Accreditation Question

[bjcheung77]

Is there a big difference between excelsior and TESU?

Yes, each institution is different in the way it accepts credits, amounts of credit, cost of the evaluation, etc...
Your best bet right now is not to apply anywhere yet, until you have an indication of how much it costs, and if they accept NA credits.

There are a few competency based degree providers I've recommended, email them including Excelsior and ask if they take NA.
You can also ask them how much an initial evaluation is, if it isn't included in the application fee.

I am bad! :reddevil: I would create a generic email that I would spam these schools with q's in regards to accepting NA credits.
Essentially what you're doing here, you're fishing for information until you have all you need to start applying/enrolling with them.

I email TESU, COSC, and even NA institutions all the time with so many questions, and I wait patiently for answers so I know how to proceed.
If you have questions, email them if they can't be answered here. I would email them multiple questions to save everyone time.

[TrailRunr]

Honestly, I would not waste time on trying to salvage those NA credits including getting that AA.

The four hours you spend trying to put the square peg into the round hole could have been used to pass a 3 credit CLEP/DSST that requires very little study and maybe help from IC. If you already know math from previous classes, you can earn up to 15 credits via ALEKS in a few days. SL can be 3 credits a day if you choose the right courses and the right approach. The first 30-60 credits are easy and fast to earn. The last 15 credits from credit #105-#120 are usually the most difficult and expensive.

Just for full disclosure, the nontraditional credits we earn here aren't very portable outside of the big-3 and a few other schools. Make sure you really understand what you're getting into. For example, almost all of the new non-CLEP credits I earned for my current program are not transferable to practically all of the colleges in my area. Even CLEP credits are not accepted at many schools.

But the end result is an RA degree that's earned much cheaper and quicker than the traditional method.

[cookderosa]

Honestly, I would not waste time on trying to salvage those NA credits including getting that AA.

The four hours you spend trying to put the square peg into the round hole could have been used to pass a 3 credit CLEP/DSST that requires very little study and maybe help from IC. If you already know math from previous classes, you can earn up to 15 credits via ALEKS in a few days. SL can be 3 credits a day if you choose the right courses and the right approach. The first 30-60 credits are easy and fast to earn. The last 15 credits from credit #105-#120 are usually the most difficult and expensive.

Just for full disclosure, the nontraditional credits we earn here aren't very portable outside of the big-3 and a few other schools. Make sure you really understand what you're getting into. For example, almost all of the new non-CLEP credits I earned for my current program are not transferable to practically all of the colleges in my area. Even CLEP credits are not accepted at many schools.

But the end result is an RA degree that's earned much cheaper and quicker than the traditional method.

This.

Here's the thing, I did a quickie look at your school- I'm worried that your credits will fall outside of liberal arts or business, which means you may have trouble finding an exam to recover them. Any chance you can list the classes you've already taken?

And I would never, ever, ever, ever complete a degree BEFORE emailing a potential target school and asking them about transfer. That's an exceptional waste of time and wishes. It's completely unnecessary.
Listen, you were wise to see the limits of the credit you have, there are solutions to pull this out and turn it into a winner. As for which of the 3 mentioned are a better fit- at the associate degree level they're pretty even. Let's see what classes you already have and plug in from there.

Also,
all colleges should be run through this database before deciding to enroll: U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs

There isn't anything wrong with [B]choosing[/B] a NA college, but that's not the same thing as being tricked / misled / uninformed / surprised.