Associates Degree Question

[eriehiker]

Just to follow-up on the free union degree. The eligibility includes:

The Free College Benefit is open to members in good standing, who are full dues-paying members, retiree members and their families. Family of members are defined as children (or stepchildren), grandchildren (or step-grandchildren), spouses, domestic partners, financial dependents, siblings and parents.

So, ask around in the family a bit.

[Alpha]

Has anyone on the forum gone the Associates Degree route? I've noticed a far majority of the threads and comments are Bachelors Degree related, and I understand why. Unfortunately, I'm the type of person that needs to have near term milestones or I'll lose motivation. A Bachelors Degree is my end goal, but I thought if I could break this down and get an Associates and then focus on the Bachelors it might be more of an incentive for me. Thinking a business related degree from maybe Excelsior or Thomas Edison State University. Anyone have thoughts, suggestions, or lessons learned?

I work in the Healthcare field and there are lots of people who earn Associates degrees as a first qualification in order to get an entry level job.  They may continue on from there with more advanced degrees but that AA/AS degree gets them a "foot in the door" job.  Hospitals generally have generous professional education policies and so once you're employed you can get them to pay for a large percentage of your additional education.  I think Associates degrees can be very useful in that regard.

[rachel83az]

If I were advising someone to do a cheap and fast associates degree this what I recommend. Go to your local Community College. Because there are cheap, flexible, and have name recognition in your area. Many community colleges also have generous policies that accept CLEP/DSST/AP credit generously. So take as many test outs as you can (some CC's allow as many as 45 credits test out). This is made easier if your specific CC is also a test center for CLEP/DSST. Then do the rest of your credits in one or two semesters at community college. Many states have programs that offer free/discounted community college for adults and if you are younger there are scholarships. If you are low income there is the pell grant. And many CC's offer scholarships through the college can apply for through them. So in the end, this could be super cheap.

This also has the advantage of being RA credit so if you ever decide on going to the big 3 for bachelors you have some ra credit done.


The only issue I have is advising people to take clep/dsst during covid. It all depends on the state and school. So maybe this advice would have worked better a year ago. But at least look into it, more test centers are opening up.


Example. The CC near me:
$90/cr
allows 45 cr from test outs
accepts ap, clep and dsst with spelled out equivalencies on website
CLEP and DSST test center on site
free tuition for those over 65, free tuition for adults over 25 who meet certain criteria, huge scholarships for young students, pell grant more than covers tuition cost if full time
I got an associate degree there. Only 17 credits in residence at the CC. My cost: I got paid $300.

Note that all the stats I listed for price and free tuition only for in-district rates. This is why I recommend checking local because can take advantage of lower rates and special programs your state has to offer.

Also if you are in a union you can get community college for free: https://www.egccfreecollege.org/

---

Also you didn't mention. Do you have any prior credit at all?

Unfortunately, a lot of CCs are much more expensive than that. And it's not accounting for books. I would try Snow (if one can get the in-state tuition rate) or, failing that, get an Associate equivalent from TEL Learning. There is also YC Academy (through TEL) that offers an Associate's degree for $4000 all-in: https://ycacademy.tel-education.org/ But I don't know if there is an age maximum. It says it's designed with HS students and homeschooled students in mind but I don't see any mention of age otherwise.

[monchevy]

If I were advising someone to do a cheap and fast associates degree this what I recommend. Go to your local Community College. Because there are cheap, flexible, and have name recognition in your area. Many community colleges also have generous policies that accept CLEP/DSST/AP credit generously. So take as many test outs as you can (some CC's allow as many as 45 credits test out). This is made easier if your specific CC is also a test center for CLEP/DSST. Then do the rest of your credits in one or two semesters at community college. Many states have programs that offer free/discounted community college for adults and if you are younger there are scholarships. If you are low income there is the pell grant. And many CC's offer scholarships through the college can apply for through them. So in the end, this could be super cheap.

This also has the advantage of being RA credit so if you ever decide on going to the big 3 for bachelors you have some ra credit done.


