Question about application/enrollment. Just starting out.

[theflounder]

Hello all,

I just registered for this forum but have been reading it for a while, love the content you share. I am starting with very few credits and my goal is to complete my BS (probably in business or history) as quickly and inexpensively as possible, as it is pretty much a check-box item at my employer as a requirement to promote.

The question that I have not seen come up is when exactly to make contact with the institution. Is there a need to apply or contact them prior to when I am ready to submit all my transcripts (or take the capstone, or participate in the APL, etc.)? I don't want to miss something and maybe end up wasting time/money by going in the wrong direction. You folks have been a great help as far as degree maps and test equivalents and whatnot, thanks!

Okay, so I do have one other question. As it stands today, it looks to me like a lot of the appeal of TESC over COSC has dried up, with the various capstone requirements and increased enrollment fee that TESC has added. COSC appears to this beginner like a more economical route. Tell me why I am wrong.

Thanks for everything!

[Lindagerr]

When you contact the school would depend on the school you choose and how quickly you plan to finish. If you pick a school and start testing have the test grades sent to the school even if they have not heard of you, that way they may hold on to them up to 6 months. If you take longer to apply they may still have the grades if not CLEP or DSST will still have the grades (they keep them 20 years), you can apply and pay for transcripts from them at any time I think they are $20-30 each.

I have not figured out the new TESC tuition options, but as far as I know TESC still only requires a Capstone betaken from them while Charter Oak requires both a cornerstone and capstone. TESC no longer gives upper level credit for CC courses but they still give upper level credit for some Exams.

[KingdomUnshaken12:28]

Cost was the primary reason I chose Charter Oak over TESC. I am going for an AA, so the Cornerstone is required (unlike TESC, from what I've heard), but the biggest cost difference is that TESC charges around $30 a credit to transfer tests in, almost doubling the price of each test and the overall cost of the degree versus COSC (for me at least - it would depend on what credits you already have). In terms of application/enrollment, you would want to make sure that your degree plan matched up with the degree requirements. Charter Oak lists their requirements on their website, so I was able to plan out my degree before applying.

Technically, you could plot out all of the tests towards your degree, take them all, apply for the semester before you want to graduate (e.g. apply for the Fall semester to graduate in May), take the Cornerstone and Capstone in those semesters (they run in 8-week terms instead of full semesters) along with any online courses you couldn't replace with tests, and graduate. COSC enrollment fee is $240 per semester (Fall, Spring, and Summer), so the less time you spend as a matriculated student, the less you will pay. Since I'm going for an Associates, I can get by with being enrolled for just one semester to take the Cornerstone class (ironically after I've finished all my other degree requirements), and I haven't had any problems with tests lining up where I expected them to. If you do go that route (completing most of your degree before you apply), then COSC's Exams Master List is invaluable.

Do take a look around the forum and hear from others enrolled at others of the Big Three, but Charter Oak does seem to be the least expensive at this point. Also, their customer service is absolutely wonderful.

[sanantone]

Okay, so I do have one other question. As it stands today, it looks to me like a lot of the appeal of TESC over COSC has dried up, with the various capstone requirements and increased enrollment fee that TESC has added. COSC appears to this beginner like a more economical route. Tell me why I am wrong.

Thanks for everything!

For the business degrees at TESC, you can test out of the Strategic Management capstone with a TECEP or transfer in a similar course from another school. Several people have used Penn Foster's Strategic Business Management. The high enrollment fee at TESC increased a little this year, but it's not new. You can get around it by choosing the Per Credit Tuition Plan. You can fulfill the residency requirements for this tuition plan by taking TECEPs at $36 per credit hour. This makes TESC cheaper than COSC and EC.

Cost was the primary reason I chose Charter Oak over TESC. I am going for an AA, so the Cornerstone is required (unlike TESC, from what I've heard), but the biggest cost difference is that TESC charges around $30 a credit to transfer tests in, almost doubling the price of each test and the overall cost of the degree versus COSC (for me at least - it would depend on what credits you already have).

I'm sorry, but this is totally false. TESC does not charge to transfer in tests.

[theflounder]

Thank you for your pointers and opinions! Back to studying now...

[KingdomUnshaken12:28]

I'm sorry, but this is totally false. TESC does not charge to transfer in tests.

Ahhh - the listed $36 testing tuition is for TECEPs. I had thought it was some type of transfer fee. :p I am sorry about that.

Still, a year's tuition at TESC is about $3000, plus testing costs, while COSC is $240 per semester, plus $1000 for the Cornerstone, plus the testing costs, so for two semesters COSC is still about $500 cheaper, if I'm calculating it correctly. I suppose the final total cost would then depend on the credits you already have and the major you are seeking. Charter Oak did end up being measurably less expensive for me, but both of them really are great schools.

And also, welcome to the forum, theflounder! Good luck!

[sanantone]

You only pay the enrollment fee if you choose the Enrolled Options Plan. The Enrolled Options Plan has been the most popular among people who are testing out because it didn't make sense to pay for the Comprehensive Tuition Plan when doing this, but the new Per Credit Tuition Plan offers another possibility that's even cheaper than COSC and EC. If you're going to take a lot of courses at one of the Big 3, TESC's Comprehensive Tuition Plan is cheaper than the tuition rates at EC and COSC. Taking a bunch of TECEPs under the Per Credit Tuition Plan to save money may not be ideal for everyone, however, so COSC is still a cheap option for those looking to test out.

[KingdomUnshaken12:28]

Got it - thanks for the clarification!