Regionally accredited college accepting online credit transfer

[dfrecore]

FYI - an AA from COSC will be $712 in fees plus $1224 for the cornerstone. Plus the cost of courses. Minimum of $1936.

An AA from TESU will be $2607 in fees plus $300 for the cornerstone, plus the cost of courses. Minimum of $2907.

If you list all of the courses you have, I can tell you how they would fit into a COSC AA.

Also, I'm not sure what some of the people are talking about here, but when you take courses and transfer them into the school, the transcript WILL say the courses on there, even if they're not from that school. My TESU transcript lists all courses I took and transferred in.

[Merlin]

[...]
Also, I'm not sure what some of the people are talking about here, but when you take courses and transfer them into the school, the transcript WILL say the courses on there, even if they're not from that school.  My TESU transcript lists all courses I took and transferred in.

I assume you're talking about me. Unless you graduate with a degree, transfer credits typically do not show on an official transcript since they were not earned there. Once someone graduates, transferred credits will show on the transcript for that degree but will be listed as transfer credits. The OP is not seeking a degree, so this would not really apply.

For example, before I decided on TESU, I was planning to attend COSC, so I sent all my transcripts there. I ended up not pursuing a degree but took some CLEP and other courses which were sent there. When I log into the COSC site and show my transcript from COSC it shows nothing since I didn't take any courses at COSC. Not to mention, most schools "expire" transferred credits after a year or so if the student is no longer active (enrolled or applied).

A credit bank transcript will show all credits for as long as the credit banking fees are paid, but none of them will be listed as earned credits. This may work if all they need is a transcript that shows credits were transferred, or if the credential validators don't really care about whether they are earned credit or not.

However, based on what the OP posted, it sounds like they need credits that show as earned credit from an RA school.

Pursuing an AA to get them on a degree transcript doesn't sound like a bad idea, though the quote said something about AA credits only work if applied toward a 4-year degree, so maybe an AA would not qualify. Though that may only be talking about credits earned from 2-year colleges.

[davewill]

...
Enrolling at TESU may get you an equivalent to their credit banking service, but an official transcript from TESU, as a student, will only show the credits earned at TESU, not those transferred in. As far as I know, the official transcript only includes transfer credits as part of the final graduate transcript. If you can use an unofficial transcript, then that one will show all the transfer credits as well, but that is usually just for the student.

I'm sorry, but that's just not correct. The TESU transcript will certainly show transferred credits. They will be identified as transfer credits, but for employer verification, or some governmental certification (like for a CPA) that should be sufficient. The OP's plan of applying and taking a TECEP would work just fine, except that TESU will require them to take the $300 cornerstone as well. If they don't need actually need the TECEP, then credit banking might be cheaper.

Note: it's important to do it it soon as the 1 credit $300 capstone will be come a regular 3 credit online course ($1098 with Study.com discount) starting July 2019.

Edit: I see the OP has now stated that it's for CPA certification, as I guessed.

[Merlin]

...
Enrolling at TESU may get you an equivalent to their credit banking service, but an official transcript from TESU, as a student, will only show the credits earned at TESU, not those transferred in. As far as I know, the official transcript only includes transfer credits as part of the final graduate transcript. If you can use an unofficial transcript, then that one will show all the transfer credits as well, but that is usually just for the student.

I'm sorry, but that's just not correct. The TESU transcript will certainly show transferred credits. They will be identified as transfer credits, but for employer verification, or some governmental certification (like for a CPA) that should be sufficient. The OP's plan of applying and taking a TECEP would work just fine, except that TESU will require them to take the $300 cornerstone as well. If they don't need actually need the TECEP, then credit banking might be cheaper.

Note: it's important to do it it soon as the 1 credit $300 capstone will be come a regular 3 credit online course ($1098 with Study.com discount) starting July 2019.

Edit: I see the OP has now stated that it's for CPA certification, as I guessed.

