Cheapest Bachelors, any degree..CBE preferable

[Mint Berry Crunch]

Nexford University holds US national accreditation with DEAC and uses CBE subscription pricing. It offers a BBA. Tuition varies by country: Students in the Philippines pay USD 185 per month for a bachelor’s program, compared to students in the US paying USD 390 per month. Nexford accepts ACE explicitly including Sophia, CLEP, and others. You should try to confirm the recognition of US NA in the Philippines. You should also confirm how accelerable it will be. Nexford lists the “total accelerated” tuition for the BBA in the Philippines as USD 4400. A UMPI degree is possible for less.

This might be perfect for them. I think this is a great recommendation!

[Jonathan Whatley]

The thing is, she’s hoping to finish her degree as soon as possible so she can start working, ideally in something stable and remote. She’s currently doing very well at her university and is actually a scholar, so she’s not paying tuition, which is a huge plus. But the program will still take another two years to complete, and the daily commute has been pretty exhausting.

Congratulations! It sounds like she’s headed for success whichever of these options she chooses.

Do you think her current school being a respected, brick-and-mortar public university gives her degree added value in the long run?

Yes. Maybe the other factors will outweigh it, but I’d credit Cebu Tech with higher institutional reputation than the three lowest-cost US options.

As for the program choice, she mentioned she only picked tourism because her current school didn’t offer many other options. She felt tourism could still be practical, whether by land, sea, or air….but lately she’s been shedding interest in it and leaning more toward IT or business.

I haven’t seen anyone online do this yet, but UMPI recently added to their BA in Business Administration optional concentrations in Tourism Management or Hospitality Management. These are intended for on-campus students, but looking at the requirements in the catalog specific to each concentration it might be possible to fulfill those with transfer credit from Cebu Tech.

[artem]

She can try to get a scholarship at UoPeople.
It is not CBE, but taking 4 courses every semester, it can be finished in two years. Or with 90 credits transferred, she will need to pass only 10 classes, which is 3 semesters.

[Edriveless]

The thing is, she’s hoping to finish her degree as soon as possible so she can start working, ideally in something stable and remote. She’s currently doing very well at her university and is actually a scholar, so she’s not paying tuition, which is a huge plus. But the program will still take another two years to complete, and the daily commute has been pretty exhausting.

Congratulations! It sounds like she’s headed for success whichever of these options she chooses.

Do you think her current school being a respected, brick-and-mortar public university gives her degree added value in the long run?

Yes. Maybe the other factors will outweigh it, but I’d credit Cebu Tech with higher institutional reputation than the three lowest-cost US options.

As for the program choice, she mentioned she only picked tourism because her current school didn’t offer many other options. She felt tourism could still be practical, whether by land, sea, or air….but lately she’s been shedding interest in it and leaning more toward IT or business.

I haven’t seen anyone online do this yet, but UMPI recently added to their BA in Business Administration optional concentrations in Tourism Management or Hospitality Management. These are intended for on-campus students, but looking at the requirements in the catalog specific to each concentration it might be possible to fulfill those with transfer credit from Cebu 

You’re absolutely right. The fact that she’s at a respected public university with a scholarship is a big deal and definitely something we’re weighing heavily. The only real downside is the two more years and the long daily commute, which has been draining her physically and limiting her ability to work on the side. That’s why we’ve been exploring online options that could give her more flexibility and allow her to start working sooner in something stable and remote.

She originally chose tourism because of the limited program options at Cebu Tech, but her interest has been shifting more toward IT or business, especially as she’s gotten more involved in remote work. That’s why I am actually really intrigued by UMPI’s BA in Business with the new Tourism or Hospitality concentrations. If there’s any chance we could apply some of her Cebu Tech credits toward that, it might be the perfect blend of credibility and relevance.

My only hesitation is whether she could realistically complete UMPI’s 30 credits in just one term. It sounds doable in theory, especially if all 90 transfer, but I know it really depends on her pace and how well she adapts to the CBE format. Still, I’m leaning more and more toward saving up and going that route. UoPeople and Nexford have their advantages, but I agree they just don’t carry the same weight in terms of long term recognition.

Appreciate you helping me think through this. Let me know if you have any thoughts on the transfer process with UMPI or how best to prep her for the CBE format.

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She can try to get a scholarship at UoPeople.
It is not CBE, but taking 4 courses every semester, it can be finished in two years. Or with 90 credits transferred, she will need to pass only 10 classes, which is 3 semesters.

