WGU - BSCC (BS in Cloud Computing)

[Merlin]

1) For WGU, it's recommended to apply and send transcripts to get an evaluation and see where we stand, but wait to enroll until you get as much completed with your alternative credits done, correct?

As with many things in alt education, it depends.

If you're paying out of pocket, it is generally cheaper to do as much ahead of time via sources like Study.com and StraighterLine beforehand so you only have 30 credits left to complete at WGU. That way you're most likely to only have to pay for a single term.

However, if you're getting financial assistance or tuition reimbursement, then that usually doesn't cover alternative credit providers. In such cases, you may be better off enrolling at WGU right away. It takes just as long to complete courses via WGU as it does to complete them via SL or SDC, so it really just comes down to cost and who is paying.

2) Does anyone know if there are other alt providers that WGU accepts aside from Study.com?

WGU accepts more transfer credits than just about any other college. They accept credits from any NA or RA college, as well as most ACE credits. They don't accept NCCRS, but those aren't as common, and I am pretty sure that you can find ACE versions of nearly every NCCRS course out there.

I recommend sticking to Study.com or StraighterLine. In fact, WGU uses a rebranded StraighterLine for their WGU Academy. Between the two, you should be able to find all the transferable courses you need for any degree at WGU. Many people also recommend Saylor, but I found them to be sub-par compared to SDC and SL.

3) What other things are recommended for planning a degree when going with WGU?

The key thing is to look through the transfer guide to understand what courses can be transferred into each degree program. Once you have that, you can map out what courses or certificates you can complete to check off the degree requirements.

Since you can only transfer up to 90 credits towards a degree, a good strategy for picking the last 30 credits is to first identify the courses you cannot transfer and use that as the base of the 30 credits you need to take. From there, you include any courses you cannot find alternatives for. Lastly, you pad the remaining courses with the ones that will be easiest to complete, so you can get through them faster at WGU. Basically, for the last courses, don't pick hard courses like Calculus since those will take longer to complete via WGU than via SL or SDC.