Can You Earn an Online Bachelor's Degree from Study.com?

Study.com isn't a degree-granting school, so you can't complete a full bachelor's degree through the platform alone. What you can do is use its courses to build up transferable credit that applies toward a bachelor's degree at a partner institution, covering everything from general education requirements to some upper-division electives along the way. Used strategically, that credit can cut down significantly on both the time and cost of finishing a four-year degree.

Below, we'll cover what Study.com actually offers, how its courses feed into gen eds and electives for a bachelor's program, and which schools make that path possible.

How Does Study.com Work?

Study.com operates on a course-by-course basis rather than as a traditional degree program. Each course is self-paced, structured around video lessons, readings, and quizzes, and ends with an open-book, non-proctored exam once you're ready to show what you've learned. There's no semester structure to follow, so your pace depends entirely on your own schedule. Once completed, you can then use these courses as credit toward a degree.

The credit value behind those courses comes from recommendations issued by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS). Since Study.com isn't regionally accredited and can't grant credit directly, these third-party recommendations give receiving schools a standardized way to evaluate the coursework and decide whether to accept it. Once you finish a course, you request an official transcript and send it to the school where you want the credit applied, and that school determines how it counts toward your degree.

Can You Earn a Bachelor's Degree from Study.com?

No, Study.com doesn't grant bachelor's degrees or any other type of degree. It isn't a regionally accredited college or university, which means it doesn't have the authority to confer a degree the way a traditional four-year institution does. Instead, Study.com works as a source of individual, transferable credit that you apply toward a degree at a school that actually issues one.

That distinction is worth keeping in mind if a bachelor's degree is your end goal, since completing courses on Study.com alone won't result in a diploma on its own. What it can do is meaningfully reduce how much coursework you need to complete once you're enrolled at a degree-granting school, since a real portion of your bachelor's requirements, not just gen eds but potentially some electives too, may already be covered by the time you get there.

How Study.com Can Help You Earn a Bachelor's Degree

A bachelor's degree typically requires about 120 credits, split between general education requirements, major-specific coursework, and electives. Study.com's College Saver plan covers a large share of the general education portion, with courses like English composition, college algebra, and introductory psychology lining up with what most bachelor's programs require early on.

College Saver Pro extends that further into upper-division territory, with courses in subjects like computer science, criminal justice, and finance that can apply as electives or, depending on your major and school, toward more specific degree requirements. That combination means Study.com can potentially cover a meaningful chunk of a bachelor's degree beyond just the entry-level coursework, particularly for students whose major allows some flexibility in elective credit.

Because both plans charge a flat monthly rate rather than a per-course fee, working through gen eds and electives this way typically costs a fraction of what the same credits would cost paid directly through a four-year school's tuition. From there, you'd complete your remaining major-specific coursework and any requirements Study.com doesn't cover directly through your chosen school to finish out the degree.

What Schools Accept Study.com Credits Toward Bachelor's Degrees?

All of Study.com's partner schools offer bachelor's degree programs that accept transferred credit, making this one of the more flexible paths in terms of school selection. A few examples include:

• Western Governors University: A competency-based nonprofit university with established transfer pathways into business, IT, and education bachelor's programs.
• University of Massachusetts Global: A regionally accredited nonprofit offering a range of bachelor's degrees with a tuition discount for students transferring in Study.com credit.
• University of Maryland Global Campus: A large public university with bachelor's programs across business, IT, cybersecurity, and more, along with a tuition discount for incoming transfer students.
• Colorado State University Global: A public, budget-friendly option with bachelor's degrees concentrated in business and management fields.

Since major requirements and course equivalencies vary from school to school, it's worth confirming with your target institution exactly how Study.com's gen-ed and elective coursework applies to your intended major before you build out a full course plan.

What Courses Does Study.com Offer?

Study.com's course catalog is organized by subject, with the exact courses available depending on your plan. Here's a look at the main categories.