I’m pretty sure she could qualify for a full scholarship, especially given the financial challenges she’s facing back home in the Phil. I’m really doing my best to support her, even with my own financial limitations.

The thing is, like Jonathan mentioned, her current school already has a solid reputation, and that does count for a lot. So if she’s going to give that up for an online degree, I just wish there were an option that truly stands out, something that not only gives her more flexibility but also carries enough weight to make the switch worth it.

Ideally, I’m hoping to find something that costs less than $3,000 in installments and still offers strong credibility and career value. If that kind of option exists, I’d be more confident helping her make the transition.

[Jonathan Whatley]

Additional information about the Nexford bachelor’s option:

Undergraduate degree programs. Learners may enroll in one course per term for the first eight courses of the program. To qualify for two courses per term, learners must maintain a minimum CGPA of 3.0 and have no outstanding balance.

Because she would come in with more than eight courses in transfer credit, they might allow two courses as early as the first term. There are twelve terms per year. Each term starts on the first of each month, though each term lasts approximately eight weeks, so students may be working in more than one term overlapping at one time.

There will be an absolute minimum 10 courses (30 credits) completed in residence from Nexford. Additionally, the capstone course must be taken as the only course in a term. That means, even if they allow two courses as early as the first term, a hard minimum of 6 terms x 185 per term in the Philippines = 1100 in tuition to Nexford.

There may be additional course requirements within a major or specialization that she can’t readily fulfill from transfer credit or alt-credit, increasing the minimum number of terms and tuition to Nexford.

Academic Progression, Academic Calendar (University Catalog 2025)

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She originally chose tourism because of the limited program options at Cebu Tech, but her interest has been shifting more toward IT or business, especially as she’s gotten more involved in remote work. That’s why I am actually really intrigued by UMPI’s BA in Business with the new Tourism or Hospitality concentrations. If there’s any chance we could apply some of her Cebu Tech credits toward that, it might be the perfect blend of credibility and relevance.

In the UMPI BA in Business Administration she could additionally take the concentration in Project Management and Management Information Systems. It’s a light, IT for managers program compared to a “real” IT program, but it does relate to IT.

My only hesitation is whether she could realistically complete UMPI’s 30 credits in just one term. It sounds doable in theory, especially if all 90 transfer, but I know it really depends on her pace and how well she adapts to the CBE format. Still, I’m leaning more and more toward saving up and going that route. UoPeople and Nexford have their advantages, but I agree they just don’t carry the same weight in terms of long term recognition.

Appreciate you helping me think through this. Let me know if you have any thoughts on the transfer process with UMPI or how best to prep her for the CBE format.

The transfer would require a course-by-course evaluation from an approved foreign credential evaluator. Confirm this, but I suspect she would not need an evaluation of her high school diploma because she has so much credit from a university.

[Edriveless]

Additional information about the Nexford bachelor’s option:

Undergraduate degree programs. Learners may enroll in one course per term for the first eight courses of the program. To qualify for two courses per term, learners must maintain a minimum CGPA of 3.0 and have no outstanding balance.

Because she would come in with more than eight courses in transfer credit, they might allow two courses as early as the first term. There are twelve terms per year. Each term starts on the first of each month, though each term lasts approximately eight weeks, so students may be working in more than one term overlapping at one time.

There will be an absolute minimum 10 courses (30 credits) completed in residence from Nexford. Additionally, the capstone course must be taken as the only course in a term. That means, even if they allow two courses as early as the first term, a hard minimum of 6 terms x 185 per term in the Philippines = 1100 in tuition to Nexford.

There may be additional course requirements within a major or specialization that she can’t readily fulfill from transfer credit or alt-credit, increasing the minimum number of terms and tuition to Nexford.

Academic Progression, Academic Calendar (University Catalog 2025)

---

She originally chose tourism because of the limited program options at Cebu Tech, but her interest has been shifting more toward IT or business, especially as she’s gotten more involved in remote work. That’s why I am actually really intrigued by UMPI’s BA in Business with the new Tourism or Hospitality concentrations. If there’s any chance we could apply some of her Cebu Tech credits toward that, it might be the perfect blend of credibility and relevance.

In the UMPI BA in Business Administration she could additionally take the concentration in Project Management and Management Information Systems. It’s a light, IT for managers program compared to a “real” IT program, but it does relate to IT.

