Confused about the change in TESU

[saraholson]

WGU will still make her take a placement test. they have their own version of it. And they also accept fewer ACE credits overall. I don't think that is going to be the best bet.

As far as I know, for WGU you can get around the placement test by transferring in ACE credits. I've seen people discuss that option in other forums anyway. This would also apply to the new WGU Academy courses (which appears to be a white label version of Straighterline courses with a lower price tag).

As for WGU accepting fewer ACE credits, I don't believe that is correct. WGU is about as open with accepting ACE credits as TESU (they both disallow Shmoop but accept just about everything else). The problem is that WGU has fewer GenEd credits, so you have less wiggle room with taking random GE courses to meet degree requirements like you can for TESU. So you have to look for alt. ed courses (or certificates) that will cover the appropriate requirements in your degree plan. That can be a little challenging for some degrees, though WGU does help by providing transfer guidelines for most degrees. Those outline the types of courses that should apply to a degree plan as well as the courses that cannot be transferred in.

Of course, if by accepting fewer ACE credits you mean WGU has a higher residency requirement, then that is correct. WGU only allows students to transfer in 90 of the 120 credits required for graduation, but it doesn't matter where those courses come from. That is really the main advantage of the big 3, they have low residency requirements (or you can just pay to waive them). But completing the last 30 credits in one 6-month term is very achievable for most people. Heck, there are people who have completed more than 70 credits in 30 days at WGU (though those are not the norm, of course). Most people find that they can generally complete courses at WGU at about the same speed as courses at Straighterline or Study.com.

When I applied at WGU in 2017, they told me i had to take the placement test AND transfer in some Straighterline credits to be eligible to enroll. But their policy may have changed, and also the advisor i spoke to could have been wrong