Excelsior College Duplicate Credit Error

I received a phone call this morning from an advisor at Excelsior College telling me that after a final review of my credits for graduation, 3 of the credits earned by taking the Psychology GRE exam were duplicate credits, making me 3 credits short for graduation. When I took the Psych GRE, the amount of credits I earned was reduced based on the psych classes I had already completed, and from that point forward I did not take any other psych classes, therefore it wasn't a class I took after the fact that duplicated the credits. This is especially frustrating because I had called the school three times in the past month to make sure there were no problems with my transcripts and status, and that I would be graduating on time.

The advisor tried to be sympathetic on the phone, and kept asking "Are you sure there aren't any credits that you might have earned for something else?"...like I have spare college credits!

While I know no one intentionally tried to cause problems for me, I am terribly frustrated and don't know how best to proceed. Had this been an error on my part, I would understand and move on, but that is not the case. There was no way that I could have known which credits the Psych GRE would or would not duplicate, especially since they had already removed 9 of the credits earned as duplicative when I received the grade.

Also, I have applied to a graduate program already, and had been waiting on the letter from the records office stating that I had successfully completed the requirements of my bachelors degree and that the degree would be conferred at a later date. I have already begun a graduate level class at this school even- I'm just frustrated beyond belief.

I know this is something that could happen to any student, at any institution, but in most cases those students could have been able to predict that there might be a problem (class titles or descriptions that looked or sounded similar). Since Excelsior gives no description of what credits are awarded for the GRE exam, there truly was no way I could have known (and apparently, the advisor who reviewed my status several times was also unaware).

Anyone have any suggestions? I'd settle for a sympathetic ear even...since my husband doesn't seem to understand why I am upset.

Wendy

 

Wendy,

What type of credits do you need? and what level (lower, upper)? We can make some suggestions from there.

 

I hate to hear about that. It sounds like there was a mistake made somewhere along the way.

One thing that might get this moving quickly would be to take the most doable ECE exam. I'm not sure, but I am thinking that it may be processed faster since the scores would be done in-house at EC.

 

Is there any chance that the graduate program will let you finish the course you are already taking if you explain the situation? If so, can you see if Excelsior will accept the graduate credit towards your undergraduate degree allowing you to kill two birds with one stone?

 

Thanks for your concern- I need 3 credits, and it doesn't matter if they are upper or lower level. I agree that an ECE exam may be the way to go. Any advice as to which would be the easiest to bang out quickly? I have already taken the following ECEs:

Abnormal Psych
Organizational Behavior
Human Resource Management
Research Methods in Psych
Foundations of Gerontology
Statistics
Fundamentals of Nursing
Literacy Instruction in the Elementary School
English Composition

As to whether or not my current graduate level class would work, I have been told that no, it cannot be used to complete my undergrad degree.

Thanks!

 

I would take the ECE or a clep test. Go to this part of the forum and find the one that will work for you. I also recommend you don't let this type of hiccup bother you, it sucks, but happens a good bit. Keep your end goal in mind.

Best wishes,

 

I thought the DANTES Personal Finance was rather easy. Download the study guide and google the items you need to brush up on. www.getcollegecredit.com

I heard you can take 3 free FEMA courses at 1 credit a piece and buy credits ($60 per cerdit) from Frederick Community college then transfer to Excelsior. That would probably be the quickest and easiest. http://www.emergencymanagementstudy.com/content/default.asp

 

Sorry to hear your situation. For others reading this thread, always and ALWAYS get something in writing from an advisor stating that you've met your requirements, or that you were allocated credit, etc. Do NOT accept anything verbally.

I faced a somewhat similar situation about duplicated credit when I was going through the program but had an e-mail from an advisor approving it. As a result it was allowed.

With respect to "quick" credit, if you have a local CLEP center, and if you only need ANY 3 credits (i.e. general education, lower level will do) then I suggest:

- CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature. If you haven't taken this and know SOMETHING about reading and poetry, run don't walk and take it. It's also worth 6 credits just to be sure

- CLEP Information Systems and Computer Applications, if you have some computer knowledge.

- CLEP Principles of Management. This one is pretty easy if you've ever supervised or managed someone.

Lastly for the CLEPs, if you know Spanish, French or German well enough (i.e. spoken and some written) you can take the CLEP language class and get credit easily.

If you have a DANTES center nearby, try:

- DANTES Here's To Your Health. About as easy as it comes according to most.

Sign up for InstantCert if you need some quickie review and don't bother buying a book. Study for a few days, go take the exam (unless you have to book it well in advance) and then bug your advisor at Excelsior to process it ASAP as it was their fault that they didn't let you know earlier.

Good luck!

 

How about 3 FEMA credits via FCC . These classes can be completed rather quickly ( you could complete all 3 in one day) and it takes about 2 weeks from the time you fax your stuff to FCC to get the transcript.

Also it would be cheaper then an ECE ( $180 vs $235) .

If you do go the ECE route , ask Excelsior to let you take it for free.

Peace123

 

Thanks for all your advice! It looks like everything is going to work out after all. I had taken a computer class 16 years ago that I had forgotten about. I got approval yesterday that it was not a duplicate and would be accepted, so now I'm just waiting on that transcript. I'm feeling very relieved, but an important lesson has been learned.

When all is said and done, I will be writing a letter to Excelsior with some suggestions as to how this problem may be avoided in the future. I believe (and have been told) this problem should have been caught, considering my transcripts were evaluated several different times by several different advisers during my enrollment at Excelsior.

Again, I truly appreciate the help.

One final positive note re Excelsior: they were willing to allow me to take an ECE exam for no charge given the situation.

Wendy

 

Glad to hear everything will work out! Excelsior is usually pretty good but it seems from reading on the forums, usually when they messed up like this in the past it was due to the GRE exam. It seems like they have difficulty with the fact it doesn't award specific credits and this sometimes throws a wrench in the process.

Again, congrats!

 

How are your math skills?


Why not take one of the ALEKS math courses such as trig, or intermediate algebra?

For $20 a month, and ACE evaluated, you cannot go wrong.