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 Oct 2020: $79 per month; no limit to courses taken within that time period

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.

Davar Academy
''Cost as of Oct 2020: $99 for two business courses or $70 to $80 per course fee. Plus $15 proctor fee per course regardless of purchase option.''

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.

=Pay Per Exam=

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 solely on the final exam.

Saylor Academy
Cost as of Oct 2020: $25 fee for ProctorU 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,

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