IT related degree for non-us student

[Rozmars]

I think UMPI has the best chance of meeting your financial goal. If you're planning to move into management in the relatively near future, a BABA Project Management seems like it might be the best choice for you. They're also only about 10-15 papers or projects, compared to PUG's 45+ papers/projects. At $1500 per 8-week session, your $5000 budget would allow for 3 UMPI sessions, 1 ACTFL exam (foreign language such as Spanish or Russian; I don't think Ukrainian is possible), and 3 or 4 months of Sophia. This should be more than sufficient, as most students report being able to finish a UMPI degree in 2-3 sessions.

On the other hand, getting your employer to pay for at least some of the certifications that PUG accepts for credit could work well. If you'd really prefer an IT degree, you're looking at at least 2 $2500 sessions at PUG. You will also need to pay for 1-2 months of Sophia to cover the general education requirements that aren't covered by certifications. They will cost you more out of pocket, but could be worth it if you lean more towards a degree that is actually IT-focused.

I would recommend starting by signing up for Sophia and completing classes that would apply to either PUG or UMPI. For instance, you'll need or can take as electives: College Algebra, Human Biology (+lab), Environmental Science, Ancient Greek Philosophers, Intro to Ethics, Visual Communications, etc. Some of these will have papers and you'll get a better idea of what to expect with American academia. I would not recommend completing Sophia's English Composition courses if you're leaning more towards UMPI; UMPI's class is significantly faster/easier than at Sophia. On the other hand, Sophia may be faster/easier than PUG's English Comp requirements.

Regardless of school, if you want extra practice writing academic papers in English before committing to either degree, one thing you might want to consider doing would be to sign up for ASU's Universal Learner English Composition 101 class: https://ea.asu.edu/courses/english-composition-eng-101/ The cost for this would be $25. You do not have to pay the $400 transcription fee to make the class "official", only the $25 sign up fee to allow you to audit the course. Unfortunately, this class is not currently self-paced and the next start date isn't until August 15. It's not ideal, but it's a financially inexpensive way to get the hang of writing papers for an American university.

Thank you so much for an answer!
There is no limitation on how old Sophia credits might be, as I know, so I really can start doing classes that would apply to both universities.
Also, are the full curiculums for those degrees with Sophia equivalents somewhere?