Excelsior University Pursues Strategic Partnership with Fielding Graduate University: Frequently Asked Questions

A Bold Path Together

Excelsior University and Fielding Graduate University are pursuing a merger to create a new college bearing the Fielding name within Excelsior.

Excelsior University and Fielding Graduate University received approval from the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) to proceed with a change of control, effective July 1, 2026, marking a significant milestone in Fielding’s planned merger into Excelsior. 

The eventual merger will create the Fielding College of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences within Excelsior. 

Current student experiences will largely remain the same during the change of control. Fielding will continue to operate as Fielding Graduate University. Excelsior and Fielding will maintain separate presidents, provosts, and board oversight. At the same time, deeper operational integration work will begin, and Excelsior will participate closely in financial and other decisions. 

The merger will not be final until all regulatory approvals are obtained, including the Department of Education, which could take six months to a year or longer. 

About Fielding Graduate University

Fielding Graduate University, founded in 1974 in Santa Barbara, California, is a private, nonprofit institution with approximately 1,000 students and 7,500 alumni. Fielding Graduate University is a leader in graduate education, combining face‐to‐face experiences and online learning. Taught by faculty representing a breadth of scholarship and practice, their rigorous curriculum offers graduate-level courses and degrees in psychology, leadership, and education for professionals living and working anywhere in the world. Fielding is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and additionally is the only American Psychological Association (APA) accredited clinical psychology doctoral program using a distributed delivery model.

About Excelsior University

Excelsior University is a private, not-for-profit institution of higher education based in Albany, New York, with an educational site in St. Petersburg, Florida. Excelsior was founded in 1971 with a mission to provide educational opportunity to adult learners with an emphasis on those historically underrepresented in higher education. With more than 200,000 alumni worldwide and approximately 12,000 current students, Excelsior offers 39 career-focused degree programs in the associate, bachelor’s, and master’s levels, in areas of business, health sciences, liberal arts, nursing, public service, and technology. Excelsior University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), with programmatic and specialized accreditation via the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), ABET, and International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE).

Both institutions are pioneers in distance and adult education, and share values rooted in student-centricity, social justice, and community.

Through this intended merger, Excelsior’s institutional infrastructure and curricular offerings can be complemented by Fielding’s strengths in graduate education in the social sciences. Disciplines and degrees offered by Fielding do not overlap with existing Excelsior programs, meaning Excelsior would gain new academic pathways – including doctorates – and lifelong learning opportunities for students. In addition, Fielding’s university press, professional centers, and international engagements could provide significant benefits to Excelsior’s students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

If realized, a merger will create extensive opportunities for learners across a range of degrees and disciplines. Combining Fielding’s expertise in graduate and doctoral education with Excelsior’s degree portfolio and leadership in online learning will open doors for learners and create pathways for career and professional advancement.

While much work remains to be done, signing this agreement moves us into the regulatory phase of the merger process and includes close cooperation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission, the American Psychological Association, and the U.S. Department of Education. The completion of the regulatory phase may take a year or longer and will occur in steps.

We are committed to transparency throughout this process, and we will share additional information as it becomes available. Refer to the FAQ below and direct additional questions to transformationalpartnerships@excelsior.edu.

For additional FAQs for Fielding students, faculty, staff, alumni, and donors, visit fielding.edu/excelsior.

Pursuing a Strategic Merger

Fielding’s expertise in psychology and leadership graduate studies complements Excelsior’s existing programs and offers pathways from undergraduate to terminal degrees. A new college within Excelsior, the Fielding College of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, would be created by the merger to open new educational opportunities with doctoral programs, master’s programs, and post-baccalaureate certificate programs in a curricular array not currently offered at Excelsior. The intended merger would build financial, operational, and programmatic stability for Fielding, while creating new market opportunities and curricular pathways for both institutions.
Fielding and Excelsior will continue working on other required approvals, including from the Department of Education, to complete the merger. Fielding will remain separately accredited by WSCUC until the merger is final. After all regulatory approvals are complete, the Fielding College of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences will be included within the scope of Excelsior’s institutional accreditation with MSCHE.
No. The merger will not be final until the Department of Education and New York State Education Department grant approval, which could take six months or longer. We will share updates and key milestones regularly as details progress and as we move through the necessary approval steps.

Excelsior and Fielding share a commitment to expanding access to quality higher education, with a focus on adult learners, social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Both institutions were founded in the 1970s as pioneers aimed at changing the demographics represented in higher education. They both value innovation, curricular agility, and experimentation with new modalities and instructional methods.

The partnership is designed to honor and build upon the missions and cultures of both Excelsior and Fielding, ensuring continuity and growth for all stakeholders. Both institutions have more than 50 years of history fulfilling academic aspirations for their students. We are confident that together, we can be even more impactful for our students.

