life experience / distance learning / test-for-credit schools based in California?

[sanantone]

Is Carnation referring to colleges? Public colleges in Texas require Texas government now. You can't test out of it, and it's not included in any other government course. California might have a combination course that's similar to the one I took that's no longer offered in Texas that combines national and state government.

[cookderosa]

I've just found out that, as of next year, I'll qualify for an annual grant of up to $16,000 to go towards getting a bachelor's degree. The catch is that the money is provided by the state government of my home state of California, so it will only be granted for study at a college/university that's based in California.

That's disappointing, since I was hoping to take advantage of the life experience credits, distance learning and test-for-credit features of schools like Western Governors or one of the "big three", so I could earn the degree in considerably less than the usual 4 years.

Does anyone know if there are any colleges/universities based in CA that offer some or all of those same features? Any info would be appreciated!

Here's how I would approach this: First, go to the database of all accredited colleges. U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs Use the filters to narrow down the options to regionally accredited schools in your state. This will filter you from 37,000 down to whatever number- but a more manageable one. You should know this goes 100 times faster if you open it in excel, and order it by accrediting agency- then simply delete all the schools that are not regionally accredited through Western Association of Schools and Colleges. This, of course, depends on your level of enthusiasm. Mine would be through the roof.
Now, take out all the community colleges. Finally, pull up the list of colleges in CA that award credit for CLEP by looking here https://www.collegeboard.org/ and start checking out their websites.

$16,000 is a lot of money. If that's for tuition only, you can look for schools that charge around $500 per credit. That's what I paid to take my Harvard Extension classes! I'm assuming you're looking into distance learning, so you can just start working your way through the best contenders and see who fits the degree types you're looking for. Remember ALMOST EVERY school offers classes via distance learning, so you don't have to look for distance learning DEGREES. For instance, you might find an on campus degree where the classes in the major are on campus but the gen eds and a few theory courses can be distance learning- that's also a win. (BSN Nursing would be an example of that)

In my opinion, there will be exactly ONE time in your life when someone gives you $64,000 and that's probably today. Don't short change yourself. Even using a handful of CLEPs takes a semester of classes off the table. If you can find someone that takes 45, you'll be so far ahead of your peers that it's going to be crazy. Aim high, get the BEST degree you can within the parameters you've outlined for yourself. And, CONGRATULATIONS!

P.S. I'd been waiting for something good to be the topic of my 5,000th post - it was this.

[publius2k4]

The University System of Georgia requires students to take courses about the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Georgia. However, these requirements can be satisfied with a proficiency exam administered at most of the colleges in the system.