Our Story

Excelsior University is an online, accredited, not-for-profit learning institution founded in 1971. Based in Albany, New York, Excelsior provides accessible and innovative educational opportunities to adult students.

Excelsior initially achieved its mission by helping 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. Thirty years later, Excelsior was among the first institutions to develop and offer online courses. With more than 200,000 alumni, Excelsior University has grown into the largest online university based in New York state. 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.

Programs

Excelsior offers more than 45 degree and certificate programs across six areas of study: business, health sciences, liberal arts, nursing, public service, and technology. Dedicated academic advisors and faculty members foster and promote academic success as students work toward educational achievement, career advancement, and achievement of life goals.

Guiding Principles

A Brief Chronology

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 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.

Excelsior has a long history of supporting learners, particularly those who do not see themselves reflected in traditional higher education. It has become the largest online institution based in New York state, and in acknowledgment of the breadth of its programs and its bold future, the institution became Excelsior University on August 1, 2022.

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, vision, and values.