We Have Moved on From the Basic “Big 3” Colleges and Now Have CBE Big 3 and Others

[LevelUP]

The original Big 3 Colleges

Excelsior University

It still accepts 113 transfer credits. So, not all that much has changed.

Charter Oak State College

Now required 30 RA credits and a B average on transfer credits. They only accept 50 Study.com credits, so it would be hard to earn UL credits. There isn't much reason to go to this college for new students or those with a low amount of transfer credits. 

Thomas Edison State University

Now required 30 RA credits. Only cost $50 per year to be enrolled in this school. People go to this school for computer science, psychology, and other degrees. This is also good if they already have many transfer credits or get multiple degrees. 

It only requires 5 extra courses to go from BA in Computer Science to obtaining a separate BS Business Admin CIS degree. Requires zero additional courses and zero cost to go from BS Business Admin CIS to a free Associates degree in Computer Science. 

If you are starting from scratch and only want a Liberal Arts, History, or Business degree, then UMPI would be quicker and cheaper.

The New CBE Big 3 Colleges

Western Governors University

A lot of people like this school for their computer technology degrees. The computer tech degrees have industry-recognized certifications. The cost is around $3500 per 6-month session.

Purdue Global University

Has a variety of degrees. Their computer tech degree utilizes certifications. Some certificates can count for 7 courses! The cost is around $2800 per 10-week session.

University of Maine at Presque Isle

Has a variety of degree programs. What makes this college popular is the cost of $1500 per 8-week session, and courses tend to be around 20-40 hours in length on average.

Other Colleges That Are Highly Recommended

Southern New Hampshire University

The positives of this school are that it is the most popular online school with over 170,000 online students, has the largest variety of degree programs out of the schools we recommend, and the courses are around 20 hours with easy grading. The downside is you can only take 2 courses at a time, and the cost overall is higher than the colleges we recommend at $960 per course.

Texas A&M University-Commerce

Texas A&M University-Commerce offers four competency-based degrees: BAAS in Organizational Leadership, BAAS in Health Services Administration, BAAS in Safety and Health, and BS in Criminal Justice with emphasis in Law Enforcement Leadership.

Peirce College

Peirce College is a Regionally Accredited university with very generous alternate credit transfer limits. They have several degrees that allow you to transfer in 90-102 credits. The cost at Peirce itself is quoted as being either $20000 or $11000, depending on whether you bring in 90 or 102 credits.

CUNY School of Professional Studies

CUNY SPS is ranked #10 in the nation on U.S. News & World Report's list of 2022 Best Online Bachelor's Programs, and also earns several other top ranking by the publisher. CUNY SPS allows transfer up to 105 academic credits from previous educational institutions.

Liberty University Online

Liberty University Online is one of the most well-known religious universities, offering many majors to choose from. They offer a 15% Sophia discount and a discount for the military as well.

University of the Cumberlands 

University of the Cumberlands is a religious university that offers low tuition at $220 per credit. Many of their majors provide approximately 50 free electives, which is beneficial for transfer students. However, it's important to note that there is no equivalent list for Sophia or Study.com. Nevertheless, you can utilize this student transfer evaluation to determine course equivalencies. Additionally, you may have the option to obtain an unofficial transfer evaluation for free.

University of the People

UOP has an NA-accredited computer science program that can be done cheaply. UOP is very similar to SNHU in how courses are set up and the time to complete a degree.

$60 application fee
$510 transfer credit fee ($17 * 30)
$1200 remaining courses ($120 * 10)
$1770 total

Best Associates Degree

Pierpont

Pierpoint is a technical college that will give you a Board of Governors (BOG) Associate's degree for free! All you need is 1 graded RA credit, and the rest of the credits can come from Sophia. This is a great way to boost your self-confidence and your perception of your own capabilities.

[ss20ts]

I'm not sure I'm label PUG this way. PUG is a LOT of writing. All of their degree programs are not certificate friendly. Been through this with the ExcelTrack Analytics bachelor's degree with my husband. PUG is definitely more work than WGU and UMPI as each course is broken down into individual credits with each credit having at least 1 paper and the ULs often have multiple assignments per credit.

