Quick Excelsior pointers needed

[ninod]

Greetings! I just submitted a bunch of courses from both US and ECE-evaluated foreign credentials to Excelsior towards Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts. My point is to get as close to 113 credits as possible, test out with CLEP/DSST/UEXCEL, and then take the 3 required courses online (Info Literacy, Cornerstone in 1 8-week semester and Capstone in a subsequent 8-week semester). Excel will be doing an initial eval, and I'll sign up for Info Literacy and Cornerstone so they can assign me an advisor to guide me. I am aware of the fee schedule.
I would like to talk with someone who is familiar with Excelsior processes and tricks. Please private message me if you are available for a quick convo.
Thanks.
Ninod

[dfrecore]

You can take Info Lit through Davar or Study.com, you don't have to take it at EC if you don't want.

But, my main question is, why would you go to EC when you can save $2000 by going to COSC? Or for the same price, going to TESU? Is there a reason you are using EC?

[ninod]

You can take Info Lit through Davar or Study.com, you don't have to take it at EC if you don't want.

But, my main question is, why would you go to EC when you can save $2000 by going to COSC?  Or for the same price, going to TESU?  Is there a reason you are using EC?

Thanks.

Because my research over several months only showed Excelsior (or TESU), and not much difference was indicated between the two. Also, Excelsior just changed the requirement from being able to transfer 117 credits down to 113 (Info Literacy, Cornerstone, and Capstone have to be taken online from them).

Questions:
1. Am I misunderstanding this?
2. Is there a difference in how these individual institutions are recognized nationally (or even in EU)?

[dfrecore]

1) I think you can still take Info Lit elsewhere (Davar, Study.com) and transfer it in
2) Recognition is the same - they are both Regionally Accredited schools (the gold standard)

Reasoning to choose another school:
1) The thing I don't necessarily like for EC is that you have to have 2 depths for your Liberal Studies degree (same as COSC). But at COSC, you'll be paying $2000 less. At TESU, you have more flexibility in the Area of Study to choose whatever you want for both UL and LL. So EC loses on both fronts.
2) You can get a BSLS, which TESU doesn't offer. But again, COSC offers the same thing for less.

Now, if EC gave you MANY more credits than TESU and COSC, then it MIGHT be worth going with them. But in general, TESU or COSC is the better option.

[Life Long Learning]

With Excelsior College I was able to talk to my advisor and he helped me narrow down my second BS degree to just 4 SH.  I did the Intro Lit course in two long days and got a perfect score.  I then just took a capstone.  I have a major gov't school background that TESU did not recognize but Excelsior College did.  Everyone has a different background.  Pick which of the Big 3 is best for YOU.  LinkedIn is a great way to look at all three graduates and what they do with the degrees!

[ninod]

With Excelsior College I was able to talk to my advisor and he helped me narrow down my second BS degree to just 4 SH.  I did the Intro Lit course in two long days and got a perfect score.  I then just took a capstone.  I have a major gov't school background that TESU did not recognize but Excelsior College did.  Everyone has a different background.  Pick which of the Big 3 is best for YOU.  LinkedIn is a great way to look at all three graduates and what they do with the degrees!

Thanks all. I already have a great career in technology, and BSLS at Excelsior is just a fast path towards a Bachelors degree for me (ANY degree, any field), whereas I'm bringing a lot of diverse credit over. My Excel evaluation is already underway. Unless they fail to award me solid credit, I'll probably just stick with them.

[SweetsugarNL]

Where are you from? If you not from a country where they teach in English you need a Toefl test. For TESU you need a Toefl score 79, for excelsior 69. Cosc dont ask for a Toefl.

[ninod]

TOEFL is not an issue here.

I had two more questions - apologies for repetition:
1. Most of UExcel exams (not courses) appear to be $110, with a few priced higher (into $3xx, $4xx, and $5xx). When there is an option to take the test through either CLEP, DSST, or UExcel exam, assuming test cost is similar, I assume UExcel test via Prometric/VUE is the best option to take, as there are no needs/fees for transfer?
2. Does signing up for an UExcel's actual course at the rate of $510 + $20 per credit hour (e.g. Info Literary, Cornerstone, Capstone) also include the cost of an actual exam for the course or is the exam additional out of pocket?

Thanks everyone.

[dfrecore]

TOEFL is not an issue here.

I had two more questions - apologies for repetition:
1. Most of UExcel exams (not courses) appear to be $110, with a few priced higher (into $3xx, $4xx, and $5xx). When there is an option to take the test through either CLEP, DSST, or UExcel exam, assuming test cost is similar, I assume UExcel test via Prometric/VUE is the best option to take, as there are no needs/fees for transfer?
2. Does signing up for an UExcel's actual course at the rate of $510 + $20 per credit hour (e.g. Info Literary, Cornerstone, Capstone) also include the cost of an actual exam for the course or is the exam additional out of pocket?

Thanks everyone.

1a) There are no fees for sending CLEP or DSST exams either, if you are an enrolled student - you choose the school at the time of test, and it sends it if you pass.

1b) You did not include the cost of the test-center fees at PearsonVUE - which are $50 for a 2-hr exam, and $60 for a 3-hr exam.

2) There are no additional costs for exams that I've heard (there weren't any at TESU for the midterm proctored through ProctorU for example), but you will probably need to purchase textbooks for these courses, so don't forget to add that cost

[ninod]

TOEFL is not an issue here.

I had two more questions - apologies for repetition:
1. Most of UExcel exams (not courses) appear to be $110, with a few priced higher (into $3xx, $4xx, and $5xx). When there is an option to take the test through either CLEP, DSST, or UExcel exam, assuming test cost is similar, I assume UExcel test via Prometric/VUE is the best option to take, as there are no needs/fees for transfer?
2. Does signing up for an UExcel's actual course at the rate of $510 + $20 per credit hour (e.g. Info Literary, Cornerstone, Capstone) also include the cost of an actual exam for the course or is the exam additional out of pocket?

Thanks everyone.

1a) There are no fees for sending CLEP or DSST exams either, if you are an enrolled student - you choose the school at the time of test, and it sends it if you pass.

1b) You did not include the cost of the test-center fees at PearsonVUE - which are $50 for a 2-hr exam, and $60 for a 3-hr exam.

2) There are no additional costs for exams that I've heard (there weren't any at TESU for the midterm proctored through ProctorU for example), but you will probably need to purchase textbooks for these courses, so don't forget to add that cost

Thank you!

Are textbooks expensive - can I get online PDF versions somewhere?

(My preliminary eval is still underway, so I'm trying to get armed with as much info as I can beforehand)