Cheapest Bachelors, any degree..CBE preferable

[Edriveless]

Your Location: United States (I’m the sponsor. My friends daughter whom I’m the godparent of a girl who lives in the Philippines in the province)
Student’s Location: Province in the Philippines
Student’s Age: 22
What kind of degree do you want? Any — She doesn’t yet know what specific field to pursue, but she needs a bachelor’s degree to qualify for decent jobs in the Philippines. We are open to suggestions that are fast, practical, and employable.

Current Regionally Accredited Credits:
She completed 2 years of a tourism degree at a local college in the Philippines (not regionally accredited, but possibly transferable depending on the school). We’re hoping she can transfer those credits into a full online program.

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits:
None yet, but open to exploring Sophia.org or Study.com if needed.

Any certifications or military experience?
No certifications yet.



Extra Context:
I’m helping fund her education, so we’re looking for something under $1,000 USD total. Ideally it would be fully online, self-paced or competency-based, and open to international students, since she will likely remain in the Philippines. Accreditation doesn’t need to be regional as long as the degree can be used locally for employment or possibly evaluated later on.

Questions:

1. What are the most affordable options (under $1,000 total) for finishing a bachelor’s degree online for someone in the Philippines?
   
2. No need to transfer but if there is anything that can be 1k or less that is self pads/CBE for a good bachelors any degree so can find a good job to help her family 
   
3. Is ENEB (with IEE or WES evaluation) a practical path if she needs a degree just to meet job requirements, not for grad school?
   
4. Are there self-paced or competency-based programs that are fast, practical, and budget-friendly, even if non-traditional?
   

Thank you all for any advice or recommendations!

[Jonathan Whatley]

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.

[bjcheung77]

It's great you're helping the student, half the addendum plus template is missing. Your best option should be UoPeople, they take Sophia.org, Study.com, StraighterLine, and many ACE options to max the transfer to 90 credits. She can apply to get a scholarship to drop the classes cost in total. You need to get up to 90 credits with ACE options, you can use my Study.com link and subscribe to the College Starter for $95/month and have them crank out the classes for general education and electives.

[Edriveless]

No Template for student
• Your Location: Philippines
• Your Age: 22
• What kind of degree do you want?: Any accredited bachelor’s degree (open to Business, IT, General Studies, or Tourism). The goal is employability — either for local jobs in the Philippines or remote work for U.S. companies. She’ll also be working for my small business, so I’m not concerned about the school’s brand name, as long as it’s a legitimate degree with recognized value.
• Current Regional Accredited Credits: None
• Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: None yet — planning to earn up to 90 credits through Sophia.org and Study.com
• Any certifications or military experience?: None
• Budget: Under $1,000 (ideally $500 or less) — funded by me (based in California, USA)
• Commitments: None — she has full-time availability
• Dedicated time to study: 8–12 hours/day — she can commit full-time. I’m even paying for her internet, so there are no time constraints.
• Timeline: Ideally finish the full bachelor’s in 4 months or less. She’s ready to go all in.
• Tuition assistance/reimbursement: None officially, but I’m sponsoring her as long as it stays under budget.

⸻
Additional Notes:

• She lives in a rural province in the Philippines and has two years of credits from a local college, but we’re not sure if U.S. schools (like UoPeople, UMPI, etc.) will accept them without a foreign credential evaluation.
• We’re seriously considering University of the People (UoPeople) due to their generous ACE transfer policy (up to 90 credits), free tuition (just exam fees), and international accessibility.
• The plan is to complete 90 credits via Sophia.org and Study.com, then finish the remaining 30 credits at UoPeople — possibly in 2 months if allowed.
• We’re specifically avoiding programs that require proctored exams, group projects, or live sessions, especially if they involve extra fees or added pressure. CBE is strongly preferred, especially because of her past test anxiety (in-person testing was tough for her).
• Our priority is the fastest, cheapest, most flexible online degree path that accepts ACE/NCCRS transfer credits in bulk.

⸻

Questions:
1. Can NationsUniversity (or similar ultra-low-cost colleges) accept ACE/NCCRS credit or fast-track completion in under 2 months?
2. Is it realistic to expect someone to finish 90 Sophia/Study.com credits in 2 months and transfer them all to UoPeople?
3. Are there other international-friendly, test-free, project-free bachelor’s paths besides UoPeople that meet this budget and pace?
4. Would her local college credit possibly transfer? Would it require WES/IEE evaluation first?



Thanks so much! I know the expectations may seem ambitious, but I’m trying to make a real impact for her. Any suggestions are truly appreciated.

