affordable bachelors

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by jhayes, Jun 26, 2010.

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  1. jhayes

    jhayes New Member

    I know a lot of folks start threads asking about the cheapest fastest way to get a degree...but this is not my intention

    I am curious if anyone has done some research on the cost of tuition per credit hour. Dr. Baker has an excellent site (bakersguide.com) outlining most of the christian distance education colleges, but its not really broken down in cost.

    A lot of these programs are 300-500 dollars per credit hour (which is a substantial amount of money!).

    Is this the standard price? Have you found any accredited programs that cost less than this?

    Thanks for the help.
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    For better or for worse, we have to get down to semantics before we can really answer your question. When you use the term "accredited" do you mean RA or is NA allowed? Also, are non-US degrees allowed if they are officially approved by the government of the country of origin? If the latter is true then you're going to have to guess that the universities of South Africa, Malaysia and India will knock out all others. Then, under the right circumstances (maximum CLEP, etc) the big three will win. Beyond that, you could do worse than look at Peru State, Fort Hayes. Probably the cheapest RA bachelors would be a portfolio Bachelors. However, there are very few people who can document their knowledge without CLEPS, etc. So, how's that for a non-answer answer?
     
  3. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    If you follow this forum for a while you will learn that there are lots of RA coures avalble for less than 300 per semester hour.

    If you list what specific course/programs you are looking for and I'm sure you will get responses.
     
  4. jhayes

    jhayes New Member

    Thanks for the quick reply. I have spent a lot of time researching lately and asking folks on this board for my wife. She finds the excessive amount of information on the subject somewhat overwhelming...while I really enjoy "googling" or "binging" (whichever you prefer).

    Dr. Baker's guide has been a tremendous asset, but it suddenly struck me to ask if someone had researched the cost of schools per credit hour.

    She graduated with her A.S. degree from a RA State University (65 credits). She is interested in finishing her bachelor's in Business from a Christian School. There are some fantastic schools offering these degrees, but many of them (and I do understand why) have pretty high price tags associated with the programs.

    I am interested in any program that is well-respected/accredited, and it does not have to be limited to the US. I emailed a South Africa school and never got a reply.
     
  5. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    How about this degree - if I'm reading it correctly the unit cost is $148.
    Bachelor of General Studies

    Otherwise I suggest one of the big three to save money
     
  6. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    You'l never get a reply to an email from UNISA. Never. They are just too big to respond to every email they get from around the world. All the information that you need is on the website. Additionally, the folks at IACI-Canada can help with registration.

    International Academic Correspondence Inc (IACI)
     
  7. jhayes

    jhayes New Member

    maybe I am looking in the wrong place, but I am having trouble finding information about transfer credit into a S. African school.

    Will they accept an A.S.?

    It is not my intention to start some big debate, and I appreciate the help...but BYU is not a Christian school
     
  8. emmzee

    emmzee New Member

    jhayes, you didn't specify what kind of degree you're looking for. If you're interested in ministry degrees, one school I don't remember seeing mentioned on DI before is Clear Creek Baptist Bible College

    Their "online campus" offers associate and bachelors degrees, and tuition is $182/credit. They are regionally accredited and also accredited by ABHE: USDE Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs

    Sounds like a possibility, if you want a ministry degree, I know nothing about it beyond the above though.
     
  9. jhayes

    jhayes New Member

    interested in some sort of business degree from Christian perspective if available.
     
  10. emmzee

    emmzee New Member

    I did some searching just now, and all of the online Christian business programs I found were over $300/credit. Ex: Ohio Christian University, Colorado Christian University, Belhaven University ...

    The only one I found that is under $300/credit (just under ...) is Liberty University, at $295/credit based on full-time enrollment. I'm not sure if there is any regionally accredited Christian school offering a cheaper bachelors in business ...
     
  11. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Awakens, The Number Muncher

    Model inexpensive degree plan. Starting from the ground up.

    • 60 credits Clovis Community College* = $1250.00
      (spread out over 10 semesters)​
    • 6 credits ALEKS = $20.00
      (two courses in one month)​
    • 24 credits CLEP = $400.00
      (four 6-credit cleps)
      [*]30 credits University of Wyoming = $3270.00​
    TOTAL = $4940.00

    I may have missed some fees here or there, and I have not checked if UofWy will accept ALEKS. This is in itself a pretty rough plan to begin with. It does, however, demonstrate how a degree can be affordable if you combine credit from various inexpensive places.

    Let's throw in a couple of other factors. If the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) is extended permanently (as the Obama administration proposes to do), then stretching out your degree over the course of a couple years will result in a tax credit equal to your ENTIRE TUITION under the plan above. That does not include CLEP, however, those 24 credits could be obtained elsewhere (more UofWY credits, for example) and you could still fit it and all of your books in full under your allotted tax credits, evening your costs out to $0.00.

    If the AOTC does not get extended, the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit will still cover $904.00 of the above degree plan (20% of just the tuition, not CLEP or ALEKS), leaving you with a cost of $4036.00 plus 80% of the cost of your books.

    If you use a credit card with rewards points to pay your tuition and book fees (lets say a 2% rewards card), you recieve rewards in the amount of $98.80 for either degree plan. This means, depending on how the tax credit situation plays out, you may actually make a modest profit on going to college. Even greater if you sell your books after using them (even after having them completely covered by tax credits AND bought with a rewards card).

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 27, 2010
  12. jhayes

    jhayes New Member

    I am impressed with the number crunching...I do really appreciate the help from everyone.
     

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