Starbucks has it so that you don't have to pay for anything up front anymore! They just started it this summer semester. All you have to pay for are the fees and the books.

I personally love ASU and it's the only reason why I'm staying at Starbucks. I try to take the max amount of credits every term so I can get out of Starbucks as soon as possible but my coworker with other obligations only takes one class a term.

I love the online aspect because all of the lectures are pre-recorded, for the classes I take, at least. So I can work on them whenever I can. I have ADHD so whenever I hyperfocus on a class, I really hyperfocus so not having to be "in class" at specific times has been beneficial to me.

I know other people who don't do as well in an online setting tho so it's really up to you!

Eta: Words are hard lol

I've been in ASU for 2.5 years. It's been 100% worth it to me. There's a lot of info at $1, it may help answer a lot of your questions.

Tuition is covered 100% and paid up front. Your first semester is covered just the same as your last. You're only on the hook for books, equipment, and sometimes a few special class fees (such as lab fees). Those expenses will vary based on your classes. This semester I'm spending around $140 on books but my expenses are normally lower. ASU did not send me a bill at all. Your tuition benefits are taxed as income once you go over $5250 per year, but you might be eligible for ways to reduce your tax burden like the American Opportunity tax credit.

Classes are relatively flexible. There are 6 start dates per year: 2 each in spring, summer, and fall. Most fall and spring classes are condensed into 7.5 weeks; summer classes are 6 or 8 weeks. Generally each class has work due at least once per week; some classes have due dates every few days. Between due dates, everything is self-paced. There are reading materials, lecture videos, slides, etc. but no live classes on Zoom or anything like that. Some professors hold live study sessions on Zoom but those are always optional. I've had lots of classmates with families. It definitely requires a time commitment but you can do what works best for you! All the benefits still apply even if you don't take a full course load.

Do it. I started SCAP in 2018, 17 years after high school. Now I’ve got two more semesters left and have been given an option where I can choose 4 courses from a list that will also count towards my Masters. I never saw myself being in this position and my life and sense of self worth has improved vastly as a result.

ASU is totally worth it as long as you don’t have many existing credits. Because they won’t accept any credits from other schools and you can’t transfer ASU credits to other colleges. So that is really the only downside and the reason I personally am not doing ASU. Since I was already halfway done with my degree.