Why does it seem to me that EC is all about the money?

[PeteDude]

The Big Three schools are all for-profit institutions if I'm not mistaken. I guess I expected those kinds of fees in exchange for excellent customer service and the expedited path my degree took (things my previous non-profit school severely lacked!) Would I do it all over again? Oh yeah.

. . .

Go with the school that will suit your needs best. The financial aspects are just as important as the number of courses left to take, liking the degree and school names, good customer service, etc. etc. Good luck!

I view the Big 3 differently. My understanding is that COSC and TESC are actual non-profit state-run institutions, whereas Excelsior is a private former state institution.

If my assertion's correct, EC has to make up for not having state money to back it. They may also operate with higher overhead given that they do not have the same public scrutiny over their costs. Given all that, it's somewhat natural they would look to obtain maximum revenue.

As others have posted, it's important for a big 3 student to evaluate their situation relative to what these schools have to offer. Cost (and related philosophy) is just one aspect that needs to be considered.