The only issue I have is advising people to take clep/dsst during covid. It all depends on the state and school. So maybe this advice would have worked better a year ago. But at least look into it, more test centers are opening up.


Example. The CC near me:
$90/cr
allows 45 cr from test outs
accepts ap, clep and dsst with spelled out equivalencies on website
CLEP and DSST test center on site
free tuition for those over 65, free tuition for adults over 25 who meet certain criteria, huge scholarships for young students, pell grant more than covers tuition cost if full time
I got an associate degree there. Only 17 credits in residence at the CC. My cost: I got paid $300.

Note that all the stats I listed for price and free tuition only for in-district rates. This is why I recommend checking local because can take advantage of lower rates and special programs your state has to offer.

Also if you are in a union you can get community college for free: https://www.egccfreecollege.org/

---

Also you didn't mention. Do you have any prior credit at all?

Unfortunately, a lot of CCs are much more expensive than that. And it's not accounting for books. I would try Snow (if one can get the in-state tuition rate) or, failing that, get an Associate equivalent from TEL Learning. There is also YC Academy (through TEL) that offers an Associate's degree for $4000 all-in: https://ycacademy.tel-education.org/ But I don't know if there is an age maximum. It says it's designed with HS students and homeschooled students in mind but I don't see any mention of age otherwise.

Yep. Community colleges in my state/city run upwards of $200+ per credit, plus fees and books. So I'd advise people to check first and see if they're actually cheap, because it's not a given.

[natshar]

it's not just the price of your local CC its about the government initiatives in place. Check your state. More and more states offer free tuition for older students, students out of high school, senior citizens, etc. Currently, over 17 states offer programs in place. This list isn't even accurate because I know my state isn't on that list because they just passed a new program. And I know two other states that aren't on the list that provide free tuition to senior citizens.

List:

https://thecollegepost.com/free-communit...Washington.

[ss20ts]

Example. The CC near me:
$90/cr
allows 45 cr from test outs
accepts ap, clep and dsst with spelled out equivalencies on website
CLEP and DSST test center on site
free tuition for those over 65, free tuition for adults over 25 who meet certain criteria, huge scholarships for young students, pell grant more than covers tuition cost if full time
I got an associate degree there. Only 17 credits in residence at the CC. My cost: I got paid $300.

$90 per credit? Holy cow that is cheap! Here's it about $200 per credit for just the tuition. Then there's the fees which are often as much as or more than tuition. It's ridiculous. I can actually attend an out of state public school for less. That's just crazy! 

Here tuition isn't free for senior citizens. They can audit one class per semester if the class isn't full. They don't get grades or credit. They can't participate either. 

Free tuition for adults over 25? What state is this? 

[monchevy]

Example. The CC near me:
$90/cr
allows 45 cr from test outs
accepts ap, clep and dsst with spelled out equivalencies on website
CLEP and DSST test center on site
free tuition for those over 65, free tuition for adults over 25 who meet certain criteria, huge scholarships for young students, pell grant more than covers tuition cost if full time
I got an associate degree there. Only 17 credits in residence at the CC. My cost: I got paid $300.

$90 per credit? Holy cow that is cheap! Here's it about $200 per credit for just the tuition. Then there's the fees which are often as much as or more than tuition. It's ridiculous. I can actually attend an out of state public school for less. That's just crazy! 

Here tuition isn't free for senior citizens. They can audit one class per semester if the class isn't full. They don't get grades or credit. They can't participate either. 

Free tuition for adults over 25? What state is this? 

Seriously, it's insane. And it's why I have so many transcripts... searching the country for the classes that have cheap tuition, acceptance of "casual" students without a bunch of red tape, available online, and fit into my degree plan. So I have a patchwork of colleges and courses all over the place, one course per school. If only I could take them all affordably from a local college or university.