My only hesitation is whether she could realistically complete UMPI’s 30 credits in just one term. It sounds doable in theory, especially if all 90 transfer, but I know it really depends on her pace and how well she adapts to the CBE format. Still, I’m leaning more and more toward saving up and going that route. UoPeople and Nexford have their advantages, but I agree they just don’t carry the same weight in terms of long term recognition.

Appreciate you helping me think through this. Let me know if you have any thoughts on the transfer process with UMPI or how best to prep her for the CBE format.

The transfer would require a course-by-course evaluation from an approved foreign credential evaluator. Confirm this, but I suspect she would not need an evaluation of her high school diploma because she has so much credit from a university.

You’ve confirmed a lot of what I was starting to feel. Like yeah UoPeople and Nexford have their good points especially being affordable and flexible but it really seems like they just won’t hold the same weight long term like UMPI does. But now I’m wondering where do Capella and Walden fall in all this Are they more like UMPI in terms of credibility or still seen as for-profit schools that people don’t really rate as highly

Also thanks for explaining the Nexford 10 course or 30 credit thing That 925 total still sounds super manageable but honestly is UoPeople really seen as less credible than Cebu Tech That part surprised me I can probably get her the scholarship at UoPeople and she’s okay with the group work and proctored exams so I’m just trying to figure out why Nexford would be better than UoPeople apart from the whole CBE setup

I guess what I’m really trying to figure out is how people actually view these schools in the real world long term Especially if she wants to work remotely or maybe even go for grad school one day

[Jonathan Whatley]

UMPI and Cebu Tech are both the reputational winners over every school you named.

Nexford’s main advantages over UoPeople are CBE and that some people dislike the name “University of the People,” a strikingly nonstandard name for a university. UoPeople’s considerable recent advantage over Nexford is that UoPeople is RA, Nexford only NA.

[bjcheung77]

We're going back and forth on the first step, deciding the degree, institution, and actually applying... As I mentioned on my previous posts, UoPeople / UMPI are your best bets. Start by getting those 90 credits that can go towards both institutions, you can get more than 90 if you wanted. Your only remaining requirements are the 30 residency credits for either institution. Review my posts in this thread... Also, Here's a write up: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...s-Time-etc

[Edriveless]

After some careful thought, she has decided to pursue the UMPI route for now. She's currently deciding whether the Bachelor of Liberal Arts or the Bachelor of Applied Science, both of which have Management Information Systems concentrations, would suit her best. She plans to transfer all 90 credits from Sophia.

She’s leaning towards this over a Business degree. Additionally, is it possible for her to complete all of her courses through Sophia, rather than needing to incorporate SDC for the remainder of the program? She really likes the Sophia format, even if it means it may take a bit longer to complete.

I understand that SDC might be necessary for simultaneous progress, as Sophia only allows two courses at a time. However, she prefers to complete all 90 credits through Sophia. Would that be sufficient for UMPI, or would she need to take courses through SDC or other MOOCs as well? The focus would be on Management Information Systems.

I also noticed there is a Bachelor of Applied Science as well as a Bachelor of Liberal Arts at UMPI. Do both of these programs offer a Management Information Systems concentration? Is there a significant difference between the two in terms of focus and concentration?

[jg_nuy]

After some careful thought, she has decided to pursue the UMPI route for now. She's currently deciding whether the Bachelor of Liberal Arts or the Bachelor of Applied Science, both of which have Management Information Systems concentrations, would suit her best. She plans to transfer all 90 credits from Sophia.

She’s leaning towards this over a Business degree. Additionally, is it possible for her to complete all of her courses through Sophia, rather than needing to incorporate SDC for the remainder of the program? She really likes the Sophia format, even if it means it may take a bit longer to complete.

I understand that SDC might be necessary for simultaneous progress, as Sophia only allows two courses at a time. However, she prefers to complete all 90 credits through Sophia. Would that be sufficient for UMPI, or would she need to take courses through SDC or other MOOCs as well? The focus would be on Management Information Systems.

I also noticed there is a Bachelor of Applied Science as well as a Bachelor of Liberal Arts at UMPI. Do both of these programs offer a Management Information Systems concentration? Is there a significant difference between the two in terms of focus and concentration?

The Bachelor of Applied Science requires an AAS and at least 40 technical credits, from my most recent review. The BLS is the degree that most people opt for at UMPI.