[Jonathan Whatley]

• We’re specifically avoiding programs that require proctored exams, group projects, or live sessions, especially if they involve extra fees or added pressure. CBE is strongly preferred, especially because of her past test anxiety (in-person testing was tough for her).

Note that CBE does not necessarily mean no proctored exams, etc. For example, WGU is all-CBE but has many proctored exams. (WGU isn’t available in the Philippines.)

• Our priority is the fastest, cheapest, most flexible online degree path that accepts ACE/NCCRS transfer credits in bulk.

⸻

Questions:
1. Can NationsUniversity (or similar ultra-low-cost colleges) accept ACE/NCCRS credit or fast-track completion in under 2 months?

NationsUniversity does not accept ACE or NCCRS credit per DegreeForum member reports on the Wiki. Their catalog does not mention ACE or NCCRS, which supports this finding. Their catalog does mention CLEP, which can be free using Modern States. But each CLEP is a proctored test, and outside the US I think must be taken at a local testing center.

Are you asking if a student transfers in 90 degree-applicable credits earned previously, can they complete the remaining 30 in two months? There is precedent for that at UMPI, though it isn’t guaranteed.

2. Is it realistic to expect someone to finish 90 Sophia/Study.com credits in 2 months and transfer them all to UoPeople?

It’s unlikely, especially given turnaround times for assignments. Assignments have been added and have had a slowing effect particularly at Sophia in recent years.

3. Are there other international-friendly, test-free, project-free bachelor’s paths besides UoPeople that meet this budget and pace?

UoPeople is not CBE. It requires proctored tests (see the courses tagged “proctored course”), and UoPeople student social media is beseiged with complaints about group projects. Courses at UoPeople must be taken in a strict sequence under semester-based schedules. It’s not self-paced. But it is low-cost.

UMPI is CBE, does not use proctored tests, does not use group projects, and is about the most self-paced available. It is significantly more expensive than your price target.

Nexford might be an option. You could inquire about their use of tests and group projects and their scheduling.

4. Would her local college credit possibly transfer? Would it require WES/IEE evaluation first?

In the US, a college almost always grants degrees and has much the same accreditation as a university. But in many countries, “college” often denotes something operating wholly or mostly outside the country’s degree system, much like a “trade school” is in the US.

Is the credit from her local college clearly applicable to a bachelor’s or associate’s degree in the Philippines? Yes is a very good sign.

[bjcheung77]

Any way you slice things, you've got to start accumulating the credits... I would use Sophia.org and Study.com for the general education and electives at UoPeople and/or UMPI. Create a spreadsheet and compare the two, you'll know which classes you can take for each institution, you can then take the classes at Sophia.org or Study.com towards the 90+ credits, even though 90 can go into either institution. You can decide how you want to finish, be it slowly and surely at UoPeople or if you've got the extra cash to finish faster at UMPI.

[marcelor78]

No Template for student
• Your Location: Philippines
• Your Age: 22
• What kind of degree do you want?: Any accredited bachelor’s degree (open to Business, IT, General Studies, or Tourism). The goal is employability — either for local jobs in the Philippines or remote work for U.S. companies. She’ll also be working for my small business, so I’m not concerned about the school’s brand name, as long as it’s a legitimate degree with recognized value.
• Current Regional Accredited Credits: None
• Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: None yet — planning to earn up to 90 credits through Sophia.org and Study.com
• Any certifications or military experience?: None
• Budget: Under $1,000 (ideally $500 or less) — funded by me (based in California, USA)
• Commitments: None — she has full-time availability
• Dedicated time to study: 8–12 hours/day — she can commit full-time. I’m even paying for her internet, so there are no time constraints.
• Timeline: Ideally finish the full bachelor’s in 4 months or less. She’s ready to go all in.
• Tuition assistance/reimbursement: None officially, but I’m sponsoring her as long as it stays under budget.

⸻
Additional Notes:

• She lives in a rural province in the Philippines and has two years of credits from a local college, but we’re not sure if U.S. schools (like UoPeople, UMPI, etc.) will accept them without a foreign credential evaluation.
• We’re seriously considering University of the People (UoPeople) due to their generous ACE transfer policy (up to 90 credits), free tuition (just exam fees), and international accessibility.
• The plan is to complete 90 credits via Sophia.org and Study.com, then finish the remaining 30 credits at UoPeople — possibly in 2 months if allowed.
• We’re specifically avoiding programs that require proctored exams, group projects, or live sessions, especially if they involve extra fees or added pressure. CBE is strongly preferred, especially because of her past test anxiety (in-person testing was tough for her).
• Our priority is the fastest, cheapest, most flexible online degree path that accepts ACE/NCCRS transfer credits in bulk.

