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Degree for free
#21
(11-06-2017, 02:16 AM)sanantone Wrote:
(11-06-2017, 01:01 AM)Life Long Learning Wrote:
(11-05-2017, 05:30 PM)sanantone Wrote:
(11-05-2017, 11:52 AM)Life Long Learning Wrote: DOD has never paid for TECEP exams.  TECEP is new compared to CLEP, DSST, ECE (UExcel) exams.  More "prestigious" colleges rarely accept more than 30 SH of CLEP and DSST vs. the Big 3 that accept 117/120.  That's what makes them the Big 3.

Are you sure that TA won't cover TECEPs?

If they do its new.  They even stopped UExcel to cut costs.  CLEP/DSST are cheap.  UExcel and TECEPs are more expensive.

There's a difference between the program that covers CLEP and DSST and TA that covers college courses and vocational training. At a little over $100 for all TECEPs and most Uexcels, they are a lot cheaper than the maximum $250 per credit hour TA covers for college courses.  CLEP and DSST aren't being covered by TA; it's a separate DANTES program.

The funny part is if DOD wants to save money they should cut out some of the CLEP/DSST with 10% pass rates and add high pass rate UExcels and TECEPs.  They should set a bar like 50% to fund.  Exams below 50% make me take the real course with a much higher completion rate.  Say American Gov at at local CC and not the exam which was about a 10% pass rates when I was talking CLEP/DSST/ECEs/UExcels.
Non-Traditional Undergraduate College Credits (634 SH): *FTCC Noncourse Credits (156 SH) *DSST (78 SH) *CPL (64 SH) *JST Military/ACE (48 SH) *CBA (44 SH) *CLEP (42 SH) *FEMA IS (40 SH) *FEMA EM (38 SH) *ECE/UExcel (30 SH) *PLA Portfolio (28 SH) *EMI/ACE (19 SH) *TEEX/ACE (16 SH) *CWE (11 SH) *NFA/ACE (10 SH) *Kaplan/ACE (3 SH) *CPC (2 SH) *AICP/ACE (2 SH) *Sophia/ACE (2 SH) and *FRTI-UM/ACE (1 SH).
Non-Traditional Graduate College Credits (14 SH): AMU (6 SH); NFHS (5 SH); and JSU (3 SH).
 





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#22
Regardless of how you get your credits, TA will not cover graduation fees.  You can use your GI bill for graduation fees or pay out of pocket.

I used EC for my stuff and I never touched TA because after all the alt credit stuff out there I found it faster to pay out of pocket (and ridiculously easier) for companies like ALEKs, Straighterline, ACE transcript services, Schmoop, InstantCert etc. (My chain of command still laughs at my sweet sweet Schoomp certs. I mean they're pretty awesome [lets be real] AND counted in my degree.) 

Either way you look at it its an investment in you. If fast is your thing then you're going to have to stretch and pay for some things out of pocket.  If you want it mostly free, (TA normally doesn't cover books but you can use grants or scholarships for books), you can plod along in real classes that eat up most of your free time for a LONG time and pay for them using TA. The choice is yours.

CLEP/DSST are still first time free for military. Certain certs will count for credits you can obtain using NavyCool funds. (They removed the restriction for rate-specific certs FYI.)
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#23
(11-04-2017, 07:05 PM)Life Long Learning Wrote:
(11-04-2017, 06:05 PM)jshzglr Wrote: Please let me know what my best course of action would be.


I'm active duty military, and will be until I retire in 2034. I don't plan on working past this point but who knows.

I have 34 credits from a previous college and 9 credits on my JST. (I can upload these transcripts if it helps.)

I plan on getting a degree in business. I'm thinking either entrepreneurship or finance. (My military rate is Storekeeper.)

My goal is to not pay a dime out of pocket and to get my bachelors degree as fast as possible. (Can I use financial assistance in conjunction with TA?)

I guess what my question really boils down to is do any of you know what all military tuition assistance covers? I'm assuming there's a max on how many CLEPS and other "outside credits" are covered annually. And also is there a specific college that I should look into?


Thank you for any and all help.


Rules change all the time.  The Army once paid for as many CLEP, DSST and ECE exams as I wanted.  Take as many as you can and do not stop.  You never know which ones might help.  I used TA and it was at 100% at the time.   Save your Post 9/11 GI Bill for when you retire.

BTW, look into Vincennes University.  They only require 6 SH from them for an AS degree.  Univ of Alaska only required 3 SH for an AS degree.

(11-06-2017, 05:15 PM)retire2018 Wrote:
(11-04-2017, 07:05 PM)Life Long Learning Wrote:
(11-04-2017, 06:05 PM)jshzglr Wrote: Please let me know what my best course of action would be.


I'm active duty military, and will be until I retire in 2034. I don't plan on working past this point but who knows.

I have 34 credits from a previous college and 9 credits on my JST. (I can upload these transcripts if it helps.)

I plan on getting a degree in business. I'm thinking either entrepreneurship or finance. (My military rate is Storekeeper.)

