Excelsior

[sanantone]

Most Americans don't have thousands of dollars to pay out of pocket for a degree; that's why we have student loans and grants. Even with most community colleges costing $2,000-3,000 per year, most of their students are receiving financial aid. Millions of people attend community colleges. Student loans and grants cannot be used for testing out, unfortunately. I and several others here have used leftover financial aid from taking courses to pay for tests. If you can afford to pay $6,000 out of pocket for a degree, then that's great. But, for many others, a $3,000 degree might be in reach whereas a $6,000 degree is not.

For many people on this forum, cost and flexibility come before speed. And, studying for a TECEP is still a lot faster and more flexible than taking a course. There are many members here who have taken two or more years to finish testing out of their degrees without even taking TECEPs. The people who speed through their degrees in 6 months are exceptionally rare.

[KittenMittens]

Most Americans don't have thousands of dollars to pay out of pocket for a degree; that's why we have student loans and grants. Even with most community colleges costing $2,000-3,000 per year, most of their students are receiving financial aid. Millions of people attend community colleges. Student loans and grants cannot be used for testing out, unfortunately. I and several others here have used leftover financial aid from taking courses to pay for tests. If you can afford to pay $6,000 out of pocket for a degree, then that's great. But, for many others, a $3,000 degree might be in reach whereas a $6,000 degree is not.

That's actually the tragedy of financial aid i.e. loans which is what majority of students obtain (and some obtaining need-based grants and very few getting scholarships which typically don't cover much). Federal loans have been a double edged sword. They single-handedly allowed students to pursue higher education, but at the same time, made the cost of college much higher than it should be. It's only in a few countries in the West, America mainly, where education is so outrageously expensive and unnecessarily outpaces the rate of inflation for the sake of watering ivy-covered academic buildings, and paying high salaries for college administrators (who make more than professors). The argument could be made that the country may have been better off without federal loans back when an entire college education could be paid off in a couple of summers working a part-time job, though I'd argue we need to limit the scope of what degree programs federal loans cover i.e. towards a degree that can provide good job prospects, and not for $100,000 art degrees. On the other hand, why can't federal loans apply towards programs that are vocational in nature for example? Why does it have to be only "higher ed"? It's because the college/higher-ed industry is completely broke and corrupt in this country and shows how lucrative it is to colleges and the government since student debt is nondischargeable in bankruptcy.

When funds are very limited, a few hundred, and a few thousand dollars can mean the difference between surviving or going under water. When a person has less money, then he/she may be unable to make the best decisions, but that's just life and the nature of the beast. I know this because I grew up mainly in poverty, and have seen both sides having had nothing, and now having a well paying job.

The one thing I do know is that at least in America, there is still a tremendous amount of opportunity. Even with a minimum wage job, living at home with parents/rent-free, or having a spouse work, etc. a degree for less than $10,000 is an incredible deal and can be done if disciplined and motivated enough. It's a lot of money to pony up with no guarantee you'll even pass (though the odds are very good if you are motivated enough), but I'd wager that there are a lot of things people can forgo i.e. finding cheaper editions of textbooks, photocopying chapters/torrenting e-books, working a part-time job, saving on cell phone bills, downsizing/sharing a room, cutting down on eating out, cutting cable TV, etc. etc and in worst case scenarios patiently and slowly amassing credits like this janitor did through Columbia University over 10 years. As they say, where there's a will there's a way.

[sanantone]

It is true that the high caps on student loans have allowed college costs to rise. There could be a better way to fund higher education, but keep in mind that college was mostly reserved for the upper middle class and upper class in America before the availability of financial aid. Everyone else went to work in a factory and other blue collar and pink collar jobs. The days of building a middle class lifestyle by working in a factory are gone for most people. Most of these jobs have been off-shored, and we now have a post-industrial, knowledge economy. Of the factory jobs remaining, many of them have moved to the South where there aren't many unions and companies can get away with paying a living wage, which is less than a middle class wage. So, people have turned to college to pursue white collar professions that do pay middle class wages. Spending 10 years to finish a degree at Columbia or any other school is not really a good idea for young adults. Also, one-third of American children are being raised in a single-parent household headed by the mother. These children often cannot expect much parental help. Many times, they have to work to help their mothers and younger siblings. Additionally, if these mothers want to go back to school, they will not have the support of a spouse.