⸻

Questions:
1. Can NationsUniversity (or similar ultra-low-cost colleges) accept ACE/NCCRS credit or fast-track completion in under 2 months?
2. Is it realistic to expect someone to finish 90 Sophia/Study.com credits in 2 months and transfer them all to UoPeople?
3. Are there other international-friendly, test-free, project-free bachelor’s paths besides UoPeople that meet this budget and pace?
4. Would her local college credit possibly transfer? Would it require WES/IEE evaluation first?



Thanks so much! I know the expectations may seem ambitious, but I’m trying to make a real impact for her. Any suggestions are truly appreciated

I think Nations is free for students from the Philippines. But their degree is in Theology, which may not interest her, since you mentioned other fields.

[Edriveless]

Thank you all for your advice so far!

I’m now leaning toward having her go the UoPeople route, even though there are proctored exams or possibly Nexford. Based on her academic background (two years of college in the Philippines and possibly up to 90 transferable credits through Sophia or SDC), I believe either option could work well.

My main concern is that UoPeople might feel overwhelming if she takes on too much at once. I expect she would start with one course per term, then ramp up to two per term. If all 90 credits are accepted, she could finish in about 10 months.

With Nexford, the plan seems very manageable, $185/month for five months could get her to the finish line, assuming full credit transfer. That’s a total of around $925, which is a big plus.

At this point, it really comes down to:
1. Credibility and recognition — in the Philippines and internationally
2. Support system and ease of study — especially for remote learning
3. Affordability and scholarships — she may qualify for a UoPeople scholarship

She’s considering the Business degree at UoPeople and IT at Nexford, depending on which path feels more aligned with her long-term goals.

I’ve attached the course description of her original 4-year degree program from the Philippines (she’s currently in her third year), just in case it helps with evaluating transfer potential, though I’m not sure how much will carry over.

Possible an AA could be earned before the BS?
Would love to hear any insights or experiences from others, especially regarding long-term value and recognition of either option!

[Jonathan Whatley]

These units are likely to transfer about one to one!

Maybe the best option is completing on-campus at Cebu Technological University, a large brick-and-mortar public university.

If you rule out all options over about 1000 USD, you’re left with about two or three startup online schools in the US named above, only one RA. UoPeople is not very accelerable and it’s heavy on group projects and proctored exams.

Tourism and hospitality management is a specialized field. There seem to be many jobs that hire preferentially for tourism and hospitality degrees in North America. Maybe there are also in the Philippines, and she would lose that advantage if she switched to a generic management or general studies degree. IT would help with some specialized jobs. The Cebu Tech tourism management degree is likely transferable to a job seeking any business degree.

Perhaps you could save the online degree budget to apply later towards a master’s degree, maybe an Elmwood Master of Leadership and Management or a UoPeople or Nexford MBA, or maybe from the Philippines.

[Edriveless]

These units are likely to transfer about one to one!

Maybe the best option is completing on-campus at Cebu Technological University, a large brick-and-mortar public university.

If you rule out all options over about 1000 USD, you’re left with about two or three startup online schools in the US named above, only one RA. UoPeople is not very accelerable and it’s heavy on group projects and proctored exams.

Tourism and hospitality management is a specialized field. There seem to be many jobs that hire preferentially for tourism and hospitality degrees in North America. Maybe there are also in the Philippines, and she would lose that advantage if she switched to a generic management or general studies degree. IT would help with some specialized jobs. The Cebu Tech tourism management degree is likely transferable to a job seeking any business degree.

Perhaps you could save the online degree budget to apply later towards a master’s degree, maybe an Elmwood Master of Leadership and Management or a UoPeople or Nexford MBA, or maybe from the Philippines.

Thanks, Jonathan. That’s really helpful.

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.

She also occasionally helps out remotely with a friend’s business, so the idea of switching to an online program that would allow her to study and work from home is appealing. Given her strong academic performance and motivation, I’m wondering if a competency-based model might be a good fit, especially if there’s flexibility around proctoring (like the option to nominate a proctor instead of using ProctorU). Her goal is to finish within a few months if possible, definitely under a year.

Do you think her current school being a respected, brick-and-mortar public university gives her degree added value in the long run? Or would a faster online degree still hold up well, especially if she later follows up with a master’s, maybe through Elmwood, Nexford, or UoPeople?

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.