My goal is to not pay a dime out of pocket and to get my bachelors degree as fast as possible. (Can I use financial assistance in conjunction with TA?)

I guess what my question really boils down to is do any of you know what all military tuition assistance covers? I'm assuming there's a max on how many CLEPS and other "outside credits" are covered annually. And also is there a specific college that I should look into?


Thank you for any and all help.


Rules change all the time.  The Army once paid for as many CLEP, DSST and ECE exams as I wanted.  Take as many as you can and do not stop.  You never know which ones might help.  I used TA and it was at 100% at the time.   Save your Post 9/11 GI Bill for when you retire.

BTW, look into Vincennes University.  They only require 6 SH from them for an AS degree.  Univ of Alaska only required 3 SH for an AS degree.

Air Force Tuition Assistance (TA) is an important program that provides 100% tuition and fees for courses taken by active duty personnel. The program is one of a great way to further your education while on active duty. Let's take a look at how much the program pays, and other things that can help you get the most of this great benefit.
Payment.
The Air Force Tuition Assistance program will pay 100% of your tuition and fees not to exceed:

  • $250 per semester credit hour, or

  • $166 per quarter credit hour, and

  • $4,500 maximum per fiscal year
Have your military occupation certificates/transcripts and all other college  transcripts sent to TESU, or EXcelsior, , for an evaluation. Check out the other friendly schools on ACE Alternative Project.com. As far as taking courses, check out Study.com, Straightliner.com, and Saylor.org, the courses are not expensive and you should be able to get them paid for Or at least reimbursed with a 1) receipt and a the course-paid for, and 2) the completed/ passed course annotated on your school's official transcript as verification. 

I believe the CLEP and DSST courses are still Free. Check the website:https://clep.collegeboard.org/earn-college-credit/military-benefits

When in doubt call/visit your base education office.

Check out the links:

https://www.tesu.edu/studycom/BA-Degree-...tudies.cfm

https://study.com/academy/course/index.html



Good Luck



TESU or Excelsior College may be the quickest and the easiest way to go.
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#24
(11-05-2017, 01:49 AM)dfrecore Wrote: You can take as many CLEP & DSST exams as you want for free. But they will only pay for your first try, so if you fail any, the next time is on your own dime.

For a TESU BSBA in General Management, those 2 exams would cover the entire Gen Ed, Free Electives, 8 out of 12 core courses, and 4 out of 6 AOS. If you took 7 TECEP exams at $117 each (in place of some of the CLEP/DSST exams), it would satisfy residency requirements. Then, your final course, the TESU online capstone would be $750 (active duty military tuition), so your cost for the entire degree would be $1,569.

You could save your GI Bill for later, or an MBA or something else. Or give it to your kids?

It would actually be possible for someone active duty to get a "free" degree with your plan; it'll just take a little longer than paying on your own.

Tuition Assistance can be used for up to 16hrs per fiscal for Army (other branches can use TA for TECEPs too according to TESU). TA covers the entire cost of the TECEP or course since there are no fees. Plus, if you qualify for financial aid, you could end up getting money back when you take the online Capstone.

I guess it'll take at least 3 semesters to do for free since you have to wait until the following October for TA to kick back in once you max out the 16 paid hours. Of course you'll be responsible for graduation fees, but you've still come pretty close to "free".
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#25
TECEP is available through TA now. It's not like I've done it, but I saw it on the option. It says $38/credit. I wonder hot it work though. If you are limited to 16 credits or $4500/year, once you reach the 16 credits limit and still have remaining balance, are you still able to use TA? Just curious. Maybe someone here knows the answer.
Thomas Edison State University
ASNSM in Mathematics - 54/61  (Graduate by June 2020)
ASNSM in Computer Science - 55/61 (Graduate by June 2020)
BS in Health Services Technology - 106/120 (Graduate by December 2020)
BSBA General Management - 72/120 (Graduate by December 2020)

US Military Apprenticeship Program
Certificate in Medical Secretary - Earned in 2019
Certificate in Dental Assisting - Earned in 2019
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#26
(12-02-2017, 05:27 PM)docmarvin Wrote: TECEP is available through TA now. It's not like I've done it, but I saw it on the option. It says $38/credit. I wonder hot it work though. If you are limited to 16 credits or $4500/year, once you reach the 16 credits limit and still have remaining balance, are you still able to use TA? Just curious. Maybe someone here knows the answer.

Once you reach the credit limit, you then have to wait until the next fiscal year to access 16 more credits.

If you waste your TA on a $38 credit course, then you DO NOT get the spend the additional money that's left over once you hit 16 credits. If you try and sign up for a course at GoArmy after you've reached your max credit limit, it'll prompt you to self-pay.

Other branches may differ on credit amount, I can only speak for Army.
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#27
The Navy used to provide wavers for reaching either the cost or credit limit. I'm not 100% sure anymore as it's been a few years and policy changes faster than toilet paper in the service.
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