- Many people either prolong college or drop out because college tuition is too expensive.
- Companies have been partnering with accredited colleges to help you earn affordable and transferable college credit.
- Not only are the following options affordable, they can also help you complete your degree faster.
College is expensive but getting your education doesn’t have to be. We’ve put together a guide to some of the best and most affordable places you can take online courses for college credit to help you complete your degree at a pace that suits you and at a price you can afford.
Why Does Affordable College Credit Matter?
Rising tuition rates do more than affect your student loan debt — they can also impact your ability to stay in school.
The college dropout rate in the United States is extremely high, with up to 40% of students not making it through their degrees. There are many reasons that people leave higher education:
- Unable to afford the tuition cost
- Developments such as starting a family
- Finding alternative routes to a career path
- Lack of interest
- Difficulties with campus life, studying, or other reasons
For some people, it can be desirable to complete the degree at a later date when they have more time or resources. However, dropping out can be costly, too, with college dropouts earning $21,000 less than their peers with degrees.
With concerns about the high costs and the risk of dropping out, it’s understandable that so many people seek alternative, more affordable ways to earn college credit. The reasoning is that they can take general college courses and transfer those credits at a later date to complete the degree.
Fortunately, there are numerous affordable ways you can take online courses that also make it easy for transferring college credit into partner schools. Here are four options below:
1. Straighterline.com
Straighterline.com offers ACE-recommended courses to help you obtain additional affordable college credit.
How to Earn Affordable College Credit through Straighterline.com
This provider offers immediate access to the course of your choice as soon as you sign up for it. The program includes online tuition and many resources to help you build up knowledge and obtain college credits when you take their online courses at your own pace.
The courses are equally helpful for obtaining credits to complete a degree program you formerly enrolled in and gaining extra credit during the degree.
College Credit Courses Offered through Straighterline.com
Straighterline.com offers over 60 online college credit courses in key subjects such as business, English, social sciences, maths, and science. It also provides college prep courses and tests for credit if you want to test your subject knowledge. All the courses provided by Straighterline.com come recommended by ACE.
School Partnerships
Straighterline.com partners with 130+ colleges and universities, with its ACE-recommended courses recognized by over 2,000 institutions. The partnered institutions that they will accept credit obtained with Straighterline.com include:
- Athens State University
- Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology
- Berkeley College
- Fort Hays State University
- Jacksonville College
- New York Chiropractic College
- Northcentral University
- Western Governors University
- Tennessee State University
- The University of Arizona Global Campus
Cost and Duration
Straighterline.com is one of the best platforms for obtaining affordable college credit. Its monthly sign-up fee is only $99, with an additional $59 on average for every course. Straighterline suggests that each 3-credit course requires around 75 hours of dedicated study. And while it’s estimated that a course can be completed within one month, that cannot be guaranteed. The amount of time it takes to complete one of Straighterline’s courses will depend on how much time you spend on the course.
2. Sophia.org
Sophia.org offers online courses for college credit at an extremely low price. It offers a framework that allows you to complete your degree faster and save on the cost of an extra year of accommodation and college tuition fees.
How to Earn Affordable College Credit through Sophia.org
Courses are online and accessible at a rate that suits you. If you’re looking to race ahead, you can complete these programs in a very short time. However, if you’re busy with family or full-time work, Sophia.org allows you to space out your learning and complete activities on a timeline that suits you.
Courses Offered
Sophia.org offers affordable college credit for the most popular degree programs, including:
- Business
- English
- Maths
- Social sciences
- Art
- Science subjects
These include foundational studies as well as more advanced and specific programs.
School Partnerships
The site partners with 40 colleges and universities that will always accept credit from these programs. These institutions include:
- University of Alabama
- Art Institute — Houston (and other locations)
- Cheyney University
- Excelsior College
- Indiana Wesleyan University
- Liberty University
- Regis University
- Wilmington University
You might also find that a wider range of institutions accepts college credit through online courses taken with Sophia.org upon asking. You should contact your college or university for more information about this.
