Cheap schools for Excelsior Business requirements

Hello everyone!

I am currently enrolled in Excelsior's BGB program and was wanting some advice on good, cheap RA schools that are recognized by Excelsior. I am half-way away from BGB completion with most of my Arts/Sciences requirements done and would like to take some of the BGB business component classes on-line (ie accounting) versus CLEP to gain more hands-on experience in the field. Can anyone please point me to:

1. Any good RA schools out there that accept non-degree seeking students and,
2. Are Excelsior-acceptable as far as transferring credits,
3. Relatively cheap credit/hour wise
4. Proctored or non-proctored exams not a factor
5. And don't require placement exams as part of their admission requirement.

- I have some spare time between work to both take some on-line classes and study for CLEPs, but I'm not sure which credits from which schools Excelsior will deem transferrable towards my degree program. Also, I know some colleges out there still require non-degree, transfer students to take placement exams as an admission requirement and some don't.

- Thank you kindly in advance and I really appreciate any advice anybody can share.

 

Hi Spyder,

Independent study at LSU has exactly what you are looking for. Only $229 per 3-credit course and enough accounting courses to fulfill the Excelsior requirements for a Business degree in accounting. You don't actually enroll as a student in LSU, so there aren't any entrance requirements. If the course has a prerequisite, you will need to tell LSU where you satisfied that.

http://www.is.lsu.edu/courselist.asp?level=CO&online=0&nid=102

There are other posts on this board that discuss PENN-FOSTER as having some courses that meet some Excelsior requirements. Do a search on 'Penn Foster' for details on those.

If you have any additional questions, let me know.

Good luck

 

Excelsior will accept all credit earned at RA schools as long as the class meets program requirements. You'll have to consult with your Excelsior advisor on that. LSU and BYU will be about the least expensive RA schools out there. They have the added advantage of having open enrollment as well. If the classes you need can be lower level, you might also want to look at Penn Foster. Penn Foster is NA but most of their business courses have been ACE evaluated and will transfer into Excelsior. penn Foster will be the least expensive option, then LSU, then BYU.

Pug

 

+1 on LSU. I took several class there and have been very happy with them, both the school work and customer service.

One thing to watch out for though; with them being self-paced you HAVE to stay on top of the work and stick to a schedule. It's very easy to put off the work and get behind.

 

Here's my recommendation

I'd definitely rank LSU on top, then BYU next (see link below) for business component courses. As far as community colleges, there are some threads that discuss some CCs that you can go to for cheap 100-200 level courses, but haven't heard much success as far as transient student enrollment or admissions. Good Luck to you!

BYU:
http://www.byu.edu/webapp/home/index.jsp

 

This might help Spyder

Check this out this college in New Mexico. Not sure if anyone on the forum has taken a class here, but it does look promising (and cheap!).


http://www.sanjuancollege.edu/pages/109.asp

 

How are exams administered at LSU? Are the 3000 & 4000 level courses considered upper level if transfered into excelsior?

 

Thank you all for your thoughts!!!

I appreciate all the advice and inputs from everyone on the thread. I went through all the links provided and found some really good information.

It appears that the LSU independent study program is the winner hands down since they offer a wide array of classes at such a low price. Being an RA university also helps ensure "full recognition" of course completion.

Looks like some challenging on-line study days ahead for me! Again, thank you all for your help!!!!

 

I can't speak about the transfering of credits to Excelsior, but the exams are mailed to a proctor who gives you the exam and then mails it back to LSU. They aren't extremely picky about it, but it does have to be someone they consider reliable. A clergy member, librarian, etc. When I was deployed, I had one of the officers in my unit serve as my proctor.

 

Classes at LSU Independent Study follow this general format...

1. between 12 and 20 lessons assigned from a text book. A student is allowed to turn in up to 3 lessons per seven-day period. The instructor will grade your lesson and LSU will return it to you with instructor's comments.

2. between 2 and 4 exams. Must be administered by a proctor approved by LSU. After you enroll in a course, the course materials include a form to indicate your proctor.

3. If your proctor is acceptable, LSU will mail your exams to them after you have turned in the lesson assignments leading up to that exam.

4. Your proctor mails the exam back to LSU for grading. Once it is graded, LSU will send you a score report. You will not get the exam back. Once all lesson assignments are completed and exams taken, you are finished with that course and LSU will notify you of your final grade.

3000 and 4000 series courses at LSU are upper-level at Excelsior. 1000 and 2000 series courses at LSU are lower-level at Excelsior.