The University of Charleston offers first responders $250 per credit hour on its online undergraduate degrees in criminal justice leadership, cybersecurity, psychology and several other fields. The standard online bachelor’s rate on the same cost sheet is $395 per credit hour. UC doesn’t say how a first responder claims the rate, so ask admissions before you apply.
The University of Charleston is in Charleston, West Virginia. Its rates sit on a cost sheet under a heading that reads Military, Law Enforcement & First Responder Rates. Nothing there explains who qualifies or what you’d show to prove it, so that’s the first question to get answered.
How To Get The University of Charleston First Responder Discount
- Find the Military, Law Enforcement & First Responder Rates section of the cost sheet and pick a program from it.
- Contact admissions and say you’re a first responder asking about the first responder rate.
- Ask what proof they take from your department.
- Get the $250 per credit hour figure confirmed in writing for your program before you pay a deposit.
- For the certificates below, use the separate enrollment steps on their pages.
What The Rate Covers
The online undergraduate programs on the first responder list are Accounting, Criminal Justice Leadership, Cybersecurity, Frontline Leadership, Management, Organizational Leadership, Psychology and Workforce Leadership, all at $250 per credit hour. The standard online bachelor’s rate is $395 per credit hour, including Cybersecurity and Organizational Leadership / Criminal Justice Leadership.
At the graduate level, the Master of Science in Strategic Leadership and the Master of Science in Cybersecurity are also $250 per credit hour. The Family Nurse Practitioner program is $660 per credit hour with a 10% discount for military and first responders.
The MBA is where UC’s pages give different figures: the cost sheet has it at $250 per credit hour under the first responder rates, and the military page has 10% off $600 per credit hour for military members. Ask admissions which one applies to you. If you qualify for more than one discount, you get the single highest one, because discounts aren’t combined.
Two Certificates With A First Responder Rate
The SHIELD certificate costs as low as $750 per course at the First Responder/Military rate, and it’s open to all public safety professionals. It’s online, runs 15 weeks and carries 9 undergraduate credit hours, taken one five-week course at a time. The listed start date is 1/11, the register-by date is 1/4, and the cohort is limited to 25 participants. You enroll as a non-degree-seeking student through the UC Student Solutions Office.
EMPOWER is the other one, at $750 per course with the same rate. It’s five 5-week online courses over 25 weeks and 15 undergraduate credit hours, and the credits can apply toward the Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership. Its listed start date is 5/3, with a register-by date of 4/28.
The certificates are for EMS professionals, firefighters, law enforcement officers, corrections professionals, emergency management personnel and public safety supervisors, among others.
What UC Doesn’t Say
UC doesn’t say whether the degree rate covers spouses, dependents, retired responders or volunteers, or what proof it takes. Ask admissions and get the answers in writing.
Q&A
Q: What is the first responder rate at the University of Charleston?
A: $250 per credit hour for its online undergraduate programs under the first responder rates, next to a standard $395 per credit hour.
Q: Does it work for a graduate degree?
A: The strategic leadership and cybersecurity master’s are $250 per credit hour. The MBA is where the pages differ, so ask.
Q: What proof do I need?
A: UC doesn’t say. Ask admissions what your department can provide.
Q: Do the certificates need a degree application?
A: No. You enroll as a non-degree-seeking student through the UC Student Solutions Office.
Q: Is there another school to compare?
A: Our Liberty University page covers another online option.
More Information:
The University of Charleston can change its rates, so read the cost sheet again before you apply. For other ways to lower your costs, browse our money discounts. You can also see it alongside other options in How First Responders Can Save Thousands on College Tuition: The Best Schools Offering Tuition Discounts.