Bad Bad Vibes from WGU (and an Intro of sorts)

[ivythrowaway]

Yikes, I think the problem is a combination of lack of planning and an unrealistic expectation that the school would help you get credits from anywhere but itself. I actually went though this exact same process between excelsior, cosc, and wgu (I had NA credits so TESU wasn't an option) but quickly realized that nobody was going to be any real help, so I did my own research between here/reddit and made out with a "check this box" BS like a bandit.

I will say my enrollment counselor was a pure salesman, very pushy and persistent. Don't let a counselors motivation cloud your own, I just avoided my counselor until I was ready to send in my ACE credits for evaluation (I did this 3 times before enrolling).

As for as planning goes, you as the student and person paying for the program are the responsible party. It is important to do your own research regardless of school, WGU has very strict degree plans so transfer credit only works well with careful planning. Generic credits will not transfer well to any WGU program as they don't have many general ed classes. If what you have is a random assortment of credits or a ton of gen eds - about 5 minutes of research (I research buying a new toothbrush longer than that) would tell you that WGU isn't a good option for that type of transfer.

Having said that, if done correctly they are generous with transfer credit, as long as it is a similar class name to what exists on their degree plan. I took many SDC/ACE classes that were not listed on the "wgu transfer pathway" but every single one of them transferred anyways (some LL even transferred in for classes that usually require UL).

For details you can search out my past post from a couple months ago, the short story is I knocked out a bunch of ACE classes and transferred 90 credits to WGU and completed in like 3 or so months for a total cost of under 5K (that includes all money spent on alternative credit, paperwork, and supplies).

In reality none of these schools are going to go out of their way to try and help you get credits from other sources, in my experience none of them are particularly helpful in any way- so that bit is up to you and if done correctly all 4 schools are good options.

My thoughts exactly. They tuck that information away nicely. I had the exact same experience. Pushy, presumptuous, almost as if he had a "Handling Objections" script from Boiler Room. Still can't get over this guy trying to deter me from taking Saylor courses before starting (before I knew about the college I'm at now).

Nobody on this forum can justify why WGU would have such a predatory policy to restrict any and all transfer credits after you enroll (especially if it meets their own Transfer Pathways list they have on their website listing Saylor Academy courses they accept). No, you could have a single class left and they'd make you shell out a grand for it if you can't make for an extension. They would not let you finish a $25 Saylor Academy credit in this instance.

I may as well update where I'm at now. I'm now at UMPI after dealing with the utter headache that is TESU. There is no policy against transferring in credits post-enrollment. So far, nothing but good experiences. Comparably, this is a University recognized for graduating people with much lower debt. When they first gave me my aid package they didn't even offer my max Stafford loans, I had to request it.

Despite my "bad vibes" against WGU, I can't in good conscience say it's not a place you shouldn't consider so long as you know their policies, which they sure will not inform you of until you push and prod it out of them. My point is, you shouldn't have to, and does not seem indicative of a university interested in graduating you with the least amount of debt. If price is important, I'd recommend someone WGU only if they can get as close to 90 credits as possible and be prepared to really go to work the next 6 months to wrap up the remaining 30.