Excelsior University Online: Cost and Outcomes (2026)
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- Excelsior is a nonprofit, online university in Albany, called Excelsior College until 2022
- Excelsior charges $510 a credit for undergraduate courses outside nursing, plus fees
- Up to 113 of your old credits can count toward Excelsior’s liberal arts bachelor’s
- Every Excelsior undergraduate studied part-time in fall 2024, and part-time changes your aid
- 65% of Excelsior’s 2017-18 starters earned an award within eight years
- Liberal arts and nursing are Excelsior’s largest fields
- Who Excelsior fits, and the watch-outs
- Check your own aid before you apply to Excelsior
Excelsior University charges $510 a credit for online undergraduate courses outside nursing (its tuition page, October 2026), and 65% of students who started there in 2017-18 earned an award within eight years, according to College Scorecard’s October 15, 2026 release. Scorecard publishes no tuition and no net price for Excelsior.
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Check your aid before you choose Excelsior
Your Pell estimate, a possible state grant, Work-Study and federal loan limits under the rules for the year you start (2026-27 or 2027-28). About two minutes, no name or email. It assumes full-time study, and part-time Pell is prorated. Excelsior's financial aid office sets your actual offer.
Check my aidCollege Navigator says price information was not reported because Excelsior “does not admit full-time first-time undergraduate-level students”, and Excelsior’s own aid page puts its count of first-time, full-time students at zero. Every one of its 11,550 degree-seeking undergraduates studied part-time in fall 2024.
If you are investing your own hard-earned money this time, the fear is that if you mess up, you directly suffer the financial loss. At Excelsior, the credits it accepts decide how many you pay for: each one is one fewer credit at $578 with fees, by our math from its fee table.
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Excelsior is a nonprofit, online university in Albany, called Excelsior College until 2022
| Fact | Excelsior University |
|---|---|
| Control | Private nonprofit |
| Accreditor | Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), since 1977 |
| Students studying fully online (fall 2024) | 100% |
| Degree-seeking undergraduates (fall 2024) | 11,550, 100% part-time |
| Graduate students (fall 2024) | 1,391 |
| Undergraduates 25 or older (fall 2023) | 86% |
| Admissions | Open admissions; admission rate Not published |
| Former names | Regents College, then Excelsior College until August 1, 2022 |
| Federal school ID (UNITID) | 196680 |
MSCHE last reaffirmed its accreditation on June 23, 2022, and its next self-study evaluation is in 2029-2030.
College Scorecard’s October 2026 data and College Navigator describe Excelsior as distance-only (Navigator: “All programs offered completely via Distance education”). Excelsior’s about page says it added hybrid options with on-site learning in St. Petersburg, Florida, for the BS and MS in Cybersecurity and the BS in Electrical Engineering Technology in fall 2025.
In January 2026 Excelsior added a prelicensure BS in Nursing with in-person labs there; MSCHE lists the site as an additional location opened August 31, 2026.
Excelsior also says its accreditor and Fielding Graduate University’s approved a change of control of Fielding effective July 1, 2026, and that the merger “will not be final until all regulatory approvals are obtained, including the Department of Education.”
Excelsior charges $510 a credit for undergraduate courses outside nursing, plus fees
| What you take | Tuition |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate courses, non-nursing programs | $510 a credit, plus $40 and $28 per-credit fees |
| Undergraduate nursing programs | $550 a credit |
| RN to BS in Nursing (from the spring 2026 trimester) | $410 a credit |
| BS in Business, fixed rate (from the spring 2026 trimester) | $3,200 a trimester for eligible students, with materials and fees |
| Graduate programs, non-nursing | $715 a credit, all-inclusive except course materials |
| Graduate nursing programs | $755 a credit |
| Doctor of Business Administration | $800 a credit |
Undergraduates also pay an academic services fee of $40 a credit and a technology fee of $28 a credit, so a non-nursing credit costs $510 + $40 + $28 = $578 and a 3-credit course $1,734, by our math. The graduation fee is $125. Excelsior says tuition and fees can change without notice.