[StoicJ]

Houston Community College is a good one, too. (I am bringing them up because it shows the kinds of deals that may be out there, not because I think anyone here would qualify for their in-district rates)

Tuition calculator-    https://www.hccs.edu/applying-and-paying...alculator/

12 semester hours for $1020, if you are in-district. That includes tuition, and it looks to cover nearly all other fees. Books are separate.

In-state but out-of district doubles the cost, and out-of-state is a bit more than that. 

As for transfers, they accept up to 24 credits. They accept ACE (at least Sophia, Straighterline, & ALEKS), DSST, CLEP, IB, and AP.

Shoot, I might need to see how close I am to completing a degree there  . Heck, I might already qualify, but I think there's something about needing to complete your last X credits there. Worth a look, anyway.

[ss20ts]

it's not just the price of your local CC its about the government initiatives in place. Check your state. More and more states offer free tuition for older students, students out of high school, senior citizens, etc. Currently, over 17 states offer programs in place. This list isn't even accurate because I know my state isn't on that list because they just passed a new program. And I know two other states that aren't on the list that provide free tuition to senior citizens.

List:

https://thecollegepost.com/free-communit...Washington.

My state is on that list and I know for a factor that over 90% of the students are NOT eligible for free tuition via the Excelsior Scholarship program. It's been VERY controversial. I am not eligible because I previously attended college. You also have to be a full time student for the entire degree. You can't take a semester off. You must complete your degree in 2 years for the CC scholarship and 4 years for the bachelor's degree. This is also only tuition not the fees which at our 4 year state schools are often much more than the tuition. There are also income limits. The scholarship is after all grants are applied (if you are eligible for them). The window to apply for the scholarship is a month and a half long! June 1 - July 15. 

The scholarship MAY be for UP to $5,500. Meanwhile, tuition - just tuition - at SUNY Albany is $7,270 this year for the fall and spring semesters for full time students. This scholarship is ONLY for full time students. According to SUNY Albany's website, the tuition for those who receive the scholarship is still $6,470 for the year. Plus the fees.  Articles like these very rarely actually research what is involved in these "free" programs. 

https://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/...rship.html

https://www.albany.edu/undergraduate_bul...costs.html

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/201...plan-essay

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/report...2018-08-16

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017...d-defenses

https://fingerlakes1.com/2019/10/28/empi...-designed/

[monchevy]

it's not just the price of your local CC its about the government initiatives in place. Check your state. More and more states offer free tuition for older students, students out of high school, senior citizens, etc. Currently, over 17 states offer programs in place. This list isn't even accurate because I know my state isn't on that list because they just passed a new program. And I know two other states that aren't on the list that provide free tuition to senior citizens.

List:

https://thecollegepost.com/free-communit...Washington.

My state is on that list and I know for a factor that over 90% of the students are NOT eligible for free tuition via the Excelsior Scholarship program. It's been VERY controversial. I am not eligible because I previously attended college. You also have to be a full time student for the entire degree. You can't take a semester off. You must complete your degree in 2 years for the CC scholarship and 4 years for the bachelor's degree. This is also only tuition not the fees which at our 4 year state schools are often much more than the tuition. There are also income limits. The scholarship is after all grants are applied (if you are eligible for them). The window to apply for the scholarship is a month and a half long! June 1 - July 15. 

The scholarship MAY be for UP to $5,500. Meanwhile, tuition - just tuition - at SUNY Albany is $7,270 this year for the fall and spring semesters for full time students. This scholarship is ONLY for full time students. According to SUNY Albany's website, the tuition for those who receive the scholarship is still $6,470 for the year. Plus the fees.  Articles like these very rarely actually research what is involved in these "free" programs. 

https://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/...rship.html

https://www.albany.edu/undergraduate_bul...costs.html

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/201...plan-essay

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/report...2018-08-16

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017...d-defenses

https://fingerlakes1.com/2019/10/28/empi...-designed/

Also you have to agree to not leave the state afterwards for a set number of years. Practically no one besides kids coming out of HS qualifies for the program, so it's not even worth discussing here. It's not for adults.