While Thomas Edison State College is a very affordable, flexible option for adult learners, it does not offer all of the degree programs that are available at Excelsior. If Excelsior adopts the same tuition model as TESC, it will be another option for adult learners that is just as good as TESC. Excelsior recently announced that students will now have to pay a $50-60 test fee to Pearson in addition to the $95-440 fee for the Uexcel. This makes Uexcels more expensive than TECEPs, CLEPs, and DSSTS and almost as expensive as a Straighterline course.
TESC has moved into the 21st century by letting students take TECEPs at home through the online proctoring service ProctorU. Excelsior could do this with Uexcels if they end their partnership with Pearson and develop their own tests. Since Excelsior has no residency requirement, I understand that they try to provide incentives to people who take their courses. However, there is no cost advantage to having the $1,065 enrollment fee eliminated under the Enrolled Course Option because it requires that 12 credits be taken in residence at $465 per credit hour. That is a total of $5580 when one can test out of the same number of credits for $400 or less.
Excelsior should adopt the same model as TESC's Per Credit Tuition Plan. Under the Per Credit Tuition Plan, there is no enrollment fee, but there is a 24 credit residency requirement. Even though TESC charges $491 per credit hour for courses under this plan, TECEPs are only $111 for non-residents. TECEPs can be used to fulfill the residency requirement. 24 credits worth of TECEPs is only $888. This encourages students to take TECEPs instead of CLEPs and DSSTs for similar subjects. This redirects testing money to TESC while providing the student with cost savings. Currently, Excelsior gives students no incentive to take Uexcels causing them to lose money to Prometric and the College Board. Pearson test centers are also not as numerous as CLEP and DSST test centers. I would have to drive at least 30 min. just to get to one.