If someone is intending to earn a degree or has already earned a degree from that school, then that makes sense. But in this case, the OP isn't a degree-seeking student. I don't see why they would need to take the cornerstone if they are not looking for a degree. They just want a transcript that shows their Study.com credits.

If someone has graduated from the school, I 100% agree with you that their transcript will show all credits transferred in towards that degree. I mentioned the same in my post above. However, as far as I know, the official transcript will not show transfer credits for someone who hasn't graduated or isn't an active degree-seeking student. Just to confirm, I looked up my COSC transcript and it doesn't show any of my transferred credits. In fact, it doesn't show anything since I didn't take any courses there either.

Maybe if you pull the transcript while you're an active student it may make a difference. But if you're not active, transfer credits expire after a while. Official transcripts should be able to be pulled at any time and show the same information.

Maybe TESU is different, but I assume all schools work the same way. I don't work for the school so I can't say for sure. I can only go off what I see on my own transcripts and what I've been told or read elsewhere.

Either way, it still sounds like credit banking is the way the OP needs to go unless they intend to pursue a degree.

[dfrecore]

...
Enrolling at TESU may get you an equivalent to their credit banking service, but an official transcript from TESU, as a student, will only show the credits earned at TESU, not those transferred in. As far as I know, the official transcript only includes transfer credits as part of the final graduate transcript. If you can use an unofficial transcript, then that one will show all the transfer credits as well, but that is usually just for the student.

I'm sorry, but that's just not correct. The TESU transcript will certainly show transferred credits. They will be identified as transfer credits, but for employer verification, or some governmental certification (like for a CPA) that should be sufficient. The OP's plan of applying and taking a TECEP would work just fine, except that TESU will require them to take the $300 cornerstone as well. If they don't need actually need the TECEP, then credit banking might be cheaper.

Note: it's important to do it it soon as the 1 credit $300 capstone will be come a regular 3 credit online course ($1098 with Study.com discount) starting July 2019.

Edit: I see the OP has now stated that it's for CPA certification, as I guessed.

If someone is intending to earn a degree or has already earned a degree from that school, then that makes sense. But in this case, the OP isn't a degree-seeking student. I don't see why they would need to take the cornerstone if they are not looking for a degree. They just want a transcript that shows their Study.com credits.

If someone has graduated from the school, I 100% agree with you that their transcript will show all credits transferred in towards that degree. I mentioned the same in my post above. However, as far as I know, the official transcript will not show transfer credits for someone who hasn't graduated or isn't an active degree-seeking student. Just to confirm, I looked up my COSC transcript and it doesn't show any of my transferred credits. In fact, it doesn't show anything since I didn't take any courses there either.

Maybe if you pull the transcript while you're an active student it may make a difference. But if you're not active, transfer credits expire after a while. Official transcripts should be able to be pulled at any time and show the same information.

Maybe TESU is different, but I assume all schools work the same way. I don't work for the school so I can't say for sure. I can only go off what I see on my own transcripts and what I've been told or read elsewhere.

Either way, it still sounds like credit banking is the way the OP needs to go unless they intend to pursue a degree.

All schools don't work the same.  When I was an enrolled student at TESU, and had transferred in a bunch of credits, any time I looked at my unofficial transcript, it showed everything I transferred in, not just their courses.  I'm assuming that an official transcript would also show that, although I never got one so I'm not 100% on that.

[davewill]

Either way, it still sounds like credit banking is the way the OP needs to go unless they intend to pursue a degree.

The way I see it, they've got two ways to go. One way is credit banking, paying the credit banking fee, then taking the TECEP as a non-matriculated student. The second is to apply as a degree-seeking student, paying the $75 application fee and for the cornerstone and taking the TECEP as a degree-seeking student (assuming they don't already have two bachelor's degrees). There is no need to actually finish a degree. I suspect the fees are going to come out very similar: https://www.tesu.edu/tuition/fees

One thing to note is that the Individual Learning Account seems to only entitle you to transcript services for a year. As a degree-seeking student, I would think you'd be able to get them indefinitely.

https://www.tesu.edu/academics/catalog/a...it-banking

[Merlin]

Either way, it still sounds like credit banking is the way the OP needs to go unless they intend to pursue a degree.

