Getting ACE transcripts is maddening!

I gave other reasons though. Excelsior in general is more expensive. 36 credits at TESC for $5,500. 20 credits at Excelsior I believe is over 7 grand. Also things are already moving through TESC. Plus I really like the AAS Electrical/mechanical systems and maintenance program. That program I know doesn't need to be ABET accredited. Maybe after that I move onto Excelsior?

 

I wouldn't say Excelsior in general is more expensive. If you're not in TESC's Comprehensive Tuition Plan, the Enrolled Options plan requires 1758 NJ/3192 nonres per year just to be an enrolled TESC student. Any cost of earning credit anywhere, including course tuition at TESC, is on top of that. I think Excelsior and Charter Oak's equivalent fees are smaller even than TESC's student-status-only fee for NJ residents.

At least for other people reading this thread, keep in mind, also

that this isn't a one-to-one comparison. The Comprehensive Tuition Plan is for 5508 NJ/8111 nonres for up to 36 sh earned during one year.

The typical course load for a full-time traditional student somewhere who completes their degree in four years is 30 sh per year. If you carry 120% of a traditional student's full-time course load for one year at TESC, you can get the full benefit of those 36 sh. If not you won't, and the cost per credit escalates.

 

I will look into Excelsior today, I will start a chat with them today. They have a similar Plant maintenance AAS degree. Its worth looking into.

 

I have a question for ya. On my now useless transcripts I see at the bottom this, 73.0 continuing education units CEU's. One CEU is defined as 10 contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience. Any thoughts at all on what the heck these are, what this means? I doubt TESC will care, but maybe CIE-WC?

 

All one needs to take is 24 credits in courses (online or guided study) per year for a full financial aid award. The Comprehensive Plan also includes TECEPs and e-Packs. So one does not need to take on a 120% course load in order to max out at 36 credits. Even if a New Jersey student were to only take 24 credits, that would only be $229.5 per credit. A non-resident would be paying $337.96 per credit hour. Excelsior is $390 per credit hour and that's not even including the other fees under the Excelsior course option. TESC's Comprehensive Tuition Plan is not recommended for those taking less than a certain number of credits because the Enrolled Options Plan would be cheaper.

If you're going to focus on TESC's Enrolled Options Plan, then one would have to focus on Excelsior's Multi-Source Option fees. The first year is $1015 at Excelsior. If one is going to attend full-time taking 30 credits a year, Excelsior would cost 12,715. TESC's Enrolled Options Plan would cost a New Jersey Resident $6,624. That is a huge difference. For a non-resident, it's $9705. Excelsior is by far the more expensive school. Even in subsequent years when Excelsior charges a lower annual fee it's more expensive. The price tag only drops $530.

 

Excelsior is more expensive for a student is taking a heavy course load in-house. TESC may be more expensive for a student taking very little course credit in-house within a year. Military discounts may reduce these differences.

Excelsior will reportedly consider accepting up to 30 sh of NA credit in transfer on petition. TESC won't. Excelsior's in-house PLA process is based on taking one Excelsior course on PLA, then the pretty affordable LearningCounts process, ibid. TESC's in-house PLA rates are close to regular tuition. Though TESC might hopefully accept LearningCounts in transfer?

pfet, one funny thing about the Big Three is that unlike most schools, they offer some degree programs where the school doesn't actually offer all of the courses required in-house. Some requirements of the degree will have to be taken elsewhere and transferred in, or portfolioed. The latter could be difficult if you don't already know the subject well.

TESC and Excelsior both offer several courses in electronics and related subjects in-house. But for any degree you're looking at, you should check specifically whether you can complete all the subject requirements for the degree in-house (or by CLEPs etc.), or whether you might have to look to another school entirely to bring something in.

All this is part of why I suggest keeping Excelsior on the table, though sanantone's point about a cost advantage for TESC, if enough course credit is taken in-house, is well taken.

 

Well guys there is no way to turn CEU's into college credit directly. Its CAEL or nothing. CAEL is interesting, but I'm not quite understanding exactly how it works. Is there a proctored exam at the end? They don't teach anything about electronics as in my case so how does this whole thing work? Anybody know?

 

For the electronics degrees, it's probably easier to take the credits in-house. One might be able to find electronics courses online from a cheap community college. TESC is a partner school with Learning Counts along with Excelsior. Since TESC doesn't have an in-house introductory PLA course, they probably don't require one to transfer in Learning Counts like Excelsior does. The LearningCounts credits end up on an ACE transcript anyway, which TESC accepts. As far as accepting NA credit, Penn Foster now has several electronics courses that are ACE-approved, so they are acceptable at TESC. Pfelectronicstech apparently has no NA credits to begin with.

