'm looking for - a degree that combines 2 areas. (And not just 2 subjects slapped together.) https://www.charteroak.edu/catalog/curre...tudies.cfm

[sanantone]

COSC is very flexible in accepting individualized studies concentrations. Your concentration will be individualized studies. I can't remember if they put the focus on the transcript.