The way I see it, they've got two ways to go. One way is credit banking, paying the credit banking fee, then taking the TECEP as a non-matriculated student. The second is to apply as a degree-seeking student, paying the $75 application fee and for the cornerstone and taking the TECEP as a degree-seeking student (assuming they don't already have two bachelor's degrees). There is no need to actually finish a degree. I suspect the fees are going to come out very similar: https://www.tesu.edu/tuition/fees

One thing to note is that the Individual Learning Account seems to only entitle you to transcript services for a year. As a degree-seeking student, I would think you'd be able to get them indefinitely.

https://www.tesu.edu/academics/catalog/a...it-banking

I did some research and it appears that TESU keeps old transcripts in your permanent record indefinitely, which suggests that an official transcript requested at any point in the future SHOULD still show all transfer credits applied towards your last degree attempt, even if you don't graduate. I didn't confirm that with anyone at TESU, but it appears to be the case. If so, that's actually great news since some other schools expire incoming transfer credits after a long enough hiatus (usually a year of being inactive) and make you re-send all the transcripts again if you later re-apply for admission.

So in this case, it seems that either approach can work.

Given the above, applying as a degree-seeking student does seem like a good plan if the OP plans to take a TECEP anyway. If they don't intend to graduate, there is no reason to register for the cornerstone though, just register for the TECEP. As far as I know, TESU doesn't actually force you to register for the cornerstone, they just auto-add it to the course list when you register for a class. You can always drop it before you submit your classes and move on to payment.

At least that is how it worked for me when I first registered for a TECEP... OSS automatically added it but I just removed it and moved ahead. This was last spring though so things may have changed. I wasn't about to pay for the cornerstone since I was supposed to be under the SDC waiver. That is when I realized they hadn't added the flag to my account.

[scarlett5477]

Thanks all for your kind help!! I am working on the TECEP now. TESU hasn't replied to me yet and I plan to call them again. Wish everything will go smoothly in 2019.

[rvm]

@scarlett5477, I'm curious about something.  If you were to combine all your credits in one or two bachelor degrees, would that not solve the problem of CPA board requiring the credits on an official transcript?   CPA boards in most states in the USA want a degree.  I realize your state is different by allowing your total number of credits to be used.  

Here's an additional perspective.  What happens if Maine changes their policy and in order to be a CPA, you must have a minimum of a bachelors degree?  What happens if you want to work for a company that requires a 4-year degree?  What if you need to move out of Maine and to a state that requires a 4-year degree to be a CPA?  

You're so close to obtaining your BS, why not just complete it?  At some point, you will probably want to advance your career and even if the above-mentioned scenarios do not come to fruition, how can you go wrong by getting your degree?  What doors could be closed without it?

[dfrecore]

@scarlett5477, I'm curious about something.  If you were to combine all your credits in one or two bachelor degrees, would that not solve the problem of CPA board requiring the credits on an official transcript?   CPA boards in most states in the USA want a degree.  I realize your state is different by allowing your total number of credits to be used.  

Here's an additional perspective.  What happens if Maine changes their policy and in order to be a CPA, you must have a minimum of a bachelors degree?  What happens if you want to work for a company that requires a 4-year degree?  What if you need to move out of Maine and to a state that requires a 4-year degree to be a CPA?  

You're so close to obtaining your BS, why not just complete it?  At some point, you will probably want to advance your career and even if the above-mentioned scenarios do not come to fruition, how can you go wrong by getting your degree?  What doors could be closed without it?

I agree.  Not getting a degree at this point is very limiting.