Excelsior College Review (Accreditation, Rankings, Majors, Aid, etc.)

If you are interested in completing one of the programs offered at Excelsior College in the comfort of your own home? Then you are on the right page.

This article will discuss the vital information about Excelsior College Review starting from its Accreditation, Rankings, Majors, Aid, and lots more. Read on, to get access to the information.

One of the most high-ranking online institutions in the US is Excelsior College, which is located in Albany, New York.

The private non-for-profit online college also offers hundreds of online degrees for non-traditional students.

But you may be wondering if you should put your trust in Excelsior College Online. Excelsior College Online is accredited.

As a matter of fact, it has regional accreditation, which is widely accepted as more prestigious than national accreditation. Many of its various online programs also have their own programmatic accreditation.

As of this writing, Excelsior College Online offers more than 102 online programs. See Easy Guide to Switching From Online to In-Person College

About Excelsior College

Excelsior College was established by the New York State Board of Regents as an external program referred to as the Regents External Degree Program (REX), in 1971.

The times have changed, and Excelsior College evolved in order to meet the educational needs of adult learners.

Excelsior College, 15 years from the time it was established, was called Regents College. But in 1998, the school was granted by the New York State Board of Regents a charter to function as a private, non-profit and independent institution. In early 2001, Regents College was renamed Excelsior College.

At that time, Excelsior College was among the first schools to develop and administer courses conducted 100% online.

Presently, it offers a total of 120 degree programs, which can be divided into six areas of study: Business, Health sciences, Liberal arts, Nursing, and Public Technology.

Excelsior College Online Accreditation

Excelsior College Online is a regionally accredited institution. That’s because its accreditor, which is the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), one of six regional institutional accrediting agencies existing in the United States.

The most recognized form of college or university accreditation in the country comes from regional accrediting agencies.

Sometimes, it’s not enough to check that an online school you wish to add to your college list is accredited — it’s also a good idea to figure out beforehand whether it’s regionally or nationally accredited.

First things first: both regional and national accreditations are recognized and thus considered legit.

However, regional accreditation, compared to national accreditation, tends to have more rigorous quality standards than national accreditation.

As a result of this, credits earned from a regionally accredited school, such as Excelsior College, are more widely accepted and thus highly transferable to other institutions with regional accreditation.

Besides credits, undergraduate degrees earned from a regionally accredited institution are more likely to get accepted by graduate schools, including especially selective and prestigious ones.

One of the main challenges of applying to an online college or university is ensuring that it’s not a diploma mill.

Making the mistake of attending a diploma mill is a no-no for someone who wants to earn a degree and, eventually, get a high-paying job. That’s because the degrees it confers are worthless — employers do not honor them.

Unlike the make-believe accreditors of diploma mills, the one responsible for the accreditation of the Excelsior College online school is fully recognized by the US Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

What is Excelsior College Known For?

Excelsior College is known to focus on making college accessible to adult learners. The school also caters to those who are historically underrepresented in higher education.

Excelsior College is especially known for its online Nursing programs, such as an LPN certificate, associate, bachelor’s and master of science. Read “Is a Degree From Bellevue University Respected by Employers“

As an online school, Excelsior College makes earning a degree as easy as possible for adult learners by giving them as many opportunities to finish as possible in the process.

Once a week, students attend a live class — those who can’t, on the other hand, can watch a recording of the class.

Many of the graduates of Excelsior College end up employed at top companies. Some of them include Kaiser Permanente, Microsoft, Amentum and Maxim Healthcare Group.

Some also work for the US Department of the Army, taking on consulting, engineering, healthcare and various other roles.

Some of the most popular majors at Excelsior College include:

• Liberal Arts and Humanities
• Nursing
• Business
• Engineering Technician
• Lab Technician
• Instrumentation Technician
• Electrical Engineering Technician
• Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Administration
• Computer Systems Technician
• Health Professions

Financial Aid

Excelsior College gives provision for financial aid and has a wide variety of programs and services to provide adult learners access to affordable education.

Besides federal and state financial aid, the online school also has institutional and external scholarships. Excelsior College recommends submitting the FAFSA four weeks before registration.

Filling out the FAFSA is the very first step to take to know whether or not you are eligible for scholarships, grants, loans and even work-study funding. See Best Online Courses to Take to Get a Job.

At Excelsior College, students residing in the Empire State may also apply for New York State financial aid.

Students eligible for  Excelsior College financial aid are New York residents enrolled in an online degree program at Excelsior College and taking three to eleven credits per semester.

Those who are eligible will receive $1,000 each semester or the total cost of tuition, whichever of the two is less. Unfortunately, the award cannot be applied to expenses other than tuition.

Here are numerous institutional aids available at Excelsior College:

• AXA Foundation Scholarship Fund
• Charlene Gregg and Bobbie Kinsinger Endowment Fund
• Citizens Bank Scholarship Fund
• Excelsior College Scholarship Endowment Fund
• Fred L. Emerson Foundation Scholarship Fund
• Kushner and Lindholm Family Scholarship Endowment Fund
• Summo Endowment Fund
• Whitney-Teeple Scholarship Fund
• Besides aid in the form of scholarships, grants and others, Excelsior College also offers various payment plans for adult learners who are on a tight budget.

For example, those who are applying for an undergraduate or a graduate degree may opt for the plan that allows them to pay their tuition in two to six installments.

Meanwhile, those who are taking an associate degree in Nursing may pay for the CPNE in two to six installments. But keep in mind that there is a plan setup fee costing $15 to $25.

Summary

There is no denying that Excelsior College is not a diploma mill, this is as a result of it being accredited by a US Department of Education- and CHEA- recognized regional accrediting agency,

Indiana University offers certificates as well as undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Before you include Excelsior College Online on your college list, consider its cost of attendance, types of online classes and programs offered, and weigh their pros and cons — see if the benefits of attending it outshine the perks of attending another accredited and reliable online institution.

Last Updated on May 16, 2023 by Admin