Compare
Purdue Global brings a top public university's brand to adult online education — HLC-accredited, nonprofit, with a competency-based ExcelTrack. ACLAS is the $89 alternative with no terms at all. Here is an honest account of both.
Head to head
Figures are drawn from each provider's public pages in 2026. Prices change — confirm current tuition on the provider's site before deciding.
| Dimension | ACLAS | Purdue Global |
|---|---|---|
| MBA cost | $89 one-time (8 courses, 120 credits) | $2,833 per term (ExcelTrack competency-based); $485 per quarter credit traditional track |
| Bachelor's tuition | $159 one-time (BBA) | $371 per quarter credit hour (180 quarter credits for a bachelor's) |
| Institutional accreditation | EAHEA, QAHE, AQS (ISO 29995:2021); programs CPD-certified | HLC — U.S. regional accreditation |
| U.S. Department of Education recognition | No — we disclose this ourselves | Yes, via HLC regional accreditation |
| Federal financial aid | Not applicable — flat $89–$299 pricing, no aid needed | Eligible — FAFSA, grants, loans, military benefits |
| Credit transfer to other universities | Not guaranteed; should not be expected | Widely accepted — regional accreditation is the transfer standard |
| Study format | 100% online, fully self-paced, no terms or deadlines | Online in 10-week terms; ExcelTrack is self-paced within flat-rate terms |
| Institution type | Private college, open enrollment | Public nonprofit — part of the Purdue University system (est. 2018) |
| Best for | The cheapest functional professional credential for learners who accept the recognition limits | Learners who want a major public-university brand with accredited online degrees |
Source note: Purdue Global tuition and HLC accreditation appear on purdueglobal.edu. Note that Purdue Global uses quarter credits (180 per bachelor's) rather than semester credits (120), so per-credit figures are not directly comparable to semester-based schools. ACLAS tuition is published on this site's program pages.
Credit where due
On recognition, there is no contest — and pretending otherwise would be dishonest.
Few names open doors like Purdue in American hiring. HLC regional accreditation plus the Purdue University system behind it means degrees are recognized by employers, graduate schools and credential evaluators — with federal aid eligibility on top. Brand plus accreditation is a combination small institutions cannot replicate.
ExcelTrack is the most ACLAS-like option inside accredited U.S. higher education: flat $2,833 per term, self-paced competencies, finish faster and pay less. For learners who can accelerate and need the credential to be accredited, it is a genuinely good deal.
Around 10,000 of Purdue Global's 45,000 students are military-affiliated, and as a public nonprofit it operates under public-university accountability. For service members and veterans using education benefits, that trust profile matters.
The other side
Price is the obvious one. It is not the only one.
$89 for an MBA against $2,833 per ExcelTrack term — a single term at Purdue Global buys more than thirty ACLAS MBAs. Even the most affordable accredited path costs multiples of the ultra-budget alternative.
ExcelTrack removed the course schedule but kept the term meter: every term costs $2,833 whether you finished five competencies or fifteen. ACLAS has no terms — study for a year, pause for six months, pay nothing for time you did not use.
Purdue Global's admissions, aid and military benefits are built around the U.S. system. ACLAS enrolls anyone, anywhere, with no diploma requirements and pricing that needs no financial-aid office to make sense.
Fairness check
Both institutions attract criticism. Some of it is fair.
Fair to note — Purdue Global was built from for-profit Kaplan University in 2018, and critics questioned whether the conversion changed enough operationally. HLC accreditation is current and the Purdue system governs it now, but prospective students should read independent outcomes data as they would for any institution.
Also correct — and we say so ourselves. Without U.S. Department of Education-recognized accreditation, an ACLAS degree will not satisfy licensed professions, government roles or universities evaluating transfer credit. The credential suits professional development and private-sector uses where skills and verifiability matter more than accreditation pedigree. Know your use case before you enroll.
The bottom line We win on price and flexibility; Purdue Global wins on brand and U.S. recognition — there is no contest on either side. If you want the Purdue name with HLC accreditation, choose Purdue Global (and look hard at ExcelTrack). If you need the cheapest functional professional credential with zero term pressure, choose us at $89. The only wrong answer is picking either one without understanding the tradeoff.
Questions
The questions people actually ask when choosing between the two.
Yes — Purdue Global is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). It is a public nonprofit institution and a separately accredited part of the Purdue University system, created in 2018 from the former Kaplan University. The Purdue name carries real weight with employers.
Two ways to pay. The traditional track is $485 per quarter credit. The ExcelTrack competency-based MBA is a flat $2,833 per term — finish faster and the total drops. Undergraduate tuition is $371 per quarter credit hour (bachelor's degrees run 180 quarter credits).
ACLAS, decisively. The ACLAS MBA costs $89 one-time versus $2,833 per ExcelTrack term at Purdue Global — one term there buys more than thirty ACLAS MBAs. The ACLAS BBA is $159 versus $371 per quarter credit at Purdue Global.
Purdue Global's HLC regional accreditation plus the Purdue University brand means its degrees are widely accepted by U.S. employers and graduate schools. ACLAS degrees carry international accreditations (EAHEA, QAHE, AQS) and verifiable credentials, which suit professional development and many private-sector uses — but acceptance depends on the employer, and roles requiring U.S.-recognized accreditation will not accept them.
Purdue Global's competency-based option: a flat per-term rate with no fixed course schedule inside the term — you complete as many competencies as you can. It is the closest thing in accredited U.S. higher education to ACLAS's self-paced model, except the term clock still runs.
Choose Purdue Global if you want the Purdue brand with HLC accreditation, can work within 10-week terms (or ExcelTrack terms), and can afford the tuition or qualify for aid — including its strong military benefits. Choose ACLAS if you need the cheapest functional professional credential with zero term pressure. The only wrong answer is picking either one without understanding the tradeoff.
If you want the Purdue brand with HLC accreditation, Purdue Global is the honest answer. If you need the cheapest functional professional credential with no term clock, that is what ACLAS is built for. Either way — verify before you enroll.
