Excelsior Is for Everyone

Excelsior is the university for students just starting their degree and for students returning to college to finish their degree. We are the university for full-time professionals and full-time parents. For people who want to change their careers, and for people who want to change their lives.

Accredited and not-for-profit, Excelsior has been delivering on its mission to provide educational opportunity to students since 1971. We have a long history of welcoming learners from diverse backgrounds, particularly those who do not see themselves reflected in traditional higher education, and we are committed to student support and academic excellence. At Excelsior, we believe that education is for everyone.

Preparation for Professional and Personal Success

Our Colleges and Schools

  • College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with a Department of Liberal Arts, School of Business, and School of Technology
  • College of Nursing and Health Sciences with a School of Nursing and School of Allied Health

Our Locations

Excelsior University is a not-for-profit university with a main campus in Albany, New York, and an educational site in St. Petersburg, Florida. Excelsior’s academic programs are registered by the New York State Education Department and/or have Florida-based licensing.

Licensed by the Commission for Independent Education, Florida Department of Education (License No. 12928). Additional information regarding this institution may be obtained by contacting the Commission at 325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1414, Tallahassee, FL 323099-0400, toll-free number: (888)-224-6684.

For additional state-based authorization information and licensure-related disclosures, visit this page.

Commitment to Mission and Vision

More than 50 years since its founding, the student experience remains at the core of Excelsior’s mission.

Our Mission

Excelsior University provides educational opportunity to adult learners with an emphasis on those historically underrepresented in higher education. Excelsior meets students where they are — academically and geographically, offering quality instruction and the assessment of learning.

Vision

Excelsior University provides access to quality higher education through innovative online learning and exceptional student experience, serving as a model for addressing societal and workforce needs.

Education Rooted in Innovation

Founded in 1971 by the New York State Board of Regents, Excelsior University was originally known as the Regents External Degree Program (REX). Its initial development was funded by major grants from the Ford Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation.

From 1971 until 1998, the institution operated as a program of the Board of Regents and under the authority of The University of the State of New York. As REX and later Regents College, as it became known in 1986, the innovative program allowed adult learners to convert previous workforce and college experience into credit toward the degrees and credentials needed to advance their careers. In this way, the institution helped adult learners find flexible and affordable pathways to degree completion through the assessment of prior learning and the aggregation of credit earned through classroom education and relevant workplace and military experience. It soon added credit by examination, and students could study independently and take exams to validate their knowledge.

In April 1998, the Board of Regents granted Excelsior a charter to operate as a private, nonprofit, independent institution. On January 1, 2001, Regents College changed its name to Excelsior College. The new name referenced New York state’s motto, a Latin phrase translating to “ever upward.”

In the early 2000s, Excelsior was among the first institutions to develop and offer courses with fully online instruction.

In acknowledgment of the breadth of its programs and its bold future, the institution became Excelsior University on August 1, 2022.

In 2025, Excelsior celebrated the milestone of more than 200,000 graduates.

In 2025, Excelsior developed a hybrid learning opportunities that blend online instruction with in-person experiences. A hybrid course in partnership with Paul Smith’s College was offered in the summer, and hybrid options for the Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology, and Master of Science in Cybersecurity programs with on-site learning at Excelsior’s site in St. Petersburg, Florida, were introduced in the fall.

An independent board of trustees composed of prominent business and educational leaders from across the United States governs Excelsior University, ensuring Excelsior delivers upon the promise of its mission and vision.