Help choosing between online programs - Athabasca U & Southern New Hampshire U

I've been lurking and learning a lot reading these forums. What a goldmine and wealth of information! I hope I can benefit from the combined wisdom found here.

I'm returning to school for personal and educational goals as well as for professional reasons. Although the end goal is to change careers and be gainfully employed in a different area than I am now, I also want a decent quality liberal arts education. My plan is to eventually teach English or ESL, and maybe work in publishing, editing, and/or writing. I'll be majoring in English and I'm thinking of adding a second major or minor in French, History, Global Studies, or a similar discipline. I've narrowed down my choices for an online bachelor's degree program to Athabasca and Southern New Hampshire University. Both have pros and cons.

If my math is correct, it looks like a single 3 credit course at AU would be about $900 U.S. including textbooks and course materials. SNHU is around $960 and doesn't include books and materials. But Athabasca also has exam and invigilator fees. I'm not sure how long it will take to finish starting from essentially zero (I may or may not have 24 credits to transfer in—long story). I'll be attending part-time. I'm not terribly concerned with how long it takes to finish. Here at the outset, I'm expecting it may take around six years. However, I am concerned with the overall cost of the degree. I'm not sure which would be the better deal. I know AU has the 3-year BA option, but I would be going for the 4-year.

I prefer AU's generous six months to complete a course as opposed to SNHU's very short eight-week terms. It's appealing that SNHU is a brick and mortar school in the U.S., only a few states away. I'm not sure about how easy it would be to apply to grad school with a degree from AU, if I will have to jump through additional hoops because it's online AND Canadian? I like the quality of the course offerings and instructors at AU, but I haven't looked too extensively at SNHU in this regard and it may be just as good or even better. To be honest, I've been somewhat turned off by their admissions counselors who sound like they're all of twenty years old. But then AU hasn't responded to several of my emails, though they do pick up the phone in a timely manner. Of course I'm also concerned with how degrees from each school will be perceived once I start looking for work. For ESL, I don't think it matters too much, but if I apply to a grad program in English or another discipline, it might.

So you see my dilemma. Which would you choose and why? Maybe there are hidden costs or other things I haven't taken into consideration? Any grads of either school care to comment? It'd be great if you could share your experiences getting the degree and how it was received post-graduation. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

I'd choose Southern New Hampshire. Never heard of the other one.

 

A 4-year undergraduate degree from Athabasca would not hinder graduate school admittance. It is a fully recognized university.

And … “In 2006, AU became the first Canadian public university to receive accreditation in the United States, through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), one of six regional organizations in the U.S. that accredits universities. No other public Canadian university holds this level of foreign accreditation.”
Accreditation : Athabasca University