Super Confused about the Residency Waiver

[elledee2020]

I have searched and read a ton of threads.  I have read the catalog.  

On the forum, I keep seeing that you have one year to graduate after paying the fee.  The catalog says 15 months.

I can't find anything say when I have to pay it.  Is there a set time you have to pay that fee?  At enrollment?  

If I apply in November to start in January, I need at least 18 mos to do the coursework to graduate.  And I cannot afford the fee right now.  That would take all the money I am planning to use for the courses at Sophia and SDC.  So any clarification on the timetable of things would help me a lot.  

Thanks!

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Correction... website says 15 months.

"If a student pays either residency waiver fee or does not graduate within 15 months, they will be required to pay additional credit hour residency waiver fees."

[rachel83az]

You do not pay the fee until you are ready to graduate. If you choose to pay the fee early, your clock starts ticking.

You might also want to opt to take some easy courses with your capstone & cornerstone to be able to hit the 16 credit requirement and avoid the residency fee entirely.

6 credits x $519 (out of state tuition) = 3114 + 3125 residency waiver = $6239

16 credits in 1 term (capstone, cornerstone, Jane Austin 1-credit course, 3 easy courses) = $4639 flat-rate tuition.

It's literally cheaper to take some remedial 100-level courses you don't necessarily NEED rather than paying the waiver.

[Dorothy44]

You do not pay the fee until you are ready to graduate. If you choose to pay the fee early, your clock starts ticking.

You might also want to opt to take some easy courses with your capstone & cornerstone to be able to hit the 16 credit requirement and avoid the residency fee entirely.

6 credits x $519 (out of state tuition) = 3114 + 3125 residency waiver = $6239

15 credits in 1 term (capstone, cornerstone, Jane Austin 1-credit course, 3 easy courses) = $4639 flat-rate tuition.

It's literally cheaper to take some remedial 100-level courses you don't necessarily NEED rather than paying the waiver.

Do you happen to have a list of some of the easier/remedial courses that are 100's that would word?  Thank you.

[rachel83az]

Do you happen to have a list of some of the easier/remedial courses that are 100's that would word?  Thank you.

You need to do 16 credits in one term. Typo in my original post! That said, it's going to depend on what your strengths/weaknesses are. You definitely need:

Capstone - 3 credits
Cornerstone - 3 credits
ENG-298 Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice - 1 credit

Possible 100-level courses are:
GEO-151 Physical Geology - Geology has a reputation for being an "easy" science in college
ART-100 A World of Art doesn't duplicate with Sophia.
MAT-105 Applied Liberal Arts Mathematics could work if you're at least comfortable with basic math concepts (this is lower than algebra)
PHO-101 Introduction to Photography might be good if you have access to an SLR camera (digital not allowed).
SOS-150 Self-Assessment and Career Exploration looks pretty useful, especially for younger students.
EAS-131 Introduction to Meteorology - I used to think weather phenomena were fascinating. This looks to be not too difficult.
EAS-101 General Earth Science is not quite geology but it is geology, so it should be (relatively) straightforward.

Some potential 200-level courses include:
EAS-201 The Science of Disasters - This looks pretty fascinating to me and seems to be a combined geology/meterology/polisci course.
HIS-235 American Civil War
HIS-210 American Civil Rights Movement
HIS-261 Introduction to Chinese History and Culture - could be a good way for history majors to fill the non-Western history slot without having to pay extra for BYU?
LIT-202 Literary Roots of Western Culture
LIT-221 Introduction to Children's Literature
REL-275 An Introduction to Islam - this one may not be as easy if you're not familiar with Islam

Some of the above have final exams, some require papers. Check the syllabus to find out which one requires what.

[dfrecore]

16cr in a single 12-week term will be a lot for most people. Especially since the capstone is a LOT of work. I'm not certain I'd suggest this as the best path for people who haven't even proven to themselves that they can handle this amount of work.

I'd probably test myself to finish 16cr of UL courses at Study.com in 3 months, and then see what you think. And know that whatever you just did, TESU will probably be 3x the work.

[elledee2020]

The time vs the cash is what I am trying to consider with that fee.  I could do 9 credits for two terms and hit the goal, and I have enough aid to cover it.  BUT...I don't know if I have the TIME to devote to three classes at once with rigid deadlines, etc.  That scares me.  My current circumstances probably wouldn't allow me to do it and do it well.

[Cofffeee]

U can prepare for courses in advance. Check syllabus, order or rent textbook where is applicable. At least it will help u during the term a lot if u r determined to take 16 credits

[Merlin]

You need to do 16 credits in one term.

Hang on a second. I think there may be some potential for confusion here.

Full-time flat-rate tuition requires that you complete 9 or more credits per term while participating in that program. However, this has nothing to do with meeting the residency requirement.

