Official Cheapest Ways to Earn Undergraduate Credits Thread

I know for sure that Georgia has a program that pays for its residents to attend any public school within the state up through the bachelors degree.

Pug

 

TCord may be thinking of this program announced by Texas A&M in September 2008:

 

Not quite free, Pugbelly. There is the Hope Scholarship, but as an adult student there are requirements that have to be met. A graduating high school student can be eligible for HOPE immediately, but you have to keep a B average (3.0 GPA) or you lose it.

As an adult student who started college 10 years after I graduated high school, before HOPE was available, I had to have 30 hours of credits before I became eligible to apply. Then I had to have a 3.0 GPA, which I do not have. Therefore, no HOPE for me.

However, there is the HOPE grant, which is available to pretty much anyone going to a technical college. My dh went to school for 2 years pretty much for free using HOPE grant. We only had to pay for books. He also got a refund of his Pell grant money.

Here is the site about Georgia's HOPE programs:
http://www.gacollege411.org/finaid/scholarshipsandgrants/hopescholarship/default.asp

 

Take any the following Excelsior College Nursing Exams:

Fundamentals of Nursing
Credits = 8 s.h. credits (Lower Level)
Cost = $235

Maternal & Child Nursing
Credits = 6 s.h. credits (Lower Level)
Cost = $235

Adult Nursing
Credits = 8 s.h. credits (UPPER Level)
Cost = $235

Maternal & Child Nursing
Credits = 8 s.h. credits (UPPER Level)
Cost = $235

Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing
Credits = 8 s.h. credits (UPPER Level)
Cost = $235


Note: You do NOT need to be a nursing major to take these exams. Just go to excelsior.edu, register for the exams, download the study guide(s), purchase the recommended textbooks and study your butt off! I have seen cases on instacert where non-medical, non-RN students have taken and passed these exams. It's certainly doable!

BTW, the exams that are 8 credits equate to just $29.37 per credit!


Good Luck!

 

Just for your information, I took several classes through LSU's independent study, and they were great. They are usually 16 lessons and you do them all at your own pace. You have a mid-term exam and final exam, plus weekly papers. Instructors were somewhat remote but helpful in their feedback. Easy way to get 3 credits...

 

I am about to take a course through LSU distance. Did you have to write many papers? How difficult were the exams?

 

That's amazing! I'm a nurse practitioner and I never thought I would see the day "non-nursing students" would challenge or take nursing courses for elective credit. Now that shows dedication and determination in earning a degree!

 

Very interesting. I will read up on this option. Anyone have the abbreviated version? Regionally accredited?

*EDIT*: Found my own answer. Your credits will actually be awarded by a StraighterLine Partner College that you select. And, because all Partner Colleges are regionally accredited, credits earned can be used to either complete your degree at that college or be transferred to another college or university.

Now I just wonder if Excelsior, Charter Oak, and Thomas Edison would accept these since they are RA.

2nd *EDIT*: Either I'm too tired to read or just an idiot. Here are their partners.
Charter Oak State College
Ellis University
Fort Hays State University
Grand Canyon University
Potomac College

Current courses offered:
Introductory Algebra
College Algebra
Developmental Writing
English Composition I
Economics I & II
Accounting I & II

If Straighterline were to add a greater variety of courses (which appears to be their plan) this might very well be a new horizon for distance learning. A student can pay a monthly fee and complete courses as fast as humanly possible. Wow.

 

Hi Soupbone,

I took the college algebra course through straighterline and had it transferred to Fort Hays State Univ.
All other schools have many restrictions to give you credit for a course completed through straighterline.

I chose the $99 plan and it went very smooth. Also Fort Hays State Univ people were so helpful and gave me credit for the course right away with a "B" grade.

Let me know if you have any questions regarding their process.

 

Yes, it certainly is amazing. However, I suppose one can study and learn just about any topic, given enough time and effort. Of course, for those without a background in nursing, these particular exams will not be a "gimmee"!

I used to volunteer as an EMT, so I do have a limited background in basic anatomy and medicine. I'm probably going to start with the Fundamentals of Nursing exam first. If all goes well, I'm knock out a couple more!

 

Exams for both classes were to complete 7 - 10 essay questions...no multiple choice, or anything like that. So Western Civ was especially difficult because a lot of history and facts to memorize, but English 102 was a breeze. They basically had me write something and just graded my writing.

 

The Uexcel exams are offered for free beta testing right now, and after that they should be priced similarly to CLEPs and DSST exams. They appear to be a joint venture of Excelsior College and Pearson Vue to begin their own testing program comparable to CLEPS and the like. Enter the code "uexcelfree" when registering, and you do not have to pay. The grades and credits for these should be available in late spring. There are only four of these available right now: Introductory Psychology, Calculus, Physics, and Political Science. If these end up being ACE approved (?), then they could be used at schools other than Excelsior. But if you wait until after the beta testing then you will have to pay. I just wanted to include it here, because it's totally free. You do have to register individually for each exam and type in the code separately each time if you plan to take more than one test.

http://www.uexceltest.com/

Also, here's an older thread on this forum where it was discussed a bit:http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?t=28555&highlight=uexcel

 

Kirk,

Could you give more detail on your experience with the English 102 at LSU? It sounds interesting to us.

 

Great idea! I recommend you download the excelsior pdf study guide for the particular exam and purchase a used textbook on the particular topic at amazon.
Tell us how you do and how many credits awarded.

 

USDA Graduate School
http://grad.usda.gov/
A number of ACE-Evaluated Distance Learning Courses from 265-355 apiece, covering 1-3 credits.

 

According to the Uexcel web site, there new exams have now been ACE evaluated.

 

hi

I think For California residents the states community college tuition fee is $20 per semester unit....