[Alpha]

It seems quite appropriate that you point out that the Big 3 don't seem to shine quite as brightly as they did in the past and that there are some schools, each coming into existence in its own way, that have moved into positions of higher prominence.  I think it's good to mention SNHU as they offer lots of programs at a good price.  I'd stretch a little farther and mention ASU as a big player.  Their cost is clearly higher but the number of degree programs on offer makes them worth a look for almost everyone.  The entire field of online degrees has evolved remarkably in the past 10-20 years.
Online Degree Programs | ASU Online

[dfrecore]

It seems quite appropriate that you point out that the Big 3 don't seem to shine quite as brightly as they did in the past and that there are some schools, each coming into existence in its own way, that have moved into positions of higher prominence.  I think it's good to mention SNHU as they offer lots of programs at a good price.  I'd stretch a little farther and mention ASU as a big player.  Their cost is clearly higher but the number of degree programs on offer makes them worth a look for almost everyone.  The entire field of online degrees has evolved remarkably in the past 10-20 years.
Online Degree Programs | ASU Online

Since we talk a lot about schools that take the majority of credits in transfer and/or ones that accept ACE credit, I'm not seeing how ASU is something we'd talk about much here.

The Big 3 and the CBE's are all less than $10k (and some a LOT less than $10k) - ASU is clearly nowhere near that price.

I think the Big 3 shine as brightly as they ever have.  For someone with a lot of credit already (I had 72cr from RA schools when I started my journey), WGU can be a terrible fit, and even UMPI may not be a great fit.

Also, things change over time.  When I first started on this forum in 2010, COSC was a favorite due to cost; EC was 3rd.  Then, TESU took over for a long time.  Now EC seems to be the best, with TESU a close 2nd and COSC a distant 3rd.  Each time one of them comes out with changes, things fluctuate and then settle down for a while.  Then changes occur and it all happens again.

But just because a new school comes into the picture doesn't dim the lights for the Big 3 - there's enough room here for ANY school that wants to give degrees to people who want to bring in inexpensive ACE/NCCRS credits and cost less than $10k start-to-finish.  I'm happy to recommend the best fit for someone based on their needs, and don't look at "prominence" or whatever.  I just look at what they need and what school(s) will fill that need.

[Chankosumo]

I would suggest adding Pierpont C&TC to the ... new big 4. The confidence boost that one can gain after obtaining a B.o.G. A.A.S from Pierpont is, in my opinion, unmatchable. Speaking for myself, I found that working towards Pierpont AAS is the most realistic goal I can set for myself. I now almost finished the classes needed to hopefully obtain one. However, after realizing just how fast I got so many credits, I now believe I can go beyond the A.A.S. This is the point I want to make. Pierpont can lead not only to obtaining an actual degree, but increasing your self-confidence and your perception of your own capabilities. If it wasn't Pierpont, I probably would not have attempted anything. And ... I want to believe that I'm not the only one feeling this way. So, yeah ... I believe Pierpont does deserve to be an actual part of a "big" group, not just a honorable mention.

[ashkir]

CBE's are definitely the way of the future. As WGU, UMPI, UMASS Global grow I can see their future getting bigger. I feel that TESU, Excelsior, and Charter Oak's positions will get weaker and weaker and only be appealed to those who already have the credits needed to finish their plans or have a workplace agreement. CBE's are already lower than the former big three by cost to those with previous credit and experience.

---

I would suggest adding Pierpont C&TC to the ... new big 4. The confidence boost that one can gain after obtaining a B.o.G. A.A.S from Pierpont is, in my opinion, unmatchable. Speaking for myself, I found that working towards Pierpont AAS is the most realistic goal I can set for myself. I now almost finished the classes needed to hopefully obtain one. However, after realizing just how fast I got so many credits, I now believe I can go beyond the A.A.S. This is the point I want to make. Pierpont can lead not only to obtaining an actual degree, but increasing your self-confidence and your perception of your own capabilities. If it wasn't Pierpont, I probably would not have attempted anything. And ... I want to believe that I'm not the only one feeling this way. So, yeah ... I believe Pierpont does deserve to be an actual part of a "big" group, not just a honorable mention.

