Big 3

[RANSOMSOUL]

Finally found the answer to BIG4...I mean BIG3

Could we classify WGU as the BIG3 for MBA in relation to the possible speed of completion and price?

Western Governors University (heavily documented on speed and value)
Patten University (more of an idea until we hear from actual graduates)
Hodges University (hear it talked about a lot but unsure on the percentage of 1 term completions)

[sarg123]

There is another option for completing a degree quickly, and I'm surprised it's not mentioned more often here on this forum.

Some colleges, not a huge amount but some, do allow you to transfer in 90 credits so that you only have to take 30 credits from them. CSU Global are two colleges that I know about, but there are probably a lot more. These two are very testing-out friendly as they allow you to use cleps and dantes for quite a lot of their classes. This may be a good option for someone who wants to use Pell grants, and/or has a lot of previous credits and needs the upper level classes for whatever. Just wondering why this is never mentioned.

Edit: I meant to write: CSU Global and  Columbia College, Missouri are two colleges that accept 90 transfer credits and Cleps, Dante and Ace as well.

[quigongene]

There is another option for completing a degree quickly, and I'm surprised it's not mentioned more often here on this forum.

Some colleges, not a huge amount but some, do allow you to transfer in 90 credits so that you only have to take 30 credits from them.

This is actually one of the reasons I'm looking at a couple of state schools to get my bachelor's. The one in my city is very generous in allowing CLEP/DSST/ACE, and there's another in my state that does a Cyber Security degree. Would just need a total of 10 classes taken between the two schools for the degree. At $120ish a credit hour....it's not a bad deal.

[dfrecore]

There is another option for completing a degree quickly, and I'm surprised it's not mentioned more often here on this forum.

Some colleges, not a huge amount but some, do allow you to transfer in 90 credits so that you only have to take 30 credits from them. CSU Global are two colleges that I know about, but there are probably a lot more. These two are very testing-out friendly as they allow you to use cleps and dantes for quite a lot of their classes. This may be a good option for someone who wants to use Pell grants, and/or has a lot of previous credits and needs the upper level classes for whatever. Just wondering why this is never mentioned.

It's not that it's never mentioned, it's just that most people already know about their local college and what it takes to go there.  They may not know that they might take CLEP/DSST/ACE, but they know enough to ask some questions.

This forum is really towards the less traditional schools, and the Big 3 will take ALL of your degree as a transfer (except the capstone for all 3 and cornerstone for COSC).

There are times when people come on here and ask about Pell grants, or GI Bill, and then there are other schools mentioned.  But most of us are just looking to get a non-trad degree because we've already done the traditional thing and it didn't work out well.  Or we are older and looking to get a fast degree because we need it for advancement at work, and traditional programs will take too long.  Things like that.

[sarg123]

First of all, most people really don't know about cleps. Go into any college and ask a random person what a clep is, and I'll bet that nine out of ten will have no idea. Almost all colleges do have a policy of accepting cleps, this would be a real money/time saver for some people.

I went back to college two years ago as an older adult. I have met a lot of people over the past two years who would love to finish faster, if they knew how. A lot of people get discouraged and never finish. Cleps can really help these people, but I'm not out to change the world.

---

There is another option for completing a degree quickly, and I'm surprised it's not mentioned more often here on this forum.

Some colleges, not a huge amount but some, do allow you to transfer in 90 credits so that you only have to take 30 credits from them. CSU Global are two colleges that I know about, but there are probably a lot more. These two are very testing-out friendly as they allow you to use cleps and dantes for quite a lot of their classes. This may be a good option for someone who wants to use Pell grants, and/or has a lot of previous credits and needs the upper level classes for whatever. Just wondering why this is never mentioned.

It's not that it's never mentioned, it's just that most people already know about their local college and what it takes to go there.  They may not know that they might take CLEP/DSST/ACE, but they know enough to ask some questions.

This forum is really towards the less traditional schools, and the Big 3 will take ALL of your degree as a transfer (except the capstone for all 3 and cornerstone for COSC).

There are times when people come on here and ask about Pell grants, or GI Bill, and then there are other schools mentioned.  But most of us are just looking to get a non-trad degree because we've already done the traditional thing and it didn't work out well.  Or we are older and looking to get a fast degree because we need it for advancement at work, and traditional programs will take too long.  Things like that.

Transferring in 90 credits to a regular college is both non-traditional, and much faster than a regular degree. I am talking about getting the last 30 credits in online classes, and transferring the rest through clep, dante, and ace. There are some colleges that allow you to do that, not tons, but there are. And it's hard to find them on your own, that's why I was wondering why they weren't mentioned more on this forum.

In my area - I live in New Jersey - there are almost no options to transfer in 90 credits. There is one college in my area that I heard might do that, but they are extremely expensive - I think it would be almost $40,000 to finish the last 30 credits with them. Anyone I spoke to in the past year - and these are ALL older returning adults - were under the impression that there are no options, and that they must follow the strict policies of the college they are in. But in reality there are options if you are willing to take classes online.