[EI2HCB]

getting back to the topic, Now that the student has already enrolled at Excelsior, we need to assist them in either getting their degree there since they have either already paid tuition or significant fees, Has the Original poster revealed which enrollment option they have used? OPs entering credits have been applied to their degree MAP its now time to assist in the testing option. It appears the OPs credits were computer classes and stacked against there electives. Nice job! Any of those credits applied exclusively at Excelsior?

[KittenMittens]

getting back to the topic, Now that the student has already enrolled at Excelsior, we need to assist them in either getting their degree there since they have either already paid tuition or significant fees, Has the Original poster revealed which enrollment option they have used? OPs entering credits have been applied to their degree MAP its now time to assist in the testing option. It appears the OPs credits were computer classes and stacked against there electives. Nice job! Any of those credits applied exclusively at Excelsior?

Has OP definitely enrolled in the school yet? He/she mentions possibly considering going to TESC instead as an alternative. Maybe the OP applied and got his/her transcripts evaluated? Will just have to wait and see what credits/courses OP has done.

[EI2HCB]

gone2college,

Did you enroll under a partnership agreement? As a member of POAG and multiple other organisations tuition prices are reduced a little. If you haven't enrolled yet and are still considering your pathway in you can reduce your costs by at least $500 if you are receiving financial aid and take actual classes including the capstone, plus there is the scholarship option.

[Dassey]

I am the OP, but when I purchased the InstaCert I changed usernames.

When I enrolled at Excelsior, I forgot which option I choose. I just had to pay a small fee. You are correct, all my credits came from military training, Microsoft and comptia certs. My Cisco CCNA was not taken.

I just got passed over to be an IT manager because lack of education. My end result is to have a BS so that doesn't happen again. I will read through the thread more completely after a good jet lagged induced nap

And thanks for looking.

[EI2HCB]

Dassey, So is there a GI bill to be accessed? Have you filled out your financial aid forms and thought about taking any classes? First off is there a testing center were you are located? CLEP testing on-base is free the first time you take the test so that saves you and the DOD lots of money on your first degree. So contact the education officer at your base to find the closest test center or who administers the test. Don't be put off by their negativity regarding the usefulness of the test, my brother in law got 30 credits at the test center in a few days so keep your goal in focus.

Next you'll need to think about your strengths when it comes to current education, were you or do you have a good interest in history while you were in high school, or are you a math whizz. You want to set yourself up for success in the first few tests you plan to take so that you can see the value of testing even when it becomes more difficult depending on the subject.

You will need to clarify how you enrolled in Excelsior, residency is based on enrollment type, If you have a military advisor at EC contact them, find out if you are required to take 12 credits like civilians do or 24 credits as used to be required for military enrollment. (they like to eat slices of your GI bill) Clarifying this issue and residency requirements is key to your monetary success plus you might be able avail of the civilian enrollment residency if you insist on it, this way you eliminate using your GI bill and having to take more classes to meet the residency requirement

[UptonSinclair]

If the op has only paid a small fee, it is probably the $80 application fee and not the enrollment fee. If that is the case, it is not too late to change if so desired. Excelsior does a have a pretty flexible Bachelor of Science in Technology for IT types. It depends on how many actual courses are desired. If the op is looking for any computer related degree, the BSBA Computer Information Systems at TESC is impossible to beat for testing and alternative credit options. If there is post 9/11 GI Bill money available, residency courses are the best option to maximize the stipend.

[KittenMittens]

If the op has only paid a small fee, it is probably the $80 application fee and not the enrollment fee. If that is the case, it is not too late to change if so desired. Excelsior does a have a pretty flexible Bachelor of Science in Technology for IT types. It depends on how many actual courses are desired. If the op is looking for any computer related degree, the BSBA Computer Information Systems at TESC is impossible to beat for testing and alternative credit options. If there is post 9/11 GI Bill money available, residency courses are the best option to maximize the stipend.

It may be best to save the money for the post 9/11 GI Bill for an expensive program. Unless they changed the rules over the last 3-4 years, you want to use those benefits for the most expensive program you can find, not cheap ones since they'll cover a tremendous amount of educational costs.

See The New GI Bill - Calculator