What is average cost (per credit hour)?

I am just about ready to enroll in Excelsior, and from everything I have seen, seems that it is a great oppurtunity for me. The only thing I balked at was the class cost. It has been years since the last college course I took, and it seems like when I did, it was around $350 for the class. From what I can tell, classes at EC cost $240/credit hour, meaning that a regular class (3 credits) would cost $720. Is that an average (high/low) cost?

Thank you for any feedback on your experiences.

Brian

 

There are definately better deals than $240 per hour. However, You're not required to take any Excelsior classes while enrolled, and you can choose to take courses from other schools instead. For example, LSU offers their courses for about $214 for a 3 semester hour course, which you could then transfer to Excelsior. At the same time, you can apply CLEP, DANTES and Excelsior exams to Excelsior for credit, which is also cuts costs. The Excelsior courses serve as one more option for students.

 

Does Excelsior charge to transfer courses for credit? Also, do you have to enroll in LSU to take classes there?

Would you have any suggestions for how to keep costs down? I am not 100% sold on EC, and am open to other suggestions. I was just pleased that EC seemed to be a pretty good fit for what I needed (American living in the UK, have a family, work full time). However, I didnt look at any other schools besides EC. Keeping costs down would be a good thing, but if I have to take any significant tradeoffs to keep those costs down, I dont know if it would be worth it.

 

There is no fee for transfering courses to Excelsior, beyond the annual fees. LSU is like many independent study programs that do not require you to enroll, and there are literally thousands of courses available through independent study to choose from. You simply pay the course fees and take the course. I like LSU courses because there is a large selection to choose from, they are very inexpensive and the transcript fee is only $1 (so you won't spend a fortune if you apply to graduate school later).

If you're still school shopping, you might want to look at Thomas Edison and Charter Oak, which are similar to Excelsior.

 

5 or more years ago, someone - can't remember who - did the wonderful service (on the earlier a.e.d. forum) of researching and offering a list of DL schools, ranked by cost-per-semester-unit.

The range then was from under $25 (at some community colleges) to more than $300. And, as always, no clear correlation between cost and quality or usefulness.

If anyone is full of spare time and good will . . .

 

If you do decide to enroll in Excelsior, you will get access to their DistanceLearn database which allows you to search for classes by keyword, subject-area, and cost range. The cost ranges are $300 and under, $300-$500, etc.

How much your classes will cost you depends in part on whether the specific classes you want/need are offered at less expensive schools.

Good luck!

Elizabeth

 

IIRC, it was someone named Bear: Least Expensive Distance Coursework?

 

My goodness. Thank you.

If Oxpecker and Mark Israel are not the same person, why have they never been seen together?

 

If I could have your opinion; what is my best option?

What I am currently thinking is:
- Enrol in Excelsior.
- Get all my previous credits transferred in.
- Find out what classes I need to take.
- Find the class offered at another (cheaper) school and have the admissions counsellor review it to make sure it will transfer in. If so, take it. If not, take the equivalent class at Excelsior and just grin and bear the $240/credit hour.


Is this a worthwhile plan? Is it possible to have EC look at a class from another school before I take it, and then get a confirmation on whether it will transfer?

I really like the flexibility EC offers me, but don't want to spend a fortune in class tuition.

Thank you kindly for your feedback.
Brian

 

Yes, you can, and are encouraged to, check with your advising team to make sure that the classes you selesct will be accepted for your degree requirements. You can do this with a simple email to your advising team once you are enrolled. If you want something approved before your initial evalaution, you can ask "Will course xyz at Univerity of X fullfill requirement abc of a BA/BS in ____" and they will answer that narrowly defined question. They will not guarantee that a course won't duplicate existing credit before your initial evaluation however. The advising team has always gotten back to me within 2 business days.

Good luck,
Elizabeth

 

Fantastic. I think it is a done deal then. I will be enrolling today.

 

Don't forget CLEP, DANTES and Excelsior examinations.

 

Oh yes, I have been thinking of the same already. I also have transcripts to transfer from my time in the USMC. Those should be worth a handful too.