The honest cost comparison

Compare the whole route, not the first step. A two-year diploma followed by two years of a degree is a four-year plan and should be costed as one. Sometimes it comes out cheaper than the straight degree; often, once the transfer turns out to be partial, it comes out longer and dearer.

The other half of the comparison is time. A year is not only a year of fees, it is a year of not earning. Put both in the table before deciding which shape you are buying.