 

Your electronics training at Penn Foster should be enough for you to put together a portfolio showing proof that you learned something about electronics. PLAs are a way of demonstrating that you already have college-level knowledge about a subject. They aren't supposed to teach anything. Did you look at the link that was posted earlier about TESC's PLA process? LearningCounts might work in a similar way.
http://www.degreeinfo.com/content/124-college-credit-what-you-already-know-unofficial-thomas-edison-state-college-tesc-portfolio-guide.html

 

PF - I'm sorry to hear about your struggles. I thought this might happen once I realized you enrolled in the career diploma at PF. As you now know, the career diploma courses are not ACE evaluated. However, let me offer you another possibility. If you are interested in eventually getting your bachelors degree, it may be worth enrolling in the associates degree at PF (yes I know you hate them now). It would be a faster route because they will apply many of your diploma credits toward the degree, plus, it's not that expensive compared to most other options. Once you have the degree from PF, some schools, like Bellevue University, will accept your associates degree in full. As long as an associates degree was awarded from a regionally or nationally accredited school, they view the degree as satisfying ALL of their core requirements for a total of 60 hours of credit. That would leave you only with the need to take your major of your choice at Bellevue, plus open electives which can be met with free FEMA courses.

 

Pugebelly2, i think you are correct. I think I virtually have no choice but to enroll in the PF A.S. degree program. With me having 18 credits towards this degree, that is a whole semester finished, plus 3 credits in another. With the deal right now that they pay for the last semester I virtually only need to pay for 2 semesters. I think I would still get that deal even though I have 1 semester finished already? I'll have to check with them Monday. i don't hate PF, I was a bit anger at the time, but ultimately this is ALL my fault. PF was actually great I thought.
Now onto the so called big three. I am kinda done with them. I don't understand what the hell the do, what they offer you. If you are not in the military or in an industry now they are I think virtually useless. You get all the education outside the school and transfer the credits in. They don't actually do anything. I don't get the fuss now.
As for PF credits, can they be applied to say Grantham university for engineering? That is just an example, I will check Bellevue out also. I mean Gratham is DETC so I would think they would take all of the credit from PF, right?

 

Gratham would accept the PF credit that you earned in the degree program. They may or may not accept the credits you earned in the career diploma program. That's the advantage of going with a school like Bellevue that accepts the associates degree as a block of 60 hours instead of doing a course by course transfer analysis.

 

Grantham actually want me to fax over my career transcripts. I'm gonna send them out tomorrow or later today. I just checked Bellevue, and while they are interesting they don't have any engineering program, at least that I can find. It looks like though I have to do the PF A.S. degree. I like that program to be honest, and I have over 1 semester finished already. Hey you guys would know this, there is a hands-on lab at the end of semester 4. Anyway to do that without going to Penn State Harrisburg? I mean there must be someone in NJ where I live right? I think though even with just the Penn Foster A.S. program you can get a pretty decent job. A maintenance mechanic job in a manufacturing plant.

 

I don't know about the lab. Regarding an associates from Gratham, yes, it's a decent credential. I am always a fan of regional accreditation, but in most cases it doesn't much matter. However, I know here in Maryland, the state government does not recognize DETC accreditation, or any other national accrediting agency, as satisfying the requirements for state positions.

 

Hmm, interesting question you brought up. Who could I ask in NJ state government if they accept DETC diplomas for positions? So i think I'm set here, taking another Penn Foster program to use the 18 mythical credits I have hanging out there. Good news is I earn 60 credits now, and I checked ACE's website I think just about all of them are ACE evaluated. So after I finish the Penn Foster A.S. I could probably then get an easy, quick, cheap degree from TESC. Could I contact them to get a definitive answer on that question, or they won't do that?

 

I'm sorry this is happening, pfelectronicstech. Doesn't sound like PF is willing to budge. I'll have to keep this thread in mind because I've been eying some of their programs.

 

I don't think TESC will answer you on that, but I do know that if you transfer to TESC, they will only accept the ACE reviewed courses. Not all of your PF degree will transfer, but that's ok. Regarding the question of NJ state jobs, there may not be an easy answer. Check state job postings and see what the requirements are. It may be position specific.

 

Thanks, its not a great situation, but its really my fault in the end. They are good school I think. What programs? Just don't do what I did, and assume anything.
Pugbelly2, I agree and I don't think its necessary to contact TESC on this matter. Everything that is ACE evaluated will transfer. I will look up how many are on their list. Its a lot though from when I checked the other day.

 

Looks like there are only about 4 or 5 that are not ACE evaluated. That is not bad at all. Everything on there is up to date right, those evaluations don't expire or anything, do they? Thanks for the help.