Cost
This platform is perhaps the cheapest of all for online courses. You may take two courses at a time for a subscription fee of only $79/month. It also offers a 30-day free trial.
3. Outlier.org
Outlier.org is a relatively new option that lets you obtain additional affordable college credit online. It offers courses to help you avoid student loan debt and boost your knowledge with structured tutoring in a variety of key disciplines.
How to Earn Affordable College Credit through Outlier.org
Unlike other platforms that offer affordable courses and allow you to transfer college credit to a wide range of colleges and universities, Outlier.com partners directly with the University of Pittsburgh. Online courses you complete via Outlier.com provide three transferable college credits validated by the University of Pittsburgh, which is a well-respected institution.
College Credit Courses Offered through Outlier.org
Outlier.com offers college credit courses in key subjects across the board but is especially well-known for its range of excellent introductory courses. These include:
- Introduction to Philosophy
- Precalculus
- Calculus 1
- Introduction to Statistics
- Introduction to Macroeconomics
- Microeconomics
- Intro to Psychology
- Intro to Astronomy
- Financial Accounting
- College Writing
- Intro to Sociology
- Macroeconomics
The well-rounded selection makes Outlier.com an excellent choice for enterprising students looking to earn credits ahead of their program or anyone looking to obtain valid credits in a subject related to their major.
School Partnerships
Outlier.com’s partner, the University of Pittsburgh, is a top-60 US university that provides accreditation for its programs. This accreditation makes it arguably the strongest offering among the most affordable college credit providers, as a distinctive and respected institution provides your accreditation. You’ll still need to have your credits validated by whichever college you choose when transferring your college credits.
Cost
Courses on Outlier.com cost $400 each, which is roughly 1/6th of the cost of a college course according to the website.
This provider also offers a full refund if you complete its study program and don’t pass the course, which we consider an excellent benefit.
4. Study.com
Study.com offers supplementary accredited courses at middle school, high school, and college levels. Its College Accelerator program helps you obtain the necessary credits for your degree.
It also partners with many universities in offering full online college degree programs at both bachelor’s and master’s levels.
How to Earn Affordable Transferable College Credit through Study.com
Courses are online and taught by qualified college professors. Its courses cover a wide range of subjects and provide an excellent way of lowering college costs while studying at your own pace.
Once you’ve signed up for a program, you can study at whichever hour of the day suits you by watching the pre-corded classes. This online learning platform is especially useful for people looking to complete their degrees while working full-time.
Courses Offered
With over 220 college courses at the undergraduate level, Study.com is the largest provider of transferable college credit courses. Its offering includes:
- 75 courses in business subjects
- 33 courses in computer science
- 34 courses in science subjects
- Many others in subjects including humanities, foreign languages, English, and psychology
Each course features numerous lessons, with recommendations on the site for which courses come highly recommended for extra college credit.
School Partnerships
Study.com partners with over 2,000 colleges and universities, including:
- American College of Education
- Bellevue University
- California Southern University
- Charter Oak State College
- Colorado State University Global
- Regent University
- University of Maryland Global Campus
- University of Phoenix
Study.com is one of the most accessible options for returning students looking to complete their degrees, with credits accepted at accredited institutions. It’s also a great way for active students to speed through and reduce their study time, thus saving on the cost of college.
Cost
The cost of Study.com is $199/month. When you consider that the average annual cost of tuition at a public 4-year college with in-state fees is around $9,580 per year, you’re making massive savings by acquiring affordable college credit in this way.
Conclusion: Best Online Courses for College Credit
Every platform listed above offers the kind of affordable and transferable college credit that is perfect for any of the following:
- People looking to complete their degrees after having to withdraw from their previous college or university
- Current students looking to reduce their tuition and accommodation fees by completing their degree early
- Anyone looking to obtain credit in advance (some platforms accept learners still in high school)
If any of these descriptions sound like you, it’s time to get in touch with one of these amazing providers and discover what opportunities for you have to earn affordable college credit that you can transfer your next college.
