(04-10-2025, 01:01 PM)mlbacchus@gmail.com Wrote: Thanks for the pointers. I just came to the idea of degree hacking in the last few weeks through three company Smarter by 1 degree. They've partnered with Crestpoint, Excelsior, and Edison to offer a few degrees like psychology while you're in high school. It looks like they offer a lot of the credits thru places like study.com and then have you take the last few credits from the university. They charge 450 per year for the service. So that sent me down the rabbit hole of trying to get a degree for my son much cheaper than I ever did when I went to college. And I'm realizing that a lot of people are doing this on their own but I'm trying to figure out if Smarter by 1 degree is worth it, if a degree from Crestpoint will get him into a masters program since it's not regionally accredited or if I need to do it on my own and can get it cheaper then going through smarter by 1 degree?
Your Location:
Your Age: 15
What kind of degree do you want?: psychology BS
Current Regional Accredited Credits: none
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: none
Any certifications or military experience?: none
Budget: no particular budget, just don't want my son to have a huge debt
Commitments:
Dedicated time to study:3-4 hours per day
Timeline:3 to 4 years
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: none

(04-10-2025, 03:48 PM)LevelUP Wrote:

(04-10-2025, 01:01 PM)mlbacchus@gmail.com Wrote: Thanks for the pointers. I just came to the idea of degree hacking in the last few weeks through three company Smarter by 1 degree. They've partnered with Crestpoint, Excelsior, and Edison to offer a few degrees like psychology while you're in high school. It looks like they offer a lot of the credits thru places like study.com and then have you take the last few credits from the university. They charge 450 per year for the service. So that sent me down the rabbit hole of trying to get a degree for my son much cheaper than I ever did when I went to college. And I'm realizing that a lot of people are doing this on their own but I'm trying to figure out if Smarter by 1 degree is worth it, if a degree from Crestpoint will get him into a masters program since it's not regionally accredited or if I need to do it on my own and can get it cheaper then going through smarter by 1 degree?
Your Location:
Your Age: 15
What kind of degree do you want?: psychology BS
Current Regional Accredited Credits: none
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: none
Any certifications or military experience?: none
Budget: no particular budget, just don't want my son to have a huge debt
Commitments:
Dedicated time to study:3-4 hours per day
Timeline:3 to 4 years
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: none

I would strongly advise against getting a NA degree because it limits your options for getting into a master's program, and the credits often don't transfer to other colleges if you want to pursue a degree in the future.

They've partnered with Crestpoint, Excelsior, and Edison.  

That's code for: we have an affiliate program with them, which creates a conflict of interest—they can push you into a program based on what makes them the most money, not what's actually best for you. My guess is that Crestwood University makes them the most money because they inflated the prices for all the other colleges to make it look like Crestpoint is the best choice.

Psychology Degree Options

TESU Cost: around $5000 if you do the flat-rate term
WGU Cost: $4000 per term (Need 1 to 2 terms to finish if max transfer credits)
UMPI Cost: $1700 per term (Need 1 to 2 terms to finish if max transfer credits) (Must be 20 years old to attend)
SNHU Cost: $10,000
UMGC Cost: around $12k with onlinedegree discount

For someone who is 15 years old, I usually recommend taking CLEPs through Modern States since it's free. Also, check out ASU's Universal Learner Courses. Many colleges allow at least 30 CLEP credits to transfer, along with an additional 30 or so regionally accredited (RA) transfer credits. That could give you the option of starting as a junior at an in-state college or going the online college route.

(04-10-2025, 05:37 PM)bjcheung77 Wrote: +1, I agree with CLEP/ACE credits to get a max of 90+alternative credits before transferring to TESU, I would add UoPeople to the list as well since they just recently got RA. It's great you filled in the basic addendum and template, but you missed the state... No, not the state of confusion, but where you reside.

Basically, I highly recommend doing dual enrollment with ASU and other community colleges to get a GPA in addition to the GPA available at TESU.  If going to UoPeople route, it's sufficient enough, unless you decide necessary to get more graded credits in case they want to get into a more competitive program...