Accounting courses from CPACredits.com/Upper Iowa University

[inor]

Hmm, I wonder if there is a certificate or something you can get with all those grad credits available... Even so, it's slightly more expensive doing the grad cert when you can do the HAU MBA or UMPI MAOL, even the WGU MBA or MSML at a cheaper price... But for the UIU name brand, it may just be worth it if there is such a cert...

More food for thought: (a) they accept quite a few Sophia/SDC courses as equivalents (and not simply general electives) (b) they will transfer in 90 credits © they will allow you take 30 credits as a non-matriculated student. Add all of those together and, assuming you have the right combination of classes already, I don't see why you couldn't theoretically take all 30 of those credits needed for their Accounting BS through CPACredits.com as a non-matriculated student, thereby staying within that limit while simultaneously fulfilling the degree requirements and doing it significantly cheaper than you could if you took them as a matriculated student at $330 per credit. All in, 30 credits through CPACredits should come in at just under $7000. Not bad. The downside is no financial aid, of course.

I came to this realization because I'm actually in this position. I already have a degree but I need to take a lot of accounting classes to fulfill grad school prereqs. UIU's prices for upper division RA credits in accounting are hard to beat, and I realized that I needed so many that I would just about fulfill their 30 credit residency requirement in the process (as well as fulfill the major requirements). If I'm going to be taking these classes anyway, why not get a degree out if it?

I'm not completely sold on this path at the moment — it seems too good to be true, like they'd figure out why I'm doing and refuse to grant me a degree if I did it all through CPACredits — but I'm keeping it in the back of my mind regardless.

I like where your mind is going here. What grad school program are you trying to do that needs UL accounting courses that you can't get from UMPI or even Central New Mexico Community College's Post-Bacc CPA Certificate program. I toook quite a few accouting courses through CNM and I really enjoyed them and learned a ton.

I don't think any of the programs I'm looking at explicitly say they require UL prereqs be taken at a 4-year college. That's really just a self-imposed restriction. The reason I'm wary of taking UL prereqs at CNM or any NM CC is that they don't seem to transfer to 4-year colleges in NM like UNM or NMSU as UL courses. So for example if you take Auditing at CNM, it doesn't transfer in as UNM's UL Auditing course. That makes me concerned; would a grad program, then, look at this course as lesser than a typical Auditing course and not give me credit? Even CNM's intermediate classes make me unsure. They're titled "Introduction to Intermediate Accounting I/II," not just "Intermediate Accounting I/II." Again, they don't transfer to UNM et. al. as equivalent to Intermediate Accounting courses there.

I'm very open to UMPI, but I have to see what students are saying about their accounting courses. I heard that they switched recently to a new assessment system where there are no tests. I haven't found enough reviews from students about whether they like how the classes are administered these days to know whether it'd suit me yet. I usually do well on tests so the idea of eliminating them entirely isn't exactly a selling point to me. But again, I'm definitely open to UMPI. However, in addition to what I just mentioned, I can't imagine taking more than 2 UL accounting classes per session, meaning I'd be spending $750 per course (it's $1500 per session, right?) which is actually a little more expensive than UIU.

[verenaf]

There is a certificate if you take the grad courses.
The grad courses are typically "semester based" but 2 are currently available "self paced" and they seem to be adding more.
https://uiu.edu/academics/programs/accou...rtificate/

[jch]

The grad credits might also work for ASU students trying to complete a Master's degree after the free Thunderbird certificate.

[bjcheung77]

There is a certificate if you take the grad courses.
The grad courses are typically "semester based" but 2 are currently available "self paced" and they seem to be adding more.
https://uiu.edu/academics/programs/accou...rtificate/

I wonder what the residency requirements are for the classes in the certificate, could it all be coming from CPACredits instead of from their own catalog of classes?

[verenaf]

There is a certificate if you take the grad courses.
The grad courses are typically "semester based" but 2 are currently available "self paced" and they seem to be adding more.
https://uiu.edu/academics/programs/accou...rtificate/

I wonder what the residency requirements are for the classes in the certificate, could it all be coming from CPACredits instead of from their own catalog of classes?

I am not an expert in them, as I've only done a handful of classes, but there is no distinction on the transcript regarding where the classes come from, and I highly doubt they care when it comes to granting the certificate. 

CPACredits is just an enrollment source for them.....and probably a lucrative one, even with the lower tuition. Imagine being a Directional State University not widely popular outside of your general state/state cluster, not known due to sports or anything else,  but getting a ton of people enrolling in classes from all over the country.

Many of these people are probably "one and done", just picking up a few credits to fill in gaps required by their state, and others may be trying to fill the 120-->150 requirement, but I doubt they'd restrict anyone who wants to KEEP taking classes....for any reason. 

But don't take it from me--they're very approachable, just give them a call

[inor]

I second that. They got back to me within a couple of hours when I had questions for them re: CPACredits.com, the limit of applying credits taken as a non-matriculated student, etc. I contacted the Assistant Vice President at UIU, whose contact info I found here:

https://cpacredits.com/upper-iowa-university/

[bjcheung77]

Here's the info in regards to the institution, this is a few years old though, things may have changed as they were battling it out with Drake University for largest private, non-profit university for the last few years. WIKI Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_co...es_in_Iowa

[inor]

Here's the info in regards to the institution, this is a few years old though, things may have changed as they were battling it out with Drake University for largest private, non-profit university for the last few years.  WIKI Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_co...es_in_Iowa

Fortunes have changed for UIU, and not for the better, sadly. Things are tough for small private colleges, and COVID only accelerated that. Their enrollment is down significantly and their accreditor, HLC, has added a financial distress designation to UIU. Drake looks to be in better shape these days. I'm no expert on the business of higher education but I don't think the future is looking particularly bright for UIU. I don't think they'll be losing their accreditation and shuttering any time soon, so this shouldn't be an issue for anyone looking to take some classes in the near future, but... Personally, if I were to involve them in any of my own educational plans, it would be in the near term. Get in, get your credits, and get while the getting's good.

[freeloader]

inor, I have no experience with this course provider, but personally I think I would select the North Alabama Accounting Completion Program. The courses are cheaper and it’s AACSB (which UIU isn’t): https://www.una.edu/business/accounting-...index.html

[GameSlinger]

inor, I have no experience with this course provider, but personally I think I would select the North Alabama Accounting Completion Program. The courses are cheaper and it’s AACSB (which UIU isn’t): https://www.una.edu/business/accounting-...index.html

That is an excellent find as well. I am not sure AACSB really makes a difference if you are taking classes as a non-degree seeking student. Typically this would be for one off classes to fill in whatever degree you are working on somewhere else.