This is good, but, also is a case by case basis. It is a huge confidence boost, it was to a good friend of mine. I ended up gathering his credits and was like dude you can go to pierpoint right now and get your AAS. He was so happy and never thought that was possible. It made him want to get a BA.

However, for many people on this forum, if you're already thinking of doing UMPI, UMASS, WGU, etc, it will probably be faster to focus on getting the BA instead of side tracking and "waiting" for the AAS. Get the AAS from Pierpoint on the way but don't stop your progress if you want a BA.

---

It seems quite appropriate that you point out that the Big 3 don't seem to shine quite as brightly as they did in the past and that there are some schools, each coming into existence in its own way, that have moved into positions of higher prominence.  I think it's good to mention SNHU as they offer lots of programs at a good price.  I'd stretch a little farther and mention ASU as a big player.  Their cost is clearly higher but the number of degree programs on offer makes them worth a look for almost everyone.  The entire field of online degrees has evolved remarkably in the past 10-20 years.
Online Degree Programs | ASU Online

Since we talk a lot about schools that take the majority of credits in transfer and/or ones that accept ACE credit, I'm not seeing how ASU is something we'd talk about much here.

The Big 3 and the CBE's are all less than $10k (and some a LOT less than $10k) - ASU is clearly nowhere near that price.

I think the Big 3 shine as brightly as they ever have.  For someone with a lot of credit already (I had 72cr from RA schools when I started my journey), WGU can be a terrible fit, and even UMPI may not be a great fit.

Also, things change over time.  When I first started on this forum in 2010, COSC was a favorite due to cost; EC was 3rd.  Then, TESU took over for a long time.  Now EC seems to be the best, with TESU a close 2nd and COSC a distant 3rd.  Each time one of them comes out with changes, things fluctuate and then settle down for a while.  Then changes occur and it all happens again.

But just because a new school comes into the picture doesn't dim the lights for the Big 3 - there's enough room here for ANY school that wants to give degrees to people who want to bring in inexpensive ACE/NCCRS credits and cost less than $10k start-to-finish.  I'm happy to recommend the best fit for someone based on their needs, and don't look at "prominence" or whatever.  I just look at what they need and what school(s) will fill that need.

Man if only if ASU kept that $99 for 3 credit class asyncronous deal. That was beyond amazing. I bet that could've became an easy bread and butter for them since they offered so many in demand unique classes.

---

It seems quite appropriate that you point out that the Big 3 don't seem to shine quite as brightly as they did in the past and that there are some schools, each coming into existence in its own way, that have moved into positions of higher prominence.  I think it's good to mention SNHU as they offer lots of programs at a good price.  I'd stretch a little farther and mention ASU as a big player.  Their cost is clearly higher but the number of degree programs on offer makes them worth a look for almost everyone.  The entire field of online degrees has evolved remarkably in the past 10-20 years.
Online Degree Programs | ASU Online

Since we talk a lot about schools that take the majority of credits in transfer and/or ones that accept ACE credit, I'm not seeing how ASU is something we'd talk about much here.

The Big 3 and the CBE's are all less than $10k (and some a LOT less than $10k) - ASU is clearly nowhere near that price.

I think the Big 3 shine as brightly as they ever have.  For someone with a lot of credit already (I had 72cr from RA schools when I started my journey), WGU can be a terrible fit, and even UMPI may not be a great fit.

Also, things change over time.  When I first started on this forum in 2010, COSC was a favorite due to cost; EC was 3rd.  Then, TESU took over for a long time.  Now EC seems to be the best, with TESU a close 2nd and COSC a distant 3rd.  Each time one of them comes out with changes, things fluctuate and then settle down for a while.  Then changes occur and it all happens again.

But just because a new school comes into the picture doesn't dim the lights for the Big 3 - there's enough room here for ANY school that wants to give degrees to people who want to bring in inexpensive ACE/NCCRS credits and cost less than $10k start-to-finish.  I'm happy to recommend the best fit for someone based on their needs, and don't look at "prominence" or whatever.  I just look at what they need and what school(s) will fill that need.

