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+--- Thread: TESU Undergraduate Certificates and Alternative Credit Limits (/Thread-TESU-Undergraduate-Certificates-and-Alternative-Credit-Limits)
TESU Undergraduate Certificates and Alternative Credit Limits - Bigshay - 01-02-2026
Does anyone know how many alternative credits such as Study.com or Sophia can be used toward a TESU Undergraduate Certificate only, not an Associate or Bachelor’s degree?
Specifically, I am looking at the Undergraduate Certificate in Finance/Accounts. From what I can tell, all courses except one can be completed through Study.com.
Before I commit, I want to confirm the following:
Is there a cap on alternative credits for undergraduate certificates at TESU?
Does TESU require a minimum number of credits taken directly through TESU for certificates?
Any firsthand experience or official confirmation would be appreciated.
Warm regards
BS
RE: TESU Undergraduate Certificates and Alternative Credit Limits - Jonathan Whatley - 01-02-2026
From the Undergraduate Certificates page of the TESU Undergraduate Catalog:
Quote:Undergraduate students who enroll in the University and seek to earn only a certificate must earn at least 50 percent of the credits for the certificate through TESU credit offerings, with the following exceptions:
- a student who has not earned at least 50 percent of the credits for the certificate through TESU credit offerings may pay the Residency Waiver Fee to be awarded the certificate; and
- if the certificate is awarded at the same time as a TESU associate or bachelor’s degree, the 50 percent TESU credit offering requirement for the certificate does not apply, nor does the Edison Accelerate Fee for the certificate. In this case, the student must meet all residency requirements for the associate or bachelor’s degree or pay the Edison Accelerate Fee for the degree, if required by the selected enrollment plan.
There is no limit on alternative credit per se, but that means that if you want more than 50% of the certificate to come from any source other than TESU credit offerings, you’ll need to either pay the Accelerate aka waiver fee for the certificate, or graduate with the certificate at the same time as you graduate with an TESU associate or bachelor’s degree for which you’ve either paid the Accelerate aka waiver fee, or you’ve met the 15-credit standard residency requirement for that degree.
RE: TESU Undergraduate Certificates and Alternative Credit Limits - Bigshay - 01-02-2026
Thank you for the response...Yeah, I am not loking to get a full bachelor or associates and the waiver option is a bit too expensive....yeah its a bummer...Do you know of any other certificates that take alternative credits?
RE: TESU Undergraduate Certificates and Alternative Credit Limits - Mint Berry Crunch - 01-03-2026
(01-02-2026, 05:47 PM)Bigshay Wrote: Thank you for the response...Yeah, I am not loking to get a full bachelor or associates and the waiver option is a bit too expensive....yeah its a bummer...Do you know of any other certificates that take alternative credits?
I remember this thread from a while ago discussing cheap graduate level certs at Missouri State University:
https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-Any-short-cheapish-online-graduate-certificate-programs
They may also have cheap undergrad ones. If you're interested in a "Master's" (subjectivity based on who reviews it), ENEB has been widely discussed in this forum for roughly around $200-250 USD, often, they have sales on them, to include bundle deals and alt methodologies.
You may wish to consider doing some Coursera professional certs which count as a significant bundle of ACE credits, some of which you can ladder towards different degree programs that are partnered with Coursera. For example, I'm doing UIUC's iMSM program through Coursera
RE: TESU Undergraduate Certificates and Alternative Credit Limits - Bigshay - 01-03-2026
Thank you once more for the response. I guess what I really want is to do a bunch of SDC courses in finance and accounts and then apply them to some sort of certificate as the SDC courses and credits on their own if not attached to a degree aren't anything marketable....I know COSC and Excelsior also have certs but I'd assume its the same thing as at TESU.
RE: TESU Undergraduate Certificates and Alternative Credit Limits - Mint Berry Crunch - 01-03-2026
(01-03-2026, 03:28 PM)Bigshay Wrote: Thank you once more for the response. I guess what I really want is to do a bunch of SDC courses in finance and accounts and then apply them to some sort of certificate as the SDC courses and credits on their own if not attached to a degree aren't anything marketable....I know COSC and Excelsior also have certs but I'd assume its the same thing as at TESU.
Well, you could do WGU undergrad programs. Some of them come with certs as you complete the program, for instance, I think their marketing degrees incorporate some Google certs and SalesForce.
WGU also has specific certificate programs you can do that are in a variety of subjects:
https://www.wgu.edu/online-degree-programs.html?level=Certificate
The world is your oyster
RE: TESU Undergraduate Certificates and Alternative Credit Limits - bjcheung77 - 01-05-2026
Find which undergraduate certificates fit your needs and is attainable entirely using Study.com classes. You do not need to take any classes at TESU, you can transfer all the credits you need for the certificate on route to completing your associates/bachelors combo at TESU.
RE: TESU Undergraduate Certificates and Alternative Credit Limits - Jonathan Whatley - 01-05-2026
The OP is apparently not completing an associate’s or bachelor’s though, so will not be eligible for the waiver of the 50% TESU residency requirement for certificates.
It looks like TESU residency for the certificates alone (unlike degrees on non-military plans) can be met with TECEPs. That could help for a few certificates in business subjects.