Cheapest Options for Online Credits

[bmills072200]

Wow - It's been a while!  I was one of the OG's on here many moons ago.  I got my BS from Excelsior in 2008 and then an MBA from Jacksonville State in 2010.  This forum was essential in my degree and I owe so much to a bunch a people on Instacert that led the way.

With that said, I'm now an old man with kids that are in the college exploration phase.  I'd like some advice...

I have a 20 year old son that graduated homeschool 2 years ago and has been working for a couple of years debating the value of college.  We think there would be some value for an in-person college experience for him.  We are looking at Grand Canyon University (GCU) in Phoenix (We live in Colorado Springs).  They have a large online presence, but we think he needs some of the in-person college experience to round out some of his social skills.  With that said, he would like to complete his degree as quickly as possible.

GCU promotes Sophia, which is new to me, but looks incredible.  Any information about Sophia (pros and cons) would be appreciated.  Additionally, anyone with specific info on GCU and how to best expedite credits via CLEP/DSST/Sophia/etc would be greatly appreciated.  It's been hard finding specific requirements on the GCU website about how many testing credits can be transferred in.  He is looking at a Business degree.

My daughter is 17 and graduates in May from home school.  She is probably looking at staying home for a year before any sort of in-person college experience.  With that said, she has a good acumen for testing and work-at-your-own-pace type classes.  Would you recommend Sophia for her?  CLEP?  I know it depends on the school and what they will accept, but what is the softest way to introduce her to this world?

I'm sorry for the relatively broad questions and I know there are probably discussions on all of these things that I have just not found yet here on the forum, but please humor me.

Thanks in advance!

- Ben

[jg_nuy]

I responded on your other inquiry here with details from the GCU catalog: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid437467

GCU has a ton of majors, but their acceptance of transfer credits from ACE and CLEP is limited. Here is their transfer course search page: https://transfersearch.gcu.edu/SSTP/#/course-search

My son went with Thomas Edison State University based on flexibility for degree combos and maximization of his ACE + dual enrollment credits. He would have liked UMPI, but he was too young at the time (still is). You can see some of his experience in this thread: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...8-year-old

[bmills072200]

My son is going to GCU (Grand Canyon) in the Fall for a business degree.  He is going to complete 30 credits this summer via Sophia, which is the maximum that GCU will accept.  He wants to take the majority of his business courses in person, which I think will be good for him.

The 30 credits we are completing via Sophia will be his GenEd requirements.  He will need to complete another 27-30 elective credits either online or in the summer in order to complete his degree within 2 years, which is his goal.  Those credits can be completed at any school.

So, the question is, what is the cheapest option for online credits?  It has to be through an accredited school, but, as far as I know, it could be any online program, community college, etc.

Thanks

[jg_nuy]

This page on the Wiki has several options

https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sources_of_Credit

You could also consider TECEP exams from TESU which are RA credits, provided GCU accepts them

https://www2.tesu.edu/listalltecep.php

[Stonybeach]

Hi Ben,
I've got kids in the same age group, and I was considering recommending the University of People certificate programs. Now that it is regionally accredited, it is my hope the coursework will transfer to other schools. https://www.uopeople.edu/programs/certificate/

The 3 to 4 credit courses are $200 each (about $70 a credit upper and lower division), and they earn a regionally accredited undergraduate certificate with some immediate utility in the job market and potential for credit transfer. Any comments on the transferability of UnivOPeople coursework are appreciated.

[jg_nuy]

TESU and UMPI have both accepted courses from UoPeople before they got RA and the acceptance is only bound to be larger now with the RA. That's a good idea that I had not considered for my younger son. Good thinking.

[bjcheung77]

Here are the fees for UoPeople, https://www.uopeople.edu/tuition-free/processing-fees/
For each undergraduate course, there is an assessment fee of $140, to be paid by the end of each course.
For each graduate course, there is an assessment fee of $350 for M.Ed., and $400 for MBA/MSIT.

My suggestion is to take all you can from community college online classes if they're $50/credit or less.
These are classes that can't be completed by alternative credit such as ACE, CLEP, NCCRS, etc.
Create a degree plan and spreadsheet, link us to that viewable (not-editable) file and we'll comment.

[bjabril1983$]

Hello everyone! I’m excited to be part of this new group chat and would love your help. I’m currently exploring options to pursue an associate's degree and I’ve accumulated 30 credits through the CLEP program. Could anyone provide some insight into how this group operates? I’d also greatly appreciate any advice or tips you might have for someone in my situation. Thank you!

[Mint Berry Crunch]

Hello everyone! I’m excited to be part of this new group chat and would love your help. I’m currently exploring options to pursue an associate's degree and I’ve accumulated 30 credits through the CLEP program. Could anyone provide some insight into how this group operates? I’d also greatly appreciate any advice or tips you might have for someone in my situation. Thank you!

Welcome! DegreeForum (as the name suggests) is a forum for members to hold discussions about options pertaining to what we call "degree hacking". Simply, we talk about obtaining college credits for the lowest possible costs, colleges/universities that you can attend for similar reason, and a variety of different degree/certificate programs you can enroll into. We mainly focus on regionally accredited colleges/universities, online (synchronous or asynchronous) courses and certs, and degree plans for completing specific programs at the colleges/universities that we have particular interests in. The forum has very knowledgeable people here (some who've been here since it started about 20+ years ago now) who are happy to provide advice and recommendations for you. If you ever need help, go to the applicable category on the home page, search or create a thread, and happy hunting!

---

Wow - It's been a while!  I was one of the OG's on here many moons ago.  I got my BS from Excelsior in 2008 and then an MBA from Jacksonville State in 2010.  This forum was essential in my degree and I owe so much to a bunch a people on Instacert that led the way.

With that said, I'm now an old man with kids that are in the college exploration phase.  I'd like some advice...

I have a 20 year old son that graduated homeschool 2 years ago and has been working for a couple of years debating the value of college.  We think there would be some value for an in-person college experience for him.  We are looking at Grand Canyon University (GCU) in Phoenix (We live in Colorado Springs).  They have a large online presence, but we think he needs some of the in-person college experience to round out some of his social skills.  With that said, he would like to complete his degree as quickly as possible.

GCU promotes Sophia, which is new to me, but looks incredible.  Any information about Sophia (pros and cons) would be appreciated.  Additionally, anyone with specific info on GCU and how to best expedite credits via CLEP/DSST/Sophia/etc would be greatly appreciated.  It's been hard finding specific requirements on the GCU website about how many testing credits can be transferred in.  He is looking at a Business degree.

My daughter is 17 and graduates in May from home school.  She is probably looking at staying home for a year before any sort of in-person college experience.  With that said, she has a good acumen for testing and work-at-your-own-pace type classes.  Would you recommend Sophia for her?  CLEP?  I know it depends on the school and what they will accept, but what is the softest way to introduce her to this world?

I'm sorry for the relatively broad questions and I know there are probably discussions on all of these things that I have just not found yet here on the forum, but please humor me.

Thanks in advance!

- Ben

Seems like some people have already pointed you in the right direction. It is always a pleasure to see former members from long ago return - welcome back Ben!