Quickest and Cheapest Path to Bachelor's?

Hi All,

I'm looking for the quickest and cheapest way to obtain a bachelor's with regional accreditation. I have 19 credits from science/lit courses I took at an Ivy League institution in the late 90s and I live in New York. Primarily need the degree for promotion purposes. I have 13 years of experience in research administration/university accounting, and an interest in creative writing. Without intending immodesty, I'd say I'm fairly quick with the ol' noggin, so would be very interested in testing out as much as possible. Looking for more info on that process and the associated costs, and info on structuring a general framework for approaching the task.

Thanks in advance for any help provided.

 

Also, if I had to give on either of the requirements, I'd probably give on time over cost, assuming the difference in cost is a few thousand dollars or more.

 

For starters I suggest you explore the Excelsior College (EC) web site
Excelsior College - excelsior.edu

They offer a variety of degrees and you can earn credits at any regionally accreddited colleges/university and transfer them towards an EC degree. You can also earn credits by taking challenge exams including those offered by CLEP and DSST
CLEP Exams | CLEP
Test Preparation | DSST | Get College Credit

There are several low cost tuition courses offered around the USA by DL; members of this forum are always ready to offer suggestions.

 

Excelsior College - excelsior.edu

School is in Albany, New York. Lots of options for challenging credits! Plenty of info on degreeinfo about the "Big 3", Thom Ed, Charter Oak and Excelsior. Good Luck!

 

Don't discount TESC and COSC...they both accept FEMA credits free of charge...for free electives alone that's a savings of up to a few thousand dollars over EC and it really accelerates things.

Any of the Big 3 can be a significant savings over more traditional schools.

 

If you are a good test taker you can complete a boat load of credits in a short time. It is not impossible to complete an AS/AA degree in 2 months. You could probably complete a BS in 6 months or so with a cost of ~5K.

 

In addition to Excelsior, Thomas Edison State College is equally as test-friendly. I tested out of my gen eds, which took only a few months. The CLEP exams are accepted at almost every public college/university in some amount, so they really are the ticket to jumping multiple steps ahead of the game. They are 100/200 level exams, so be careful not to duplicate any introductory courses you've already taken because you can't duplicate credit.

Thomas Edison lists all of the course equivalencies in their college catalog (or registration bulletin, I forget...) so it says something to the effect of "CLEP College Math = MAT102/MAT103 -- 6 credits" This is very helpful info to have on hand. You'll also see there are other brands of exams (ECE, DSST,...) which can meet 300/400 level courses too. CLEP is probably the most universally accepted exam, and I'd suggest jumping in and taking 1 test. You don't have to be enrolled anywhere to take an exam. You can find tons of good resources for preparing here or CLEP Forum - CLEP Study - CLEP Testing - Study Guide and Strategies Use the College Board website to look at available tests and locate a testing center near you. Contact them for fees (CLEP exams cost $80 but some centers charge a fee, price shop because some do not) Allow about 3 weeks to study and pull the trigger! At that point, you'll have an appreciation for the process, and you'll be ready to jump in! Good luck.

College Admissions - SAT - University & College Search Tool

 

Randell, I would love to learn more about this. Where would you recommend doing this at? Where can I read more?

I'm an excellent test taker and am able to learn very quickly on my own. If there is a way to do minimal class room work and just read through materials and take tests, completing a BS degree in 6 months for ~5k, I'd love to get started asap.