(06-09-2026, 04:52 PM)RKanarek Wrote: Greetings,

I started pursuing a COSC bachelor's degree in 2000. Around 2003 (give or take) I had enough (probably more than enough) credits for an Associate degree. I was offered the opportunity to receive an AS with the clear understanding that I was actually pursuing a bachelor's degree. The AS was not free in the monetary sense, but it was free in the sense that it did not interfere with my further studies. I agreed, whimsically on the assumption that, if I died before completing my Bachelor's degree, at least there'd be something to put in my obituary*. Clearly some time has passed since then, but -- crazy idea -- why not e-mail Ed and ask?

Good luck!

* Given that COSC eventually rooked me out of my bachelor's degree and I'm still trying to pursue one twenty-six years later, I guess the joke's on me. I wonder why I'm not laughing.

(06-22-2026, 01:24 AM)Mint Berry Crunch Wrote: I would love to say "hey, I went to all of the 'big three'". I can confidently say I went to 2 of the 3 now, but maybe I'll give Excelsior a go with their new subscription offering. I would say COSC may remain a solid option for you if you have completed a handful of credits with them. I would love to see at least someone here give it the ole' college try lol

• 18 credits from Excelsior via their late and lamented UExcel/ECE exams
  
• 30 credits from TESU via their still going strong TECEP exams – notably still a great way for a confident work writer to earn credit for ENC 101 and 102
  
• 27 credits from COSC via the Cornerstone, Grant Writing, five psychology courses, Psychology Capstone, and Communication Capstone
  

• Introduction to Early Childhood Education
  
• Child Developmental Psychology
  
• Infant / Toddler Growth and Development
  
• Early Language and Literacy Development
  

• Excelsior closed the UExcel/ECE exam program that was a key source of alternative credit especially of upper-level credit to students who sent them to all the Big Three and beyond.
  
• Excelsior closed most of their old liberal arts major, concentration, and depth of study options.
  
• Excelsior introduced the $300 per occasion post-admission transfer credit evaluation fee, extremely unfriendly to students following traditional Big Three methods.
  
• Excelsior’s most important new bachelor’s, the BSCS, has a design that isn’t very conducive to transferring in standard CS courses.
  

• COSC did not close its Pathways exam program.
  
• COSC did close most of its General Studies concentrations – but they often replaced a concentration with a new full major.
  
• COSC massively reduced tuition for students outside Connecticut and its neighbor states by adopting in-state tuition for all. They also abolished their old graduation fee.
  
• COSC maintained its general policies friendly to RA and to ACE/NCCRS transfer credit. Granted they did restrict several ACE and especially NCCRS providers, and they did restrict or drop down many individual alt-credit courses that had become popular, especially for ULs.
  

(06-22-2026, 04:27 AM)Jonathan Whatley Wrote:

(06-22-2026, 01:24 AM)Mint Berry Crunch Wrote: I would love to say "hey, I went to all of the 'big three'". I can confidently say I went to 2 of the 3 now, but maybe I'll give Excelsior a go with their new subscription offering. I would say COSC may remain a solid option for you if you have completed a handful of credits with them. I would love to see at least someone here give it the ole' college try lol

I went to all the Big Three in the sense that I earned credits from each.

• 18 credits from Excelsior via their late and lamented UExcel/ECE exams
  
• 30 credits from TESU via their still going strong TECEP exams – notably still a great way for a confident work writer to earn credit for ENC 101 and 102
  
• 27 credits from COSC via the Cornerstone, Grant Writing, five psychology courses, Psychology Capstone, and Communication Capstone
  

I completed the AA in General Studies (at a separate graduation earlier than the bachelor’s), BA in General Studies with the late and lamented concentration in Communication, and BS in Psychology with concentration in Cognition and Learning from COSC.

When I first planned my degrees, I wanted a “more normal looking” transcript that would both take advantage of Big Three friendliness to transfer and alternative credit, and still have a fairly normal amount of residency credit especially in major from the school granting my degrees. COSC did not require that residency credit, but I was looking to apply to medical school, so I expected my transcripts to be looked over carefully by traditionalists. Then the more immediate need to help a family member through health problems ultimately derailed the medical school plan.

COSC still has a credit by examination program making it relatively convenient and cheap to earn some credit from COSC. Pathways exams are delivered online, and each $100 for 3 credits in

• Introduction to Early Childhood Education
  
• Child Developmental Psychology
  
• Infant / Toddler Growth and Development
  
• Early Language and Literacy Development
  

You do not need to be a COSC enrolled student to take and earn transcripted credit for a Pathways exam. These could then be good sources of transfer credit, notably to go to a psychology or early childhood education program elsewhere. COSC also offers a Medical Terminology exam to COSC enrolled students only.

My unpopular opinion here, but why are you booing me? I’m right, is that Excelsior has done the most to move away from the classic Big Three model, not COSC.

• Excelsior closed the UExcel/ECE exam program that was a key source of alternative credit especially of upper-level credit to students who sent them to all the Big Three and beyond.
  
• Excelsior closed most of their old liberal arts major, concentration, and depth of study options.
  
• Excelsior introduced the $300 per occasion post-admission transfer credit evaluation fee, extremely unfriendly to students following traditional Big Three methods.
  
• Excelsior’s most important new bachelor’s, the BSCS, has a design that isn’t very conducive to transferring in standard CS courses.
  

Compounding the loss of the UExcel/ECEs, in the same general time period several DSSTs that used to be recommended for UL credit dropped down to LL.

By contrast

• COSC did not close its Pathways exam program.
  
• COSC did close most of its General Studies concentrations – but they often replaced a concentration with a new full major.
  
• COSC massively reduced tuition for students outside Connecticut and its neighbor states by adopting in-state tuition for all. They also abolished their old graduation fee.
  
• COSC maintained its general policies friendly to RA and to ACE/NCCRS transfer credit. Granted they did restrict several ACE and especially NCCRS providers, and they did restrict or drop down many individual alt-credit courses that had become popular, especially for ULs.
  

But the transfer-friendly structure is still there at COSC. All it would take is a few friendlier alt-credit reviews by COSC – not even necessarily for incumbent alt-credit providers, they could be for new providers – and/or RA schools increasingly offering alt-like credit like ASU EA, for COSC to be significantly more competitive in this market again.