Is my Excelsior admissions counselor wrong, or is Excelsior no longer "Big 3"?

[ROYISAGIRL]

Talked to Excelsior admissions today about the Natural Sciences degree. I have been leaning against Excelsior because they are so opaque about the credits they will accept toward the major, but she called me so I figured I'd try again.

I asked my counselor if I would be able to discuss my degree plan with someone before signing an enrollment agreement. We went back and forth and finally she said, no, that would mean talking to an advisor, and you're not allowed to talk to an advisor until you've signed an enrollment agreement. She said that the admissions application fee only covers them evaluating the credits you already have and says what courses would need to be taken to fill the rest of the degree requirements, but that, for example, if I apply now, they won't be able to tell me if the classes I've signed up for at my community college for NEXT semester would apply toward the degree because they won't be on the transcript that gets sent now.

I said, "Problem is, if I sign the enrollment agreement, doesn't that mean I'm agreeing to pay the enrollment fee?" (It's $1095.) "I don't want to pay the enrollment fee if I won't be able to complete my degree at Excelsior."

"You won't need to pay the enrollment fee because it's waived if you take 12 or more credits at Excelsior, and you'll have to do that given the requirements for that major."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand. The page for that major says you can transfer up to 112 credits in and you need 116 to graduate."

"Yes, but there will be courses you're required to take at Excelsior because you haven't completed them yet, and that will be at least 4 courses."

I was in my car and needed to go, so I finished the conversation and later sent an email asking her to clarify. She wrote:

Thank you for your call today. You mentioned that Excelsior requires Natural Sciences majors to take at least four of the major-required classes at Excelsior. Could you please let me know which of the classes that includes? I was not able to find this information on the website.

She wrote:

You’re welcome! The BS in Natural Sciences degree “core requirements” are mostly only available as online courses, except for the Calculus or Statistics requirement (this you can test-out of it you want).  You can review the degree program’s coursework and curriculum breakdown on the course catalog here (pages 136-138): http://publications.excelsior.edu/progra...e_Catalog/ .
 
In order to differentiate what credits you can take UExcel exams for and which you can’t, you will have to look at the catalog number. Whichever catalog number has an “x” in it, those are UExcel exams . For example, Calculus or Statistics is available as a UExcel exam under the “core requirements” section A. You can see this as MATx150 for Calculus or MATx210 for Statistics.

I wrote:

Thanks. I'm still unclear on which ones must be taken at Excelsior vs another school.

She wrote (emphasis mine):

No problem. What you do mean by taken at another school? Are you referring to transferring in credits? Since the degree is through Excelsior College, the degree programs credits are going to be taken with us. If you are looking to earn any credits outside of Excelsior College then that’s a conversation you’ll have with an advisor once you are an admitted/enrolled student.

That's when I lost it. I understood that I would likely need to take some courses at Excelsior, but the ENTIRE major, including the introductory science courses like Bio, when I could take a class with a hands-on lab locally and for less money? I wrote:

The web page for the major says up to 113 credits can be transferred in, and I'm currently enrolled in a community college taking science courses that won't be on my transcript because I haven't finished yet.

I honestly don't understand why I have to sign an enrollment agreement that contractually obligates me to pay tuition and/or an enrollment fee to your college just to find out what will transfer in.

Am I right about that the enrollment agreement is a contract that involves monetary obligations? Or am I worrying needlessly?

And is it true that "Since the degree is through Excelsior College, the degree programs credits are going to be taken with us"? That seems to go against their entire advertising thrust and their designation here as a "Big 3" college.

Hmm that's interesting. I'm enrolled at Excelsior right now and I still send them courses from Study.com, Sophia, etc. They continue to evaluate anything I send them.

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I'm also doing the Natural Sciences Degree

Talked to Excelsior admissions today about the Natural Sciences degree. I have been leaning against Excelsior because they are so opaque about the credits they will accept toward the major, but she called me so I figured I'd try again.

I asked my counselor if I would be able to discuss my degree plan with someone before signing an enrollment agreement. We went back and forth and finally she said, no, that would mean talking to an advisor, and you're not allowed to talk to an advisor until you've signed an enrollment agreement. She said that the admissions application fee only covers them evaluating the credits you already have and says what courses would need to be taken to fill the rest of the degree requirements, but that, for example, if I apply now, they won't be able to tell me if the classes I've signed up for at my community college for NEXT semester would apply toward the degree because they won't be on the transcript that gets sent now.

I said, "Problem is, if I sign the enrollment agreement, doesn't that mean I'm agreeing to pay the enrollment fee?" (It's $1095.) "I don't want to pay the enrollment fee if I won't be able to complete my degree at Excelsior."

"You won't need to pay the enrollment fee because it's waived if you take 12 or more credits at Excelsior, and you'll have to do that given the requirements for that major."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand. The page for that major says you can transfer up to 112 credits in and you need 116 to graduate."

"Yes, but there will be courses you're required to take at Excelsior because you haven't completed them yet, and that will be at least 4 courses."

I was in my car and needed to go, so I finished the conversation and later sent an email asking her to clarify. She wrote:

Thank you for your call today. You mentioned that Excelsior requires Natural Sciences majors to take at least four of the major-required classes at Excelsior. Could you please let me know which of the classes that includes? I was not able to find this information on the website.

She wrote:

You’re welcome! The BS in Natural Sciences degree “core requirements” are mostly only available as online courses, except for the Calculus or Statistics requirement (this you can test-out of it you want).  You can review the degree program’s coursework and curriculum breakdown on the course catalog here (pages 136-138): http://publications.excelsior.edu/progra...e_Catalog/ .
 
In order to differentiate what credits you can take UExcel exams for and which you can’t, you will have to look at the catalog number. Whichever catalog number has an “x” in it, those are UExcel exams . For example, Calculus or Statistics is available as a UExcel exam under the “core requirements” section A. You can see this as MATx150 for Calculus or MATx210 for Statistics.

I wrote:

Thanks. I'm still unclear on which ones must be taken at Excelsior vs another school.

She wrote (emphasis mine):

No problem. What you do mean by taken at another school? Are you referring to transferring in credits? Since the degree is through Excelsior College, the degree programs credits are going to be taken with us. If you are looking to earn any credits outside of Excelsior College then that’s a conversation you’ll have with an advisor once you are an admitted/enrolled student.

That's when I lost it. I understood that I would likely need to take some courses at Excelsior, but the ENTIRE major, including the introductory science courses like Bio, when I could take a class with a hands-on lab locally and for less money? I wrote:

The web page for the major says up to 113 credits can be transferred in, and I'm currently enrolled in a community college taking science courses that won't be on my transcript because I haven't finished yet.

I honestly don't understand why I have to sign an enrollment agreement that contractually obligates me to pay tuition and/or an enrollment fee to your college just to find out what will transfer in.

Am I right about that the enrollment agreement is a contract that involves monetary obligations? Or am I worrying needlessly?

And is it true that "Since the degree is through Excelsior College, the degree programs credits are going to be taken with us"? That seems to go against their entire advertising thrust and their designation here as a "Big 3" college.

Hmm that's interesting. I'm enrolled at Excelsior right now and I still send them courses from Study.com, Sophia, etc. They continue to evaluate anything I send them.