Saylor University review

Saylor University is the cheapest route on this list to college credit you can try to transfer. The nonprofit offers 164 self-paced courses across business, computer science, mathematics, English and history, all free at learn.saylor.org. Passing a course's final exam earns a free certificate of completion, and passing a proctored exam earns college credit recommended by ACE for $5 per exam session. Saylor also runs four tuition-free, fully online master's degrees: an MBA, a Master of Science in Marketing, a Master's in Management and a Master's in Entrepreneurship & Innovation, where the only cost is the same $5 proctoring fee. It holds international accreditation from ASIC and is accredited by IACET for continuing education units. You can enroll anytime. The limits are the size of the catalog and the fact that ACE credit is only a recommendation; your college decides whether it counts, so ask before you start. Course pages are plain and self-guided, with no live teaching.

Who it is for

budget learners who want free courses and cheap college credit

Price

Courses and certificates free; ACE credit exams $5 per proctored session.

Earn college credit recommended by ACE by passing a proctored exam for just $5 USD per exam session.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 13, 2026.

Key features

• 164 free, self-paced courses in business, computer science, math, English and history
• Free certificate of completion for passing a course's final exam
• College credit recommended by ACE for passing a proctored exam
• Four tuition-free, self-paced master's degrees, including an MBA
• Accredited by ASIC and by IACET for continuing education units

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Courses and completion certificates cost nothing
• Strength: A credit exam session costs $5, far less than a campus credit hour
• Strength: Enroll anytime with no application fee for degrees
• Weakness: ACE credit is a recommendation, so your college decides whether to accept it
• Weakness: Fewer courses than Coursera or edX, at 164
• Weakness: Its accreditation is international (ASIC), not from a US regional accreditor

Key facts

• Free courses: 164
• Credit exam: $5 per proctored session
• Graduate degrees: 4, $0 tuition
• Accreditation: ASIC, IACET

Where it ranks

Saylor University is No. 5 in our Best Online College Courses verdict.