When to Apply for Admission?

[cookderosa]

I want to start on a Degree plan [B.S in Information Tech or similar] and have no college credits to begin with. I had some University education in a country with Annual system and never sat in any exams so no credit. After reading through different posts here, here is what I want to do and need your advice on how to proceed:

I have a long list of Professional certifications like Microsoft, Cisco, CISSP, CISA, VCP, ITIL and many more so hope to earn some college credit from that.
I plan to take lot of CLEP exams and I am fairly confident I can pass them.
To earn college credit for the major I would prefer to do more as many Professional certifications rather then college courses. I get reimbursed for Cert exams so even if it is more costly I would rather do that. Don't know if there is a limit to the number.
I do have over 10 years of experience working in I.T in well know fortune 500 companies, not sure if I can get some credit for Work Experience.
I have had several internal Trainings so hoping I can get some credit for that, mainly Business Law and Ethics.

It seems my best bet is to go with the Big 3 since I am looking for least Residency Requirement. What I am a little unsure about is how to proceed. I read somewhere once I enroll in a college then every time I take a CLEP or any other exam and transfer credit I have to pay a fee. However if I don't do that I don't have a clear roadmap.

Any suggestions on how to proceed and which one to choose in Big 3 would be greatly appreciated. I am located in Toronto, Canada.

You pay for the tests you take at your testing center. There will be an actual test cost ($80) and then if your center charges a fee, you'll pay that. Those fees can vary from $0 - $25 per exam, so price shop to get the best deal. When you pass an exam, it's held in that brand's system. So, for instance, if you pass a CLEP, then The College Board holds your transcript. (DSST, AP, ECE, TECEP, etc. all different brands and have different policies) When the time comes that you want to enroll somewhere, you'll request a single transcript from each brand. The College Board will issue you 1 transcript for 1 fee with all of your exam scores on it. You will do this for each brand of exam you take. You should know that CLEP exams are held in this way for 20 years (so are DSST) so you are in no hurry to enroll anywhere. In fact, most people wait until they accumulate a good amount of credit, have decided on a certain plan, and have the money to enroll. I tested for about 6 months and had accumulated most of my degree before I enrolled, and then just took the classes I had planned. Some people who test out of almost everything wait until the last minute simply because TESC has a hefty enrollment fee. You'll want to slow down, look at all your options and you can even take a few tests. I wouldn't rush into enrollment until you've done a careful comparison of schools. ALL of them have changed their requirements in the past few years, and TESC is doing that now, and are requiring some classes/capstones/cornerstones/etc. which may require registering for actual classes. The tuition plans at TESC have changed too. So, my advice, just take your time on the front end, because no matter what you choose, you'll be able to complete the process in about a year.