Several Sources Of Cheap Credit

= Overview = Although there is a very limited handful of Free Sources of Credit, you'll have to pay for the overwhelming majority of credit options. This page provides a list of some of the more popular, cheaper options. This info was initially compiled by DegreeForum user bjcheung77, and has been revised expanded on by our community.

=Subscription Model=

Sophia.org
''Cost as of May 2022: $99 per month; no limit to courses taken within that time period. Does not use traditional proctoring methods; no cost for proctoring.''

Sophia is currently the fastest and cheapest way to fulfill most of your General Education requirements for the big 3, especially TESU. With the addition of Business Law and Principles of Finance, you can also make good progress towards a Business Administration degree at TESU besides fulfilling GE requirements. If you take every course at Sophia, you should have somewhere between 70 and 86 credits towards your degree. The exact number of allowed credits will depend upon the degree and college/university. Most courses consist of readings followed by quizzes and larger tests (challenges and milestones respectively). There may be videos in some courses. Some courses also have essays or video assignments (known as touchstones). Your final grade is based on all of these and not just a single final exam.

InstantCert.com
''Cost as of Oct 2020: $20/mo. or $108 for 6 months + $15 proctor fee; 1 course included per month''

InstantCert offers a handful of ACE-approved courses for a low cost. These include American Government (which fills in the remaining General Education slot that Sophia does not cover), Spanish I, and several business courses. The final grade/credit is based on a single pass/fail exam.

Study.com
''Cost as of Oct 2020: $199/mo. Uses RPNow proctoring at no additional cost.''

Study.com (or SDC) has a large number of ACE or NCCRS approved exams. This includes many UL credits that cannot be found elsewhere or that cost much more to take elsewhere. See the SDC page for tips and tricks on how to make the most out of your membership. It is currently possible to complete most of several degrees using only Sophia and SDC courses, making this an invaluable source of credits.

Davar Academy
''Cost as of Oct 2020: $99 for two business courses or $70 to $80 per course fee. Plus proctor fee per course regardless of purchase option. A no-cost local proctor option is available.''

Davar Academy has NCCRS approved exams. You get credit for passing a proctored final exam, similar to CLEP, DSST, or even a TECEP. The course provides review materials to prepare for the exam. They have course equivalency tables on their website for TESU and Excelsior.

Straighterline
''Cost as of Oct 2020: Typically $49-$69 per course, plus $99/month membership fee. Coupons are often available. ''

Another option is taking courses at StraighterLine, if it's more suited for you. It's a quick set of work, midterm, and then a proctored final exam, generally 75-80% work/20-25% exam. People like this as they can "pass" the course with high grades for coursework, and mediocre final. If you're taking Straighterline courses, take as much as you can in a monthly membership. Basically work hard on "coursework/exams" and on the final, having peace of mind knowing you passed.

Google (via Coursera)
''Cost as of March 2022: $39/mo. with a 7-day free trial. Under the "Coursera for Campus Student" plan, you may be eligible to get this entirely for free if you have a qualifying university email address.''

Most courses at Coursera do not offer any college credit. However, there are some notable exceptions, mainly the Google Professional Certificates. Although they says that it will take 3-6 months to complete each one, it is possible to complete the certificates in one month (or less) each. One student even reportedly completed Google IT Professional Certificate during the 7-day trial, making it completely free. Check out the Coursera page for more information on these courses.

IBM (via Coursera)
''Cost as of March 2022: $39-$49/mo. with a 7-day free trial.''

Similar to Google above, a handful of IBM certificates on Coursera have been evaluated as being eligible for ACE credit. It should be possible to complete each certificate in 1-2 months, instead of the 8-11 month estimate given on each certificate page. Check out the Coursera page for more information on these courses.