• Business: Coursework in accounting, management, marketing, business law, and organizational behavior.
• Math and science: General education staples like college algebra, statistics, and general chemistry, along with science courses such as biology.
• Humanities and social sciences: Courses in English composition, history, psychology, sociology, and political science.
• Communications: Public speaking and interpersonal communication courses.
• World languages: Introductory-level options such as beginning Spanish.
• Upper-division and specialized subjects (College Saver Pro): Expanded offerings in areas like computer science, criminal justice, and finance, beyond what's available on College Saver.

For a bachelor's degree specifically, the general education courses on College Saver can cover a lot of ground early on, while College Saver Pro's upper-division and specialized courses open the door to elective credit further into your degree. Since the catalog can shift, it's worth confirming current course availability directly on Study.com's site as you plan out which credits to pursue.

How Long Does It Take to Finish a Study.com Course?

Since every course is self-paced, how long it takes depends mostly on the subject and how much time you can put in each week rather than a fixed class schedule. A student dedicating a few consistent hours weekly might finish an introductory gen-ed course in a couple of weeks, while a denser upper-division course, or one fit around a busier schedule, can reasonably take longer.

Because there's no deadline forcing you to move faster than you're ready for, you can prioritize actually retaining the material over rushing to clear a requirement. The main constraint to keep in mind is your plan's concurrent enrollment limit, since a course you're taking your time on still occupies one of your active slots until it's finished.

How Much Does Study.com Cost?

Whether you're focused on gen eds, electives, or both, working through bachelor's-level coursework on Study.com means paying a flat monthly membership fee rather than a per-course rate. College Saver costs $95 per month and covers most general education needs. College Saver Pro costs $235 per month and adds upper-division and specialized courses, which is worth the higher price if your degree plan includes elective credit beyond gen eds.

Since neither plan caps how many courses you can complete in a month, your effective cost per credit goes down the more coursework you finish in a single billing cycle. Mapping out how many courses you realistically need for your specific degree plan, rather than just picking a plan based on price alone, gives you a clearer sense of which option makes more financial sense for your situation.

FAQs About Study.com

Here are a few more common questions about using Study.com toward a bachelor's degree.

Can Study.com Credits Count Toward Your Major, Not Just Gen Eds?

In some cases, yes, particularly with College Saver Pro's upper-division courses in subjects like business, computer science, or criminal justice. Whether a specific course counts toward your major or only as a general elective depends on your school's degree plan, so it's worth checking course equivalencies with your target school before assuming a course will satisfy a major requirement.

Is It Better to Transfer Study.com Credits Before or After Enrolling in a Bachelor's Program?

Many students complete Study.com courses before formally enrolling to build up transferable credit ahead of time, though credit evaluation typically happens once you're admitted. Either approach can work, but confirming your target school's transfer policy in advance helps you avoid taking a course that won't end up counting.

Is There a Limit to How Many Study.com Credits Can Transfer Into a Bachelor's Degree?

Most schools cap the total amount of transfer or non-traditional credit they'll accept toward a bachelor's degree, often somewhere between 60 and 90 credits depending on the institution. Checking that cap ahead of time helps you plan how much of your degree you can realistically complete through Study.com versus coursework taken directly at your school.

Do Employers View a Bachelor's Degree Differently If Part of It Came from Transfer Credit?

No, a bachelor's degree reflects the institution that granted it, not the individual sources of transfer credit that went into it. Once credit is accepted and applied, your diploma and transcript represent your degree-granting school, regardless of where some of the underlying coursework originated.

Can You Combine Study.com Credit with AP, CLEP, or Military Credit Toward a Bachelor's Degree?

Yes, most schools allow you to combine credit from multiple sources, including Study.com, AP exams, CLEP, and military training, as long as you stay within that school's overall transfer credit cap. Reviewing your target school's specific policy on combining credit types can help you maximize how much of your degree you cover before paying full tuition.

Explore Alternative Credit Options

Study.com won't grant you a bachelor's degree on its own, but it can meaningfully shorten the path to one by covering a substantial share of general education requirements and, in some cases, elective credit toward your major. Check out Learn.org’s resources to help you map out exactly how to put that plan into motion.