I know that online classes is not for everybody, but to be honest, the classes are really getting better and better. They have come a long way from the original correspondence colleges where you had to read a book and take a test, and you were all on your own. I just started an online class at a college in a different part of the country, and so far I am very impressed. They use connect, just like we used in my B&M class, and they have lots of interactive activities to help you learn. Also, this class posts videos which are very helpful.

For someone who is eligible for financial aid, this degree can be almost free, and finish within a year and a half, if starting from scratch. Compare that to the typical amount of time of at least six years that most students need to finish their degree. It just seems like an option that should at least be mentioned.

[sanantone]

There are a lot of colleges out there that will let you transfer in 75% of the credits. There are way too many to list. However, these colleges usually cap non-traditional credits at 30-60. In 2017, taking a bunch of online classes has become almost traditional. Give it a few more years, and it will be completely traditional.

The number of transfer credits allowed is not the only thing holding back many of the adults here. Taking 30 credits can be out of their budget, taking courses in terms either slows them down or is too much for their hectic schedules, there is often a low cap on non-traditional credits, and most schools are not as flexible as the Big 3 when applying your existing credits to a degree program.

[sarg123]

There is another option for completing a degree quickly, and I'm surprised it's not mentioned more often here on this forum.

Some colleges, not a huge amount but some, do allow you to transfer in 90 credits so that you only have to take 30 credits from them. CSU Global are two colleges that I know about, but there are probably a lot more. These two are very testing-out friendly as they allow you to use cleps and dantes for quite a lot of their classes. This may be a good option for someone who wants to use Pell grants, and/or has a lot of previous credits and needs the upper level classes for whatever. Just wondering why this is never mentioned.

Edit: I meant to write: CSU Global and  Columbia College, Missouri are two colleges that accept 90 transfer credits and Cleps, Dante and Ace as well.

There are a lot of colleges out there that will let you transfer in 75% of the credits. There are way too many to list. However, these colleges usually cap non-traditional credits at 30-60. In 2017, taking a bunch of online classes has become almost traditional. Give it a few more years, and it will be completely traditional.

The number of transfer credits allowed is not the only thing holding back many of the adults here. Taking 30 credits can be out of their budget, taking courses in terms either slows them down or is too much for their hectic schedules, there is often a low cap on non-traditional credits, and most schools are not as flexible as the Big 3 when applying your existing credits to a degree program.

I'm only talking about colleges that do accept 90 credits from non-traditional sources, there must be a few?

[sanantone]

There is another option for completing a degree quickly, and I'm surprised it's not mentioned more often here on this forum.

Some colleges, not a huge amount but some, do allow you to transfer in 90 credits so that you only have to take 30 credits from them. CSU Global are two colleges that I know about, but there are probably a lot more. These two are very testing-out friendly as they allow you to use cleps and dantes for quite a lot of their classes. This may be a good option for someone who wants to use Pell grants, and/or has a lot of previous credits and needs the upper level classes for whatever. Just wondering why this is never mentioned.

Edit: I meant to write: CSU Global and  Columbia College, Missouri are two colleges that accept 90 transfer credits and Cleps, Dante and Ace as well.

There are a lot of colleges out there that will let you transfer in 75% of the credits. There are way too many to list. However, these colleges usually cap non-traditional credits at 30-60. In 2017, taking a bunch of online classes has become almost traditional. Give it a few more years, and it will be completely traditional.

The number of transfer credits allowed is not the only thing holding back many of the adults here. Taking 30 credits can be out of their budget, taking courses in terms either slows them down or is too much for their hectic schedules, there is often a low cap on non-traditional credits, and most schools are not as flexible as the Big 3 when applying your existing credits to a degree program.

I'm only talking about colleges that do accept 90 credits from non-traditional sources, there must be a few?

We would probably talk about CSU Global more if they offered degrees that didn't have a similar alternative at the Big 3. Otherwise, I don't think they're worth paying $350 per credit hour. It's a reasonable price, but those last 30 credits can be completed cheaper through alternative sources. Plus, the Big 3 have lower military rates. CSU Global only gives a 10% discount.

[dfrecore]

I think it's safe to say that there aren't many colleges who fit the bill. But if YOU want to talk about them, because you've found some great options, feel free! We aren't trying to discriminate against other colleges, but it's hard to get an entire forum talking about a school that no one is familiar with. With the Big 3, we know what they will accept, and how the courses will come in. With other schools, we just don't necessarily know.

[sarg123]

So, I just checked out some colleges transfer policies, and sanantone is right, you can only transfer in 60 ace/clep credits towards your bachelor's for most colleges. CSU Global is more generous, but is definitely a more expensive option.

So back it is to the big 3! Unless, you have 30 community college credits... but now I'm going too far into what ifs.