- Students registering for 9 or more credits per term will receive the discounted Full-Time Flat-Rate Tuition.
- Students do not have to preselect this plan, but will be automatically enrolled once the 9-credit per term threshold has been reached.
- Students registering for fewer than 9 credits per term will continue to be enrolled under Per Credit Tuition.

You earn residency by earning at least 16 semester hours from TESU courses (OL/GS/EP, but not TECEP). However, those don't have to be completed in the same term...

The Credit Hour Residency Waiver Fee applies to students who have not earned at least 16 Semester Hours from the University’s Online (OL), Guided Study (GS) or e-Pack (EP) courses towards their associate or bachelor’s degree

So you can spread the 16 credit requirements across two terms and still pay the flat-rate and avoid paying a residency fee as long as you can take 9 credits (3 courses) per term for 18 credits total. That is far more reasonable than trying to finish 16 credits in a single term, especially for people who work or have families.

Yeah, it is cheaper to do it all in a single term since you pay the same amount regardless of how many courses you take, but you aren't forced to do so. There is not much cost savings doing it in two terms though. (Like $64 total.)

Honestly, it is far less trouble to just finish the cornerstone and capstone at TESU and do the rest elsewhere. Yes, it costs a bit more, but it's way faster and less stressful than trying to do it all in a single term unless you're a full-time student.

[Seagull]

You need to do 16 credits in one term.

Hang on a second. I think there may be some potential for confusion here.

Full-time flat-rate tuition requires that you complete 9 or more credits per term while participating in that program. However, this has nothing to do with meeting the residency requirement.

- Students registering for 9 or more credits per term will receive the discounted Full-Time Flat-Rate Tuition.
- Students do not have to preselect this plan, but will be automatically enrolled once the 9-credit per term threshold has been reached.
- Students registering for fewer than 9 credits per term will continue to be enrolled under Per Credit Tuition.

You earn residency by earning at least 16 semester hours from TESU courses (OL/GS/EP, but not TECEP). However, those don't have to be completed in the same term...

The Credit Hour Residency Waiver Fee applies to students who have not earned at least 16 Semester Hours from the University’s Online (OL), Guided Study (GS) or e-Pack (EP) courses towards their associate or bachelor’s degree

So you can spread the 16 credit requirements across two terms and still pay the flat-rate and avoid paying a residency fee as long as you can take 9 credits (3 courses) per term for 18 credits total. That is far more reasonable than trying to finish 16 credits in a single term, especially for people who work or have families.

Yeah, it is cheaper to do it all in a single term since you pay the same amount regardless of how many courses you take, but you aren't forced to do so. There is not much cost savings doing it in two terms though. (Like $64 total.)

Honestly, it is far less trouble to just finish the cornerstone and capstone at TESU and do the rest elsewhere. Yes, it costs a bit more, but it's way faster and less stressful than trying to do it all in a single term unless you're a full-time student.

It is an investment/risk ratio in that the waiver is risk free, while the courses are not, if one cannot pass the course, it doesn't count towards residency.

[dfrecore]

You need to do 16 credits in one term.

Hang on a second. I think there may be some potential for confusion here.

Full-time flat-rate tuition requires that you complete 9 or more credits per term while participating in that program. However, this has nothing to do with meeting the residency requirement.

- Students registering for 9 or more credits per term will receive the discounted Full-Time Flat-Rate Tuition.
- Students do not have to preselect this plan, but will be automatically enrolled once the 9-credit per term threshold has been reached.
- Students registering for fewer than 9 credits per term will continue to be enrolled under Per Credit Tuition.

You earn residency by earning at least 16 semester hours from TESU courses (OL/GS/EP, but not TECEP). However, those don't have to be completed in the same term...

The Credit Hour Residency Waiver Fee applies to students who have not earned at least 16 Semester Hours from the University’s Online (OL), Guided Study (GS) or e-Pack (EP) courses towards their associate or bachelor’s degree

So you can spread the 16 credit requirements across two terms and still pay the flat-rate and avoid paying a residency fee as long as you can take 9 credits (3 courses) per term for 18 credits total. That is far more reasonable than trying to finish 16 credits in a single term, especially for people who work or have families.

Yeah, it is cheaper to do it all in a single term since you pay the same amount regardless of how many courses you take, but you aren't forced to do so. There is not much cost savings doing it in two terms though. (Like $64 total.)

Honestly, it is far less trouble to just finish the cornerstone and capstone at TESU and do the rest elsewhere. Yes, it costs a bit more, but it's way faster and less stressful than trying to do it all in a single term unless you're a full-time student.

So if you do 9cr per term for the first term, it's $4639.  Then you'd do 7cr in the 2nd term, which would be $3633.  That's a total of $8272, totally negating the point of this.  If you just took the cornerstone and capstone and paid the residency waiver, then you'd pay $6306.

You only save money by doing 16cr in a single term.  If you can't, then don't bother.  You'll pay almost $2000 more, and spend more time as well (2x12week terms = 24 weeks).  Not a good plan at all, unless you get the Pell grant.