Honestly, it is likely due to the foundations of TESU, COSC, and Excelsior laid that led to today's world. Now today, online schools are a success. Probably most notable to WGU and Phoenix for laying that ground work. With COVID they lit on fire, and suddenly every major school and ivy league and world rewnowned university introduced an online program.

With the state schools (University of Maine and Arizona State) getting involved in this, it opened a new world. 

CBEs getting accredited has changed the face of modern education. It allows real life experience to allow you to correlate, make connections, and, move on from them faster.

[ss20ts]

I would suggest adding Pierpont C&TC to the ... new big 4. The confidence boost that one can gain after obtaining a B.o.G. A.A.S from Pierpont is, in my opinion, unmatchable. Speaking for myself, I found that working towards Pierpont AAS is the most realistic goal I can set for myself. I now almost finished the classes needed to hopefully obtain one. However, after realizing just how fast I got so many credits, I now believe I can go beyond the A.A.S. This is the point I want to make. Pierpont can lead not only to obtaining an actual degree, but increasing your self-confidence and your perception of your own capabilities. If it wasn't Pierpont, I probably would not have attempted anything. And ... I want to believe that I'm not the only one feeling this way. So, yeah ... I believe Pierpont does deserve to be an actual part of a "big" group, not just a honorable mention.

The Big 3 are bachelor's degree programs. Pierpont isn't on point with them.

[Chankosumo]

I would suggest adding Pierpont C&TC to the ... new big 4. The confidence boost that one can gain after obtaining a B.o.G. A.A.S from Pierpont is, in my opinion, unmatchable. Speaking for myself, I found that working towards Pierpont AAS is the most realistic goal I can set for myself. I now almost finished the classes needed to hopefully obtain one. However, after realizing just how fast I got so many credits, I now believe I can go beyond the A.A.S. This is the point I want to make. Pierpont can lead not only to obtaining an actual degree, but increasing your self-confidence and your perception of your own capabilities. If it wasn't Pierpont, I probably would not have attempted anything. And ... I want to believe that I'm not the only one feeling this way. So, yeah ... I believe Pierpont does deserve to be an actual part of a "big" group, not just a honorable mention.

The Big 3 are bachelor's degree programs. Pierpont isn't on point with them.

The point I did my best to make is the potential significance of obtaining a Pierpont degree which may happen to be the first major step of a ladder leading to a Bachelor's. One does not always start their education endeavours thinking of PhD, right? And from my understanding the main factor behind calling "The Big 3" this way is because of their ACE credit transfer policies. And we are well aware of how Pierpont and credit transfers work. That is why I believe Pierpont is indeed a "Big".

[jsd]

I think Pierpont is a great stepping stone but agree that expanding it to a "Big 4" makes no sense if they're not providing Bachelor's.

I like the idea of classic "Big 3," and a separate "Big CBE." As was already stated above, PUG might not quite be Big CBE ready. UMPI seems to be the clear Big CBE leader, and WGU has a seat at the table. Does UMass Global? I don't know enough about their program to speculate.

[LevelUP]

I would suggest adding Pierpont C&TC to the ... new big 4. The confidence boost that one can gain after obtaining a B.o.G. A.A.S from Pierpont is, in my opinion, unmatchable. Speaking for myself, I found that working towards Pierpont AAS is the most realistic goal I can set for myself. I now almost finished the classes needed to hopefully obtain one. However, after realizing just how fast I got so many credits, I now believe I can go beyond the A.A.S. This is the point I want to make. Pierpont can lead not only to obtaining an actual degree, but increasing your self-confidence and your perception of your own capabilities. If it wasn't Pierpont, I probably would not have attempted anything. And ... I want to believe that I'm not the only one feeling this way. So, yeah ... I believe Pierpont does deserve to be an actual part of a "big" group, not just a honorable mention.

Getting started is the hardest part. However, having a smaller goal can help build momentum. 

I added Pierpont as basically the best associate's degree you can get. It's in a class by itself.