Associates Degree - Cheaper / Easier of the Big 3?

[sanantone]

TESC is the most expensive ONLY if your looking to complete all classwork via TESC courses. Like a previous poster mentioned, its far cheaper/faster to use a combination of aleks, straighterline and cleps. Use TESC for the final two or three courses.

Two years and 60 credits of coursework at TESC with graduation fees:

$17,604

Two years and 60 credits of coursework at Excelsior (just went up to $355 per credit):

$23,145 according to my calculations
$25,350 according to Excelsior's tuition calculator

Two years and 60 credits of coursework at Charter Oak (before they switch from annual fee to semester fee):

$18,351 (there's a $45 registration fee per semester and I just calculated the tuition with 4 semesters)

Completely testing out of an associates at TESC in one year:

$3,135 (according to tuition calculator)

Completely testing out of an associates at Excelsior in one year:

$1,930

Taking the two required courses at Charter Oak and testing out of the rest in one year (before switch from annual to semester fee):

$2,708

[creationstory]

Two years and 60 credits of coursework at TESC with graduation fees:

$17,604

Two years and 60 credits of coursework at Excelsior (just went up to $355 per credit):

$23,145 according to my calculations
$25,350 according to Excelsior's tuition calculator

Two years and 60 credits of coursework at Charter Oak (before they switch from annual fee to semester fee):

$18,351 (there's a $45 registration fee per semester and I just calculated the tuition with 4 semesters)

Completely testing out of an associates at TESC in one year:

$3,135 (according to tuition calculator)

Completely testing out of an associates at Excelsior in one year:

$1,930

Taking the two required courses at Charter Oak and testing out of the rest in one year (before switch from annual to semester fee):

$2,708

what are you figuring for excelsior?

its about 1300 for grad fee and enrollment fee.. you're figuring 630 for tests.. what tests are you speaking of?

[burbuja0512]

Completely testing out of an associates at TESC in one year:

$3,135 (according to tuition calculator)

Completely testing out of an associates at Excelsior in one year:

$1,930

Taking the two required courses at Charter Oak and testing out of the rest in one year (before switch from annual to semester fee):

$2,708

Thanks for the post, but I should probably clarify the COSC part. You don't have to take the two classes for an associates. You have to take ONLY the cornerstone for an associates. The cornerstone and the capstone are both needed if you get a bachelors.

With the updated fees and tuition, an associates at COSC should cost you (according to the latest pricing on their website, which now is showing only a $45 dollar enrollment fee per semester), $870 dollars not including whatever you would pay for books or CLEP fees.

A bachelors would be about double this.

[cookderosa]

TESC is the most expensive ONLY if your looking to complete all classwork via TESC courses. Like a previous poster mentioned, its far cheaper/faster to use a combination of aleks, straighterline and cleps. Use TESC for the final two or three courses.

I think a degree from TESC doesn't become efficient until you go for a bachelor's degree. If you are completing 120 credits, your break even point is MUCH sooner, and you'll come out with a significantly cheaper degree. I think that at the AA/AS level, you're going to be caught in the enrollment/grad fees and end up costing = or > your cc.

TESC: application $75, enrollment fee of ~$2700, grad fee $400, FEMA $0, ALEKS $20-$40, roughly 16 CLEP/DSST exams @$80 $1280 = ballpark $4500

Average community college
application $0, enrollment $0, grad fee $0 (let's assume you can't use FEMA or ALEKS), roughly 15-30 CLEP credits or 5-10 tests $800, remaining credits in residence 30-45 @$75ish roughly $3000 = ballpark $4000

These numbers are just ballpark based on averages and generic estimations. But, as you can see, it's easy enough to calculate using your own community college and real numbers/real fees. Your college's CLEP policy will also be a bid part of the calculation.

For my money, if my CC and TESC were the same cost, and I had the ability to take some/most/all courses via distance, I would probably do so. The local name recognition has value to employers. Now, if I were seeking a bachelor degree, my advice would be VERY DIFFERENT, but the OP's question was for an associates.

[sanantone]

what are you figuring for excelsior?

its about 1300 for grad fee and enrollment fee.. you're figuring 630 for tests.. what tests are you speaking of?

I didn't include the costs for tests because the costs for tests should be about the same for each school. I was only referring to how much it would take to pay the fees for getting the degree.

(Excelsior's application and enrollment fees just increased)

Application: $80
Enrollment: $975
Student Service fee: $465 (Is this not charged for the first year?)
Graduation: $495
Total: $2,015 or $1,550

I used Excelsior's tuition calculator and it gave me $1,545.

[sanantone]

Thanks for the post, but I should probably clarify the COSC part. You don't have to take the two classes for an associates. You have to take ONLY the cornerstone for an associates. The cornerstone and the capstone are both needed if you get a bachelors.

With the updated fees and tuition, an associates at COSC should cost you (according to the latest pricing on their website, which now is showing only a $45 dollar enrollment fee per semester), $870 dollars not including whatever you would pay for books or CLEP fees.

A bachelors would be about double this.

I see. Excuse my calculation errors. :p COSC still has the academic service fee up until July 1 and I couldn't tell if the $45 registration fee per semester was always there or if it was the replacement for the academic service fee. I always include the application fee when comparing the tuition costs between the 3. Wouldn't it be

Application: $75
Tuition: Cornerstone = $825
Registration fee: $45
Graduation fee: $205
Total: $1,150

[cookderosa]

I didn't include the costs for tests because the costs for tests should be about the same for each school.

This is where you want to be careful, this isn't always the case, especially if you start completing majors/fields/concentrations.

[burbuja0512]

I see. Excuse my calculation errors. :p COSC still has the academic service fee up until July 1 and I couldn't tell if the $45 registration fee per semester was always there or if it was the replacement for the academic service fee. I always include the application fee when comparing the tuition costs between the 3. Wouldn't it be

Application: $75
Tuition: Cornerstone = $825
Registration fee: $45
Graduation fee: $205
Total: $1,150

No problem! I am even confused because COSC sent students an email a while ago talking about how they were lowering the costs to around 200 bucks a semester, but it appears from their site that they've lowered the costs even more since they sent the email.

Go COSC!!!!

[NAP]

I didn't include the costs for tests because the costs for tests should be about the same for each school. I was only referring to how much it would take to pay the fees for getting the degree.

(Excelsior's application and enrollment fees just increased)

Application: $80
Enrollment: $975
Student Service fee: $465 (Is this not charged for the first year?)
Graduation: $495
Total: $2,015 or $1,550

I used Excelsior's tuition calculator and it gave me $1,545.

Thanks for updating the fee list. I had not noticed that they had increased recently.

The Student Service Annual fee of $465 is just for extending enrollment past the first year. If you can complete your degree within one year, that fee should not be necessary.

Application: $80
Enrollment: $975
Graduation: $495
New Total: $1,550

Plus, Information Literacy course to take or transfer.

[sanantone]

This is where you want to be careful, this isn't always the case, especially if you start completing majors/fields/concentrations.

That's why I chose TESC because they accept more CLEPs and DSSTs as upper level than the other two schools and they have accepted 5 of my LL courses as UL.