Albany, NY · Private · 11,550 undergraduates · urban
Excelsior University
Open admission
A transfer-friendly online university designed around adult degree completion and prior learning.
Institutional profile
Well established Solid in affordability, and solid in career outcomes.- Admission
- Open admission
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 41.2%
Open admission
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$78,493 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Excelsior University apart
Academic design
The university offers online bachelor's and graduate programs in areas such as nursing, business, technology, health sciences, liberal arts, and public service, with transfer credit playing a major role for many students.
Campus pattern
There is no conventional residential campus culture; the student experience is largely online and organized around asynchronous coursework, advising, and progress toward degree completion while working or serving elsewhere.
Defining feature
A transfer-friendly online university designed around adult degree completion and prior learning.
Can I get in?
Open admission
Start with academic preparation, then show why this particular academic and campus environment fits you.
Undergraduates enrolled
11,550Open admission
Every applicant who meets the published requirements is admitted, so the work is placement and course selection rather than selection itself.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Excelsior University, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Excelsior University weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
The university offers online bachelor's and graduate programs in areas such as nursing, business, technology, health sciences, liberal arts, and public service, with transfer credit playing a major role for many students.
Make the fit specific
A transfer-friendly online university designed around adult degree completion and prior learning.
Account for the tradeoff
Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and make the school-specific case concrete.
$0 application fee
Major and program admission
Some fields have their own entry path.
The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.
NursingAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Excelsior University
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
A transfer-friendly online university designed around adult degree completion and prior learning.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Business Administration, Management and Operations
Nuclear Engineering Technology/Technician
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Needs a prior degree or license
Engineering-Related Fields
What is campus life like?
Excelsior University beyond the classroom
There is no conventional residential campus culture; the student experience is largely online and organized around asynchronous coursework, advising, and progress toward degree completion while working or serving elsewhere.
A defining academic feature
The university offers online bachelor's and graduate programs in areas such as nursing, business, technology, health sciences, liberal arts, and public service, with transfer credit playing a major role for many students.
What shapes an ordinary week
There is no conventional residential campus culture; the student experience is largely online and organized around asynchronous coursework, advising, and progress toward degree completion while working or serving elsewhere.
What changes the experience
A transfer-friendly online university designed around adult degree completion and prior learning.