Military Tuition Assistance will not cover the technology or academic services fees, Excelsior’s tuition page says. Excelsior also offers monthly payment plans, and College Navigator lists it in the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Up to 113 of your old credits can count toward Excelsior’s liberal arts bachelor’s
Excelsior’s BS in Liberal Arts takes 120 credits, and its program page says “Transfer up to 113 Credits.” Its transfer guidelines say the program “does not place any time limits on transfer credits”, except that Logistics Management concentration credits must be earned within 15 years before you enroll.
Its transfer guidelines also say you may transfer in as many as 113 credits “and then complete the remaining 16 credits at Excelsior”, which does not match the program page’s 120-credit total, so ask admissions how many credits you must take at Excelsior.
Other programs set limits, and every undergraduate transfer credit needs a C- or better. Credits for the BS in Business major must be earned within 15 years before you enroll. Major courses in computer science, cybersecurity and IT are considered if completed within 5 years of admission, and some engineering technology courses within 10.
For nursing, Excelsior’s rule is: “External credits of any source are not applicable for transfer into the nursing/major components of undergraduate nursing programs.”
| Credits accepted | Credits left at Excelsior | Tuition and fees |
|---|---|---|
| None | 120 | 120 x $578 + $125 = $69,485 |
| 60 | 60 | 60 x $578 + $125 = $34,805 |
| 90 | 30 | 30 x $578 + $125 = $17,465 |
The evaluation decides what counts, not this table. Send every transcript, certification and training record with your application: Excelsior evaluates those for free, but charges $300 to evaluate credits sent after you are admitted.
Our guide to how many credits will transfer explains caps and residency at other schools, and credit by exam and prior learning shows other ways to earn credits before you pay $578 for one.
Every Excelsior undergraduate studied part-time in fall 2024, and part-time changes your aid
Federal aid at Excelsior needs at least half-time enrollment, which Excelsior sets at 6 credits a trimester for undergraduates and 3 for graduate students. Students who complete their degrees solely by exam cannot get federal aid.
Pell pays up to $7,395 for 2026-27 to eligible undergraduates, and StudentAid.gov says the amount depends on, among other things, “your status as a full-time or part-time student.” Our guide to how Pell pays part-time students shows how a lighter load changes the award.
Federal loans shrink too. StudentAid.gov: “If you’re enrolled less than full time for an academic year, your annual loan limits shown in the chart (or the lower limits set by your school) are adjusted downward proportionally based on your level of enrollment.” Our guide to part-time student loan limits shows how the cut works.
Excelsior’s own sample budget for a half-time undergraduate, two trimesters of 6 credits, totals $15,906, including an $8,200 room and board allowance. In 2024-25, 35% of Excelsior undergraduates had a Pell Grant and 39% had a federal loan.
65% of Excelsior’s 2017-18 starters earned an award within eight years
| Measure | Excelsior University |
|---|---|
| Earned an award within 8 years (all students who started in 2017-18) | 65% |
| Graduated within 6 years (first-time, full-time, fall 2019 cohort) | Not published |
| Median earnings 6 years after starting (2015-16 and 2016-17 entrants) | $67,374 |
| Median earnings 10 years after starting (2011-12 and 2012-13 entrants) | $81,471 |
| Graduates’ median earnings 4 years after finishing (2017-18 and 2018-19 finishers) | $78,218 |
| Graduates’ median federal loan debt (entered repayment in fiscal 2024 and 2025) | $19,000 |
These are school-wide figures. Your payoff depends on the program, the job you aim for and how many credits you still have to pay for. Two trimesters of 6 credits, the half-time load in Excelsior’s own sample budget, cost 12 x $578 = $6,936 in tuition and fees, by our math.
Liberal arts and nursing are Excelsior’s largest fields
| Field and credential | Awards, 2023-24 | Median earnings, 4 yrs after | Median federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (bachelor's) | 1,172 | $61,685 | $8,333 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (associate) | 707 | $91,265 | $20,000 |
| Nuclear Engineering Technology/Technician (bachelor's) | 214 | $119,783 | $12,500 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (master's) | 199 | $93,206 | $27,334 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (associate) | 171 | $63,016 | $10,500 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (bachelor's) | 169 | $87,618 | $18,750 |
| Psychology, General (bachelor's) | 124 | $46,149 | $15,742 |
| Engineering-Related Fields (bachelor's) | 102 | Not published | Not published |
Earnings are for 2017-18 and 2018-19 finishers; debt is for 2022-23 and 2023-24 finishers. Field names are federal CIP categories, not Excelsior’s program titles, and all are offered fully online.