Our institutions are closely aligned in values and methodology, our programs are complementary, and a partnership could provide enormous benefits to students, staff, and faculty of both universities.


For nearly a decade, Fielding’s Board and executive leadership have been exploring various options to preserve its long-term legacy. Forming an affiliation with another institution was one of four strategic priorities established by the Fielding Board of Trustees for 2025-2026. Higher education has been experiencing historic change — enrollment shifts, student demographics, rising costs, increased competition, and operational demands. As a small, mission-driven, tuition-dependent university, Fielding has had to act decisively to preserve its mission and strengthen long-term sustainability. The institution recognized that its current financial path and ability to remain independent are not viable in the long term. A merger or comparable partnership must occur for Fielding’s legacy to continue.

One of Excelsior’s 2026-2028 key strategic goals is to “forge new, market-driven programs, locations, and partnerships.” An important pillar of this strategy is to explore mergers with institutions with complementary curricula, services, and values to broaden Excelsior’s programmatic portfolio and geographic presence. Fielding’s programs offer new pathways for Excelsior learners with no overlap in current Excelsior degree offerings, expanding Excelsior’s reach and portfolio while continuing Fielding’s legacy of excellence in psychology and behavioral sciences.


Accrediting agencies regularly review mergers to confirm that institutions and programs continue to meet standards of quality as a result of the changes that are occurring. Excelsior and Fielding have begun working collaboratively with their accreditors through these processes. Under the intended merger, Fielding will remain separately accredited until the merger is final. At that time, the Fielding College of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences will be included within the scope of Excelsior’s institutional accreditation.

Excelsior Staff, Faculty and Students

Fielding’s expertise in psychology and leadership graduate studies complements Excelsior’s existing programs and offers pathways from undergraduate to terminal degrees. The partnership opens new educational opportunities with doctoral programs, master’s programs, and post-baccalaureate certificate programs not currently offered at Excelsior.

A core team is working on this project, and integration work will begin to include more individuals from both institutions. We are committed to transparency and will share updates regularly as details progress, decisions are finalized, and we move through the necessary approval steps.

Fielding Students, Faculty, Alumni, and Programs

For a full FAQ for Fielding students, faculty, alumni, and donors, visit fielding.edu/excelsior.

The eventual merger will create the Fielding College of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences within Excelsior. A Fielding college at Excelsior would continue Fielding’s programs in their entirety and honor Fielding’s legacy and expertise, while broadening the resources available through Excelsior’s infrastructure and networks.

Excelsior has expressed intent to continue offering Fielding’s current programs following the planned merger. Students enrolled in Fielding will continue to be provided with high-quality education to complete their degrees.

Fielding students will have access to the infrastructure and support of Excelsior’s student services teams, as well as opportunities to pursue new educational pathways within Excelsior’s extensive program portfolio.
Fielding’s programs complement those currently offered at Excelsior and will continue under the merger. The new Fielding College of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences within Excelsior will be established after approval by the U.S. Department of Education and New York State Education Department. Led by Fielding’s expert faculty, this college would offer the programs that Fielding is known for, with students supported by the increased resources and infrastructure of Excelsior.
There will be no immediate impact to tuition, financial aid, or scholarships to Fielding students.
Yes.
Yes.
When the merger is completed, Fielding students would ultimately receive degrees from Excelsior University.
Until a partnership is completed, students should continue to apply to the university offering the program of their choice. All programs will continue under the terms of a partnership agreement.
Yes. The Fielding College of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences at Excelsior University will offer the programs that Fielding is known for, with students supported by the increased resources and infrastructure of Excelsior.
Fielding alumni graduating before the completion of the merger will remain Fielding alumni and will be welcomed into the Excelsior alumni community.
After the merger, Fielding College of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences at Excelsior led by Fielding’s expert faculty, would continue Fielding’s legacy of excellence in psychology and leadership studies.

Future Vision

We will move forward with care, courage, and the commitment to build on Excelsior’s mission while working closely with Fielding to maintain its 50-year legacy of excellence. With mutual enthusiasm and respect, we will continue to explore the possibilities for our students, faculty, staff, and shared futures.

Our vision of aligning Excelsior University and Fielding Graduate University is a transformative partnership that would create the Fielding College of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences within Excelsior, focused on continuing Fielding’s legacy of excellence in psychology and leadership studies.

Through a merger with Fielding, Excelsior students will have access to new educational opportunities with doctoral, master’s, and post-baccalaureate certificate programs not currently offered at Excelsior. The partnership would build financial, operational, and programmatic stability for Fielding, while creating new market opportunities and curricular pathways for both institutions.