=Pay Per Exam=

"Traditional"

 * CLEP Exams - $85 + in-person proctor fee, can be completely free through Modern States.
 * TECEP - $50 per credit for LL exams and $75 per credit for UL exams. Includes proctoring fee; all TECEPs are available online, no testing center required. Uses ProctorU.
 * DSST - About $85 + proctoring fees; free first attempt for military personnel.
 * UExcel Exams - $110 for most exams, $355-470 for longer/more specialized exams. Most exams must be taken at PearsonVUE center. As of August 2022, UExcel exams are no longer available to be taken; existing credits are still honored.

OnlineDegree.com
Cost as of Oct 2020: $9 per exam for RPNow proctoring

These courses are only available for US residents/citizens. There are only a handful of courses available but some of them can be extremely useful for some degrees. OnlineDegree.com courses are comprised of videos & readings, with exercises and exams. Pass/failure of the course depends greatly on the final exam. Quizzes and "participation" (watching all of the videos) also make up a portion of the final grade.

Coopersmith
Cost as of Feb 2023 is $150 per course

Coopersmith offers over 200 lower level and upper level courses. They are NCCRS credits and are accepted at Excelsior University, TESU, and [Ana G Mendez University]. These 3 schools are regionally accredited. Coopersmith offers upper level arts and science classes without papers. These courses are available for US and international students. English courses cost an additional $50 for grading papers. Proctoring is available through ProctorU for $18 or $30 per class on their website or classes purchased through Smarter by 1 Degree come with free proctoring in Zoom 7 days a week.

TEEX
Cost depends on course

TEEX offers up to 10 credits for free but there are also a few paid courses worth 1-3 credits apiece. These can work for a Criminal Justice or a Liberal Studies degree. The exact format of each course may vary but they generally consist of several modules with a quiz at the end. These quizzes are open-book.

Saylor Academy
Cost as of Dec 2021: $5 fee for SmarterProctoring service.

Saylor has both ACE and NCCRS approved exams. You get credit for passing a proctored final exam, similar to CLEP, DSST, or even a TECEP. A free course is provided to learn the exam material, but many feel that some of their courses are cumbersome and disorganized. For this reason, Saylor is not usually recommended unless there are no alternatives for credit.

CSM Learn
Cost as of Oct 2020: $39

CSM Learn offers exactly one course and it is a math course for 3 credits. TESU counts it towards their Gen Ed quantitative literacy requirement.

Penn Foster
Cost as of Oct 2020: $389 per course

These courses are geared towards the individuals wanting upper credit courses for TESU BSBA. There are webinars, homework, exams, and finals. Individuals have been able to complete these within 3-4 weeks (or sometimes sooner). Penn Foster is a nationally accredited college, meaning their courses typically won't transfer into standard regionally accredited schools (including the Big 3). However, they have had many of their courses ACE-approved for college credit, so those particular credits are transferable to the Big 3. You can check Unofficial List of Course Equivalencies for Penn Foster & Thomas Edison State College for how some of these ACE courses may transfer into TESU, but be aware that this list is likely outdated and ACE approval changes regularly. Please check ACE accreditation on your own prior to attempting.

=Free Options = As mentioned in the overview, there are a small number of credit options you can use for free. Please see the page we have set up specifically for these options: Free Sources of Credit

= Helpful Links =
 * ACE Credit Registry: Transcript Service Login
 * Davar TESU COSC Excelsior: Davar Academy equivalency table for business courses
 * Saylor Academy (College Credit Overview): Earn College Credit | Saylor Academy
 * COSC Master Exam List: Credit Value of Exams COSC Accepts
 * SL TESU: Thomas Edison State University Course Equivalency Guide | StraighterLine
 * SL COSC: Charter Oak State College Course Equivalency Guide | StraighterLine
 * SL Excelsior: Excelsior College Course Equivalency Guide | StraighterLine
 * Study.com Excelsior Transfer: Excelsior
 * Study.com TESU Transfer: Thomas Edison State University
 * Study.com COSC Transfer: Charter Oak State College
 * CLEP/DSST/ALEKS Tips FreeClepPrep: Free Clep Prep.com

=See Also=
 * Sources of Credit (includes options that are not as inexpensive as those found here)
 * Free Sources of Credit