Excelsior Price Increase

[UptonSinclair]

I was on the Excelsior College website and noticed a price increase that will take place in the summer. Their undergraduate credits will be increasing from $425 per credit to $465 per credit. Thankfully, I am part of a partnership program that only charges $360 per credit. I will have to wait and see what they do to the rate come June.

[sanantone]

They just had a huge price increase last year. There are for-profits with more competitive pricing.

[publius2k4]

There are for-profits with more competitive pricing.

I'm noticing a trend with Excelsior College and TESC....It may not be long before the "Big 3" becomes a thing of the past thanks to the power of the all-mighty dollar.

[sanantone]

I haven't noticed any money trend with TESC other than that they created the Per Credit Tuition Plan to make it easier for students to take courses slowly without having to pay the enrollment fee. I'm not just saying this because I'm a TESC alumna. Their tuition rate has been rising much more slowly than EC's, and it's still much lower than COSC's. I think the policy change on FEMAs had something to do with quality standards instead of money. Remember that TESC was the first school to accept them directly; COSC started accepting them directly much later. For years, Todd Siben of TESC has been advising students against FEMAs because he felt like they devalued their degrees. TESC and EC have the same accreditor, and Excelsior never accepted FEMAs directly. Students paying FCC to transcribe credits doesn't put anymore money into EC's pockets. FEMA credits have only been around for a few years, so dropping them in no way changes the missions of these schools. The Big 3 have been around since the 70s. CBEs, ACE, and certain certifications are still being accepted for credit like they always have been.

TESC did add a capstone to all of the BA degrees, but EC and COSC have long had capstones. COSC also has the cornerstone. I think everyone should remember that EC is a private college. They do need money to sustain their operations. By not having a residency requirement, this puts them in a bind. So, other than putting a residency requirement in place, their only other option is to raise tuition and fees.

[Prloko]

I haven't noticed any money trend with TESC other than that they created the Per Credit Tuition Plan to make it easier for students to take courses slowly without having to pay the enrollment fee. I'm not just saying this because I'm a TESC alumna. Their tuition rate has been rising much more slowly than EC's, and it's still much lower than COSC's. I think the policy change on FEMAs had something to do with quality standards instead of money. Remember that TESC was the first school to accept them directly; COSC started accepting them directly much later. For years, Todd Siben of TESC has been advising students against FEMAs because he felt like they devalued their degrees. TESC and EC have the same accreditor, and Excelsior never accepted FEMAs directly. Students paying FCC to transcribe credits doesn't put anymore money into EC's pockets. FEMA credits have only been around for a few years, so dropping them in no way changes the missions of these schools. The Big 3 have been around since the 70s. CBEs, ACE, and certain certifications are still being accepted for credit like they always have been.

TESC did add a capstone to all of the BA degrees, but EC and COSC have long had capstones. COSC also has the cornerstone. I think everyone should remember that EC is a private college. They do need money to sustain their operations. By not having a residency requirement, this puts them in a bind. So, other than putting a residency requirement in place, their only other option is to raise tuition and fees.

Well thought out and I agree with your statement. Although, a 9.4% tuition hike seems a bit excessive (although not unprecedented).

[sanantone]

Well thought out and I agree with your statement. Although, a 9.4% tuition hike seems a bit excessive (although not unprecedented).

Yeah, the past two hikes have been shocking. It makes me wonder how much trouble Excelsior is having staying in the black even though they have over 35,000 students. A lot of people know that Excelsior is the place to go to put together a hodgepodge of credits and get a degree. TESC and COSC are lesser known, in that respect. Outside of NJ, TESC is mostly just known among the military. In the latest financial responsibility report I could find from the federal government, Excelsior scored pretty well (2.2 out of 3). So, they probably have a good idea ahead of time how much they need to raise tuition. I also get the sense they're trying hard to get students to take their courses and tests. They offer many incentives for those who take at least 12 credit hours in residence, they are very picky about what they'll take as English Comp II, and I heard they are no longer accepting Penn Foster's Information Literacy course.

[Exfactor]

I also get the sense they're trying hard to get students to take their courses and tests. They offer many incentives for those who take at least 12 credit hours in residence, they are very picky about what they'll take as English Comp II, and I heard they are no longer accepting Penn Foster's Information Literacy course.

This much is true, I noticed starting this fall EC is now offering courses for exams that previously had no course offerings.

[UptonSinclair]

I appreciate the fact that they have lowered the price for most of their exams. Just to be fair, it appears they pay adjuncts better than many other colleges. If they charged about $250 per credit, I would take every course through them.