Picking the "best" school or degree - Which degree is RIGHT for you?

[rachel83az]

Just wondering if we should expand or include other information such as the schools accepting NCCRS credits, such as Excelsior, TESU, and WGU, etc.  And maybe another for accepting of Nationally Accredited courses, Excelsior, WGU, etc.  The reason is because there are a few people who would like to partake in NCCRS courses from say Coopersmith, Davar or LawShelf.com, Onlinedegree.com, etc.  I think it would be a good idea for mentioning this at least...

Finally got around to doing this today. I think I got everyone added correctly.

[MsPerfectionist]

You sort of read my mind as I was going to do a similar thread titled something like "What Type of Schools Should We Recommend on DF?"

Which Schools Are the Best to Recommend?

Should we look at cost, ease, speed, schools that accept most transfer credits such as 90 credits, schools that we can easily map transfer credits or any schools which are the most popular for DF members?

Community/4yr in State Colleges

What was discussed on previous forums is that some might want to attend schools close to them, such as in New York CUNY School of Professional Studies, which accepts 106 max credits, or in Missouri Columbia College, which accepts 90 max credits of transfer or 60 ACE type credits.

There is no easy way to map these credits, so people are on their own to find out if the school will help them see which credits will transfer into which course. 

This tool is helpful to find all the 1500+ schools that accept study.com ACE credits.
Study.com partner

Here is a list of almost all the colleges in the U.S.
List of colleges by state

Few Other Notes

I love the cost comparison and table overall.

Getting all the alt credits adds around $500-$1000 to the cost depending on the school and degree.

Is the list of colleges by state colleges that accept study.com and Sophia credits? Looking for colleges in Florida to get in state tuition rate. Thank you.

[bjcheung77]

Is the list of colleges by state colleges that accept study.com and Sophia credits? Looking for colleges in Florida to get in state tuition rate. Thank you.

No, it's not.  It's just a short list of colleges/universities sorted by state, nothing much to do with alternative credit.  Easy way to resolve this is open both links, the Study.com link and the list of colleges by state.  Compare the two as the Study.com shows partners in alphabetical order, so does the list of colleges by state.  

Basically, you can get as many 'transfer credits' from Florida institutions and graduate from one of the recommended schools we have listed on this board.  You should create a thread by following the template and last post addendum here, provide as much info as possible: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

[Charles Fout]

There are so many choices these days! Choosing the right school to attend cheaply is no longer a matter of throwing darts at a dartboard. This can make it confusing, especially because everyone has different priorities.

To help students choose which degree to pursue at what school, I've created the following page on the wiki: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Ch...University 

Let me know if there are any missing factors that should be taken into consideration.

Thank you! It's nice to see some focus on undergraduate degrees. Next week, a family member and I will begin discussions  with an institution heretofore unknown to me. Details to follow.

[joejoe2482]

Welcome everyone!

I just joined and glad to find a place where I can discuss my academic aspirations & prospects!

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IP - MSMIS
Completed 
MBA
MSIT
BA
PMI-ACP, PMP, COBIT5, CSM, CSPO, ITIL4, CSSYB, TOGAF9, SAFe5 SA, SAFe5 SP

[bvndz]

I'd give some additional info in the Intro about why we recommend these 5 schools the most. Something like:

There are 5 main schools that are usually recommended on the forum:
- The Big 3 (Charter Oak State College, Excelsior College, and Thomas Edison State University) all allow 113/114 credits to be brought into the school, leaving just 6/7 credits to take at the school.  
- Competency-based programs at Western Governors University (WGU) and University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI's YourPace program) allow 90cr to be brought in, leaving 30cr to take at the school in a pay-for-time-not-for-courses method.

Less frequently mentioned colleges or universities include: Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), Peirce College, and Purdue University Global's ExcelTrack competency-based program - all of which allow 90cr of transfer.

All of these schools will take ACE credit, which is the key to making them less expensive than average.

does the big 3 schools allow you to send in transcripts then keep adding on classes via sophia etc after you submitted transcript?

[bjcheung77]

does the big 3 schools allow you to send in transcripts then keep adding on classes via sophia etc after you submitted transcript?

WGU is the only institution from the link in the first post that does not allow any more courses to be added when you are an enrolled student and start taking courses at WGU (there is a workaround for those who pause or exit/quit the program and reapply/re-start at WGU, but that's not advised).

The Big 3 and competency based programs on the link all allow you to take up to 90 credits (or more, 113/114 at Excelsior/TESU) and continue to add to that list until you have maxed your transfers for the degree. Here's the link for reference: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Ch...University

[dfrecore]

I'd give some additional info in the Intro about why we recommend these 5 schools the most. Something like:

There are 5 main schools that are usually recommended on the forum:
- The Big 3 (Charter Oak State College, Excelsior College, and Thomas Edison State University) all allow 113/114 credits to be brought into the school, leaving just 6/7 credits to take at the school.  
- Competency-based programs at Western Governors University (WGU) and University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI's YourPace program) allow 90cr to be brought in, leaving 30cr to take at the school in a pay-for-time-not-for-courses method.

Less frequently mentioned colleges or universities include: Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), Peirce College, and Purdue University Global's ExcelTrack competency-based program - all of which allow 90cr of transfer.

All of these schools will take ACE credit, which is the key to making them less expensive than average.

does the big 3 schools allow you to send in transcripts then keep adding on classes via sophia etc after you submitted transcript?

TESU will allow you to add courses and not charge extra for evaluations as long as you are ENROLLED (different than just being an applicant).

Excelsior now charges $300 for each additional eval after the first one, so it's no longer recommended to apply/enroll until you have all 113cr that you want to bring in (and I'd recommend that you bring in an extra 2-3 courses just in case).

COSC is no longer recommended on here due to policies they've enacted in the last couple of years.

UMPI allows you to continue to bring in courses, as long as you get pre-approval.

[MrPanda]

In the table, for the question: "Accepts NA credits?", you have "No" for SNHU, but 2 years ago I was told that I could get credits transferred from my UoPeople transcript.

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In "English test (for International students)" for TESU, it could also include "9 RA Credits".