Credit Banking and Testing Out...

While I am new to posting to this board, I have lurking for a few months while I got my plan together. I have already completed over 30 of the FEMA courses, and am about ready to pull the trigger on credit banking at TESC.

The question that I have is... Can a person open a credit bank account at TESC, and then while active add CLEP, DANTES, or other standardized tests to the account?

I was not planning to actually enroll at TESC until I was close to my target credit hours. I may decide to enroll at American Military University, so I did not want to wast the 5K at TESC right now unless they will not accept testing out credit to a cedit bank student.

Thanks...

 

Ask TESC whether you can add new courses to the credit bank while not enrolled at TESC. When you find the answer be sure to post it here for the benefit of others who frequent this board.

Most of us will tell you schools are usually only too willing to answer questions provided there is the possiblility a prospective student might enrol with them.

COSC also allows credit banking so perhap you can look into that option too.

 

Cauble,

Just to be sure you know, you needn't credit bank for a degree. In fact, there seems to be little to no benefit to credit banking.

 

August 15, 2005

Hello,

I have found the TESC credit bank to be very helpful. I have been adding courses it before enrolling as a student. I had a lot to transfer and after six months TESC still has not gotten all my courses listed correctly on my transcript. I had a lot of military courses and knew paying the credit bank would be a lot cheaper than paying a second year of tuition simply because my first year ran out trying to get an evaluation done by TESC. When they get my courses listed correctly I will sign up as a student.

The credit bank is also a good source to get credit for FEMA courses. TESC awards the most credit for the least cost. I recently transferred my FEMA courses I got credit for to Excelsior college.

Thomas Edison / FEMA / Credit Banking
http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18705


Michael Gates

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Well, for me credit banking does make sense. I have military experience to have reviewed as well as the FEMA course work. I have random credits at 3 community colleges, as well as work I am doing now at New Mexico Tech.

Having all of this on one transcript makes my life easier.

I will attempt to call TESC today, and ask about the testing credits being applied to a credit banking account.

I find myself way over committed educationally to pay TESC $5K for a years tuition and find that I can only complete a dozen or so hours worth of class work plus some CLEP/DANTES testing.

I will post what I find out here.

BTW.. Thank you Michael Gates for your posts and the email you sent to me a month ago or so. I appreciate the information.

 

<<The question that I have is... Can a person open a credit bank account at TESC, and then while active add CLEP, DANTES, or other standardized tests to the account?>>

With a credit bank account you pay the fee for a certain amount of hours. You have one year to add courses, CLEP tests, DANTES/DSST tests, ect. or until the amount of credits you paid for are reached. You can pay the fee again to add more later.

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TESC
Credit Banking Fees (1 year)

1-60 Credits $350, 61-120 Credits $500, 121 Plus credits $750.

The Credit Banking fee for military personnel is $250 regardless of the number of credits being transcripted.

Application
www.tesc.edu/students/ support/pdf/NondegreeServiceApp.pdf

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Michael Gates

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Hi

I think what Decimon was trying to point out was there is no real benefit to "credit banking". It only means they list them on a sheet of paper. It does not mean anything else. You can type out a list on a piece of paper for no cost.

 

Benefit

Getting my FEMA Independent Study Courses turned into college credit.

Choices…

1. Frederick Community College (FCC) $2280.00 for 38 semester hours.

2. Clackamas Community College (CCC). $840.00 for 21 quarter hours*

3. Thomas Edison Credit Bank (TESC) $250.00 for 38 semester hours.**

* Only offers 21 hours total.
** Military discount.


I choose choice 3 and saved $2030.00 over choice 2 and got my FEMA courses listed as TESC credit that can be transferred using my credit bank transcript. I used my TESC credit bank transcript to transfer the credits I got from my FEMA courses to Excelsior College. Definite benefit.

Michael Gates

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Yep.

But Michael Gates says it was cheaper for him to pay for credit banking than it would have been to enroll too soon. That is a benefit.

This is the first I can recall of anyone relating any advantage to credit banking. Good info.

 

An excellent value for members of the military.

 

I'll be glad to type your classes on a sheet of paper for $200. For military people $190! That is really all credit banking is. You can not use it for entry into a grad program or other use.

 

Re: Benefit

With Credit Banking you do not actually get ANY credits. You would have to enroll at TESC at much more expense. I am guessing the CCC fee is for 21 credits and much less if only several classes. To repeat Credit Banking is only a list on class you send to them. It is not real credit of any kind.

 

Yes, I did get college credit through the credit bank. My FEMA Independent Study courses have been turned into Thomas Edison College credits through the TESC credit bank. FEMA Independent Study courses give no college credit from the Emergency Management Institute. Since TESC has evaluated them, I was given TESC college credits when I sent them my transcript from FEMA. So the FEMA courses are on my transcript as TESC courses and not transfer courses. It does not even mention FEMA on my TESC transcript. I have already transferred these to Excelsior College and have them listed on my Excelsior College transcript as transfer credit from Thomas Edison State College. Excelsior will not accept a transcript from FEMA. Excelsior will not evaluate FEMA Independent study courses. Excelsior will take credits in transfer that another college has warded, based on the FEMA Independent Study courses.

Michael Gates

DegreeTrek - To boldly go where no one has gotten college credit before. To seek out new and unique ways to get credits. These are my voyages, to earn a degree.

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Interesting

So EC thinks you have paid tuition at TESC and TESC thinks you will enroll there at some point. Interesting way to work the system but I think EC will eventually require a TESC transcript. At least that is what they say they do.

 

Why would Excelsior care if I paid tuition at Thomas Edison? Excelsior knows I have a credit bank account and how Thomas Edison awarded the credits through the credit bank account. Excelsior has my transcript from Thomas Edison. Excelsior didn't want to accept the credits at first, but then realized that it would be rejecting credits awarded from Thomas Edison and not FEMA.

Thomas Edison doesn't know if I "will enroll there at some point". I have not discussed doing anything more than the credit bank with anyone at TESC. The credits were awarded as part of the credit bank process and was an option before I did it, though a little known option. I didn't have to ask. I just sent a FEMA transcript with no written request after seeing FEMA courses mentioned in their catalog. The credit was awarded. The courses are listed with Thomas Edison courses numbers that are different than the FEMA course numbers. Thomas Edison has just chosen to do something nice for students by giving this credit. Imagine that.

It's not "working the system" to get something not offered, it's searching out and recognizing the parts of the system that are already in place and meant to assist us, but no one has told us about them.

Michael Gates

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Hi Michael

Sorry if my reply upset you or sounded like you were trying to get away with something. That was not my intention. What EC is doing is not what their policy says it it. Also TESC does not in any way award credit with their Credit Banking service. It is merely a listing of already earned credit. It is NOT a transcript itself but merely a listing of credit you have on OTHER transcripts. So for whatever reason it seems to be working in a way it isn't suppose to. I am glad it is good for you although as noted you may at some point need a real transcript from TESC instead of the Credit Bank transcript/list which isn't a transcript at all. Again my apologies if my wording was poor in the last posting.