cleps's, dsst's, sl's uxcel's...and lions and bears, oh my!

[keepsingin]

Hey everyone, excuse another rookie! (I've spent many hours reading on this forum so a little bit of the fog is lifting!) I looked and looked for an answer to this question and am still confused, so here goes...

I'm attempting to get a degree plan together and right now I'm focusing just on the general ed and free electives right now. Is there a "rule" as to which of the big 3 accept which tests? I'm thinking specifically of sanatone's general ed options page on degreeforum... So for example, would tesc accept any and all CLEP/DSST/ECE/TECEP tests, ALEKS/Straighterline/FEMA courses, etc., as long as they don't duplicate? If I understand right, Excelsior doesn't accept all (any?) clep's...would someone be able to break this down for me? I haven't picked a college yet so I'm trying to keep my options open and not waste my time. The templates on degreeforum are helpful, but I'm looking to keep my options open for these three colleges, and they're specific to one college...

Another thing, lots of posters have said to check with your college to make sure they accept how you're getting your credit (clep, dsst, ece, etc) before you go ahead. However, these colleges websites are kind of vague and not always helpful in this area. The ones I contacted told me I would have to apply before they could help me.

<<<<QUOTE: TESC will be the cheapest option (of the big 3) if you choose the Per Credit Tuition Plan. Under this plan, there is a 24-credit residency requirement, but it can be met by taking 8 TECEPs at $111 each. There is no enrollment fee under this plan. Neither Excelsior nor TESC charge for transferring credits. They have enrollment fees or residency requirements depending on which tuition plan you choose. >>>>END QUOTE

Can't for sure remember who I'm quoting; I copied this from this forum a bit ago... This is GREAT news if it applies to everyone (yes, please?!) Dumb question, maybe, but how do you get your degree through them if you never enroll?? Seems to me they would never make any money, but I could just be a little out of touch with how it all works. <<<<<EDIT: Oh, DUH! It says there is no enrollment FEE under this plan..so obviously you're still enrolling. But I still don't see how they make money. END OF EDIT>>>>>

Thanks for all the help on here--it's amazing!

[GoodYellowDogs]

Excelsior accepts CLEPs, DSSTs, Uexcel, TECEPs, and many others.

http://documents.excelsior.edu/document/...m-catalog/

[ladylearner]

[quote=keepsingin]Hey everyone, excuse another rookie! (I've spent many hours reading on this forum so a little bit of the fog is lifting!) I looked and looked for an answer to this question and am still confused, so here goes...

Dear Newbie, you have come to the right place. I don’t profess to be an expert but I will chime in with what I have learned here and through my own experiences and research.

I agree it is frustrating that you need to enroll in order to get specific information but then don’t know where to enroll because you don’t have specific information…lol. Sometimes, if your situation is unique, you will be charting new territory but quite often the members on the forum have been there, done that.

Let me say first off that only Charter Oak State College accepts FEMA credits right now unless you go through Frederick Community College, which requires cost and is an entirely different process.

All of the Big 3 will evaluate your credits when you apply even if you don’t enroll. But help with course planning is limited if you’re not an enrolled student. Since it costs to apply, it is helpful to have some credits under your belt before spending money on the application fee.

If you want to make a decision, I suggest you narrow down your interests and preferences and draft a couple of degree plans. The templates are college-specific but you can try a few different ones for different colleges and different programs. If you have a few degree options in mind, you can compare them cost-wise and time-wise to determine the best fit for you.

Also, do you have transfer credits already? Are you seeking a two-year degree or 4-year? Or both? Are you a resident of NJ or CT (which would affect your tuition rates at TESC and COSC)?

[keepsingin]

Hey thanks for the info and suggestions! I actually don't have very many credits yet, but I'm shooting for a four yr degree, and I'm located in TX. Yeah I'm in the process of getting together different templates for different colleges/degrees...so we'll see how it all pans out. Thanks for the help!

[sanantone]

My general education options are specific to TESC. TESC makes money off of the Per Credit Tuition Plan by having a residency requirement. It forces you to pay for their courses, TECEPs, or portfolio assessments. If you decide to use all TECEPs, then they just made $888 off of you. It's not as much as the $3,000 enrollment fee under the Enrolled Options Plan, but they probably assumed that hardly anyone would try to meet all of the residency requirements with TECEPs. Courses are $491 per credit hour for non-residents under the PCT plan.

TESC does not accept FEMA credits at all. Excelsior requires Frederick Community College as the middleman, and they charge $80 per credit hour. COSC will take them directly without charge. GoodYellowDogs posted a good document for Excelsior. COSC has a similar document.
https://www.charteroak.edu/current/acade...r-list.pdf

TESC doesn't really have a comprehensive document for what they accept. In general, they accept credits from regionally accredited schools and those approved by ACE and NCCRS. This includes CLEP, DSST, ALEKS, Saylor, Sophia Learning, Propero, some Penn Foster courses, Straighterline, Torah College, Align Degree, Uexcel, and many other sources of credit. They accept all TECEPs because those are their own exams.