Need help Understanding BIG 3 Fees and Structure

[bmills072200]

Hello all,

I graduated from Excelsior back in 2008 and got my MBA from JSU in 2010 and I have really been out of the loop since then. I wish I could spend more time here and assist others on the path as so many did for me. I am going to make a renewed effort to do so.

In that vain, I am trying to help a friend of mine that is in a very similar situation to what I was in when I started this whole process which led me to Excelsior.

I have a few questions about where things currently stand with the BIG 3:

• What are the application fees for each?
  
• What are the enrollment fees for each to include any technology or other ancilary fees?
  
• What are the graduation fees for each?
  
• Does each school still have degree options that require 0% residency and can be mostly tested out of?
  
• What is the cheapest path for someone that has 60 credits and is seeking a generic BA that can be either mostly or completely done through testing out?
  

I know that I could do the research to find all of these answers on my own, but I also know that there are probably at least a dozen people on this forum that have all of this information at top of mind.

Thanks in advance... there is no more useful forum on the internet regarding education than this one!

[NAP]

I'm sorry; I don't have a lot of time to answer this right now.

Here is the link you need for EC: School Catalogs - excelsior.edu

Application, Enroll, 3xcredit for Capstone course, and graduation fee should be about $2800.

The Student Service Annual Fee is only needed to extend enrollment for a second year.

All 3 schools require a capstone now.

[Publius]

He's got a good comparison here... The Big Three - Free-Clep-Prep.com
Not sure if all the info is still current, but it should be pretty close.


You may also want to take into consideration the fact that TESC is changing some of the general ed requirements and what not and that this change goes into affect July 1. However, apply before then, and enroll within 6 months of applying and they should be good (granted they wanted to go through TESC).

[sanantone]

They would have to apply and enroll at TESC before July 1 to lock in the current degree requirements. Some people got stuck with the new capstone requirement because they did not enroll before the deadline. Applying is not enough.

TESC requires a capstone for most degrees, but not all. The BSBA capstone is not really a capstone because you can test out of it or transfer in a business policy or strategic management course. There are still several associate's degree programs and a couple of bachelor's degree programs that don't have a capstone at all.

I'm sorry, but I don't think anyone has all of the fees remembered. Someone might have made a document of them, but most of us have to refer back to the colleges' websites.
Thomas Edison State College: Fees
Thomas Edison State College: Enrolled Options Plan
Thomas Edison State College: Comprehensive Tuition Plan
Charter Oak State College - Tuition and Fees
http://www.excelsior.edu/fees-and-tuition

It's best to apply to all three colleges and see which one will accept the most credits and plan them favorably. One college might give you a bunch of free elective credit while another will give you more UL credit in the major.

[Lindagerr]

Keep in mind that TESC gives a discount to NJ residents and Charter oaks gives a discount to Conn. Residents. Excelsior does not give any instate discounts. all three charge about $75 to apply and get an evaluation. As said above this can give you a better idea of what credits will be counted where. Also look at the exam equivalents here These will help you fill in what is needed to complete the degree.

Equivalencies by Area: http://degreeplanners.com/media/TESC_Equivalencies.pdf

Equivalencies by Course Number: http://degreeplanners.com/media/TESC..._By_Course.pdf

Sources: Equivalency Sources

[Westerner]

He's got a good comparison here... The Big Three - Free-Clep-Prep.com
Not sure if all the info is still current, but it should be pretty close.

Hey, cool—why did I not notice this page on FCP before?

[Chebasaz]

Hey, cool—why did I not notice this page on FCP before?

Because I have a bad habit of hiding potentially useful pages from my visitors.

Not sure if all the info is still current, but it should be pretty close.

I've been meaning to update that. I actually opened this thread because I was hoping someone was going to link to all the updated tuition pages and save me some work. Score! I've updated the page on FCP as well.

It's interesting to see how the tuition and fees have changed for the schools since 2010.

COSC has actually dropped their out of state tuition by around $200, but they make up for it by charging you for those mandatory in-house six credits. It ends up adding almost $2,000 to the final price of the degree.

TESC has kept their costs relatively unchanged, and Excelsior has seen a pretty solid bump (around 20%) across the board.

Edit: I know the degree list is probably out of date as well on there. I'm waiting to see what TESC does before doing a complete overhaul.