Who Excelsior fits, and the watch-outs
It fits if
- You have many credits from several places. The liberal arts bachelor’s takes up to 113 transfer credits, and its transfer guidelines set no time limit outside the Logistics Management concentration.
- You can only study part-time. All undergraduates studied part-time in fall 2024, and courses begin every eight weeks.
- You want a liberal arts degree with little debt. Liberal arts bachelor’s finishers of 2022-23 and 2023-24 owed a median $8,333 in federal loans.
Watch-outs
- No federal price to compare. Scorecard publishes no tuition or net price for Excelsior, so get a written cost estimate based on your evaluated credits.
- Late credits cost $300. Credits sent after you are admitted carry a $300 evaluation fee.
- Old major credits may not count. Business, technology and engineering technology majors set 5, 10 or 15-year limits.
- Check nursing accreditation by program. College Navigator lists ACEN accreditation of Excelsior’s associate nursing programs as ending May 10, 2021, and an MSCHE record of June 23, 2022 notes Excelsior’s “decision to voluntarily withdraw the accreditation of the associate nursing program” from ACEN. Navigator shows next ACEN reviews for the bachelor’s and master’s nursing programs on June 30, 2032.
Check your own aid before you apply to Excelsior
The aid check shows your Pell estimate, a possible state grant, Work-Study and your federal loan limits under the rules for the year you start (2026-27 or 2027-28). It takes about two minutes, asks for no name or email, and assumes full-time study; it notes that less than full-time enrollment gets a prorated Pell award.
Excelsior’s financial aid office sets your actual offer; its federal school code is 014251.
On the same measures, College Scorecard’s October 2026 data puts Franklin University at a 53% eight-year rate for 2017-18 starters and $20,571 in graduates’ median federal debt (fiscal 2024 and 2025 repayment), and Southern New Hampshire University at 39% and $19,999 for the same groups.
Degree Sources may refer readers to schools through partners. School matching is optional, comes after your aid result, and is not an application or admission to Excelsior or any school. The figures here come from federal data, MSCHE’s records and Excelsior’s own pages, and this profile does not rank schools.
See your aid before you apply to Excelsior
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Sources
Every figure in this guide comes from one of these pages. How we check sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard: Excelsior University (UNITID 196680)
- College Scorecard data files, October 15, 2026 release
- College Scorecard data dictionary: field definitions and cohort years
- NCES College Navigator: Excelsior University (enrollment and distance education fall 2024, age fall 2023, price and graduation rate notes, accreditation)
- Excelsior University, Undergraduate Tuition and Fees
- Excelsior University, Graduate Tuition and Fees
- Excelsior University, Cost of Attendance Samples
- Excelsior University, Transfer Credit Guidelines
- Excelsior University, Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts (120 credits, transfer up to 113)
- Excelsior University, Federal Financial Aid (half-time status, federal school code, first-time full-time students)
- Excelsior University, About (history, names and locations)
- Excelsior University, home page (course starts, St. Petersburg hybrid programs)
- Excelsior University, free tuition for eligible New York State students (August 12, 2026)
- Excelsior University, Fielding Graduate University FAQ
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Statement of Accreditation Status: Excelsior University
- StudentAid.gov, Federal Pell Grants
- StudentAid.gov, One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Important Definitions (less-than-full-time loan limits)
- Federal Student Aid, 2026-27 Federal Pell Grant maximum and minimum award amounts
Related Resources
Franklin University Online: Cost and Outcomes (2026)
Franklin tuition was $9,577 for 2024-25 and its average net price $25,243. 49% of students finish within 8 years; graduates owe a median $20,836.
Southern New Hampshire University Online: 2026 Outcomes
SNHU tuition was $17,200 for 2024-25 and its average net price $36,708. 35% of students finish within 8 years; graduates owe a median $21,082.
Prior learning assessment: CLEP, DSST and military credit
Prior learning assessment turns exams, training and work into college credit. In 2026 a CLEP exam costs $97 and most passing scores earn 3 credits.