Excelsior College

Flexible, Transfer-Friendly Academics at Excelsior

Excelsior College appears in our ranking of the 20 Best Affordable Online Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering. Excelsior College is composed of six schools. It uses Blackboard to award 10 associate and 46 bachelor’s degrees online. For example, the AAS in Nuclear Technologies follows a 60-credit, ETAC-accredited curriculum. It prepares to work as power plant staff  to distribute electricity safely. Named an NSA Center of Academic Excellence. The 120-credit BS in National Security builds the intelligence gathering skills to inform government policy. It was named an NSA Center of Academic Excellence. The 120-credit BS in Finance emphasizes competency-based education in digital courses like Investment Banking and Risk Assessment. It has an 18:1 student/faculty ratio. Other Excelsior offerings include:

• AS in Health Sciences
• RN-BS in Nursing
• BS in Information Technology
• BS in Military Leadership
• BS in Management of Human Resources

The School of Graduate Studies lets Excelsior College post-grads earn 21 master’s tracks easily on the internet. For instance, the MBA in Mediation and Arbitration spans 36-45 credits. Students learn strategies for settling work disputes. The 38-credit MS in Nursing has upheld ACEN standards in Education and Health Care Systems Administration tracks ending with applied capstones. Linked to the National Cybersecurity Institute, The 30-credit MS in Information Assurance trains online students to mitigate computer vulnerabilities for data protection. It’s linked to the National Cybersecurity Institute The MS in Homeland Security & Emergency Management accepts 50 percent transfer credits within a 30-credit framework. It prioritizes disaster prevention. Additional online Excelsior degrees include:

• MS in Public Health
• MS in Organizational Leadership
• MBA in Accounting
• MA in Liberal Studies
• MS in Criminal Justice

About Excelsior College

Excelsior College was chartered in 1971 by the New York State Legislature. It’s the Regents External Degree Program for nontraditional students. Initially funded by the $252 million Carnegie Corporation, it was renamed Regents College in 1984. It was granted independence four years later. Excelsior College now specializes in non-resident education for 38,426 students. The average student age is 36. Excelsior alumni include:

• Malcolm Nance
• Peggy Littleton
• Gilbert King
• John E. Walsh, and more

Forbes ranked Excelsior America’s #1 best institution for adults. OnlineDegreeReviews.org placed it 28th and Military Times named it fourth nationally.

Excelsior College Accreditation Details

Excelsior College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education . This voluntary, six-state East Coast accreditor is authorized to determine Title-IV participation eligibility. Excelsior was registered by the New York State Education Department and granted the following five programmatic accreditations:

• Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
• International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE)
• Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET (CAC)
• Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET (ETAC)
• Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs (AGLSP)

Excelsior College Application Requirements

Enrolling at Excelsior College is deemed “non-competitive” by Peterson’s. The Fall 2016 acceptance rate was 100 percent for open enrollment. First-year students need one of these:

• a high school diploma
• GED
• homeschool program certificate

Minimum grades aren’t listed, but the average GPA is above 2.0. Standardized tests are completely optional, including the SAT, ACT, and GRE. As a 2016 NLN Center of Excellence, the School of Nursing is a bit stricter though. The Associate in Nursing only considers practical/vocational nurses or paramedics with 200+ clinical hours. Starting the Nursing RN-BS requires an associate or diploma from registered nurses in 49 states, excluding Washington, who’ve passed the NCLEX-RN. Generally, online master’s programs stipulate an accredited baccalaureate and 3.0 GPA maintenance. The MSN specifically admits bachelor’s grads from ACEN- and CCNE-accredited nursing schools. Excelsior College offers easy rolling admission until the final trimester registration dates of:

• January 10th for Spring
• May 7th for Summer
• August 29th for Fall

The eight-week Summer schedule also adds an online sign-up date of July 2nd. Interested students must create a MyExcelsior account to file the secure application digitally. If necessary, mail physical materials to 7 Columbia Circle in Albany, NY 12203-5159. Contact (518) 464-8500 or admissions@excelsior.edu for individualized help. Attachments to the $50 online application usually only include an official transcript showing degree completion and healthcare licenses.

Tuition and Financial Aid

For 2018-19, Excelsior College charged online undergraduates $510 per credit or $7,650 each term full-time. The BS in Cybersecurity is the only exception, billing $380 per online credit. Military service members receive discount tuition of $250 per credit too. Students must pay:

•  $1,095 enrollment fee
• $495 service fee
• $495 graduation fee

General education exams cost $110 to $470 apiece. The School of Nursing also budgets $380 for the clinical competencies assessment and $615 for the NTCX conference. Graduate tuition is $645 per master’s credit online with a $265 services fee yearly. For example, the 36-credit MS in Health Care Administration would have an approximate total of $24,280. According to the NCES College Navigator, the Office of Financial Aid helps 11 percent of Excelsior students with average yearly packages worth $2,690. University funds include:

• the Ewald B. Nyquist Scholarship
• Fred L. Emerson Scholarship
• Laura J. Ebersole Scholarship
• Michael J. Cooley Scholarship
• Pastor Angelina Robles Lopez Scholarship
• Honorable Bryanne Hamill Scholarship
• Toby Friedland Memorial Scholarship

Veterans and military spouses receive 100 percent of eligible Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. The President’s Partner Scholarship offers discounts to employees of:

• Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant
• Canton-Potsdam Hospital
• Tyson Foods, Infragard
• US Postal Service
• and more than 100 other compannies

Filing the FAFSA application with code 014251 opens federal resources like:

• the Pell Grant
• FSEOG Grant
• Direct Loan
• Graduate PLUS loan

New Yorkers also qualify for up to $1,000 from the Aid to Part-Time Students (APTS) and $5,165 from the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). Learn more about the wholly online accelerated, accredited academics at the Excelsior College website.

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