About Excelsior University
Excelsior University is a private nonprofit university in Albany, New York, in a midsize city. It enrolls roughly 11,550 undergraduates, and about 100% of them attend part time. Instruction is delivered primarily online. The federal student-to-faculty ratio is about 21 to 1.
Nursing programs at Excelsior University
According to federal completion records, Excelsior University awards nursing credentials at the associate degree in nursing (ADN), bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN), and master’s degree in nursing (MSN) levels. A recent year’s totals include about 625 associate-degree nursing graduates, about 115 bachelor’s-level nursing graduates, and about 28 master’s-level nursing graduates. Offering both associate and bachelor’s pathways under one roof can make it easier to start with an ADN, earn your RN license, and move on to a BSN later; our ADN vs. BSN guide explains how to weigh the two. The MSN option is aimed at licensed nurses moving into advanced practice, leadership, or teaching. That is a sizeable annual graduating class for a single school.
Cost and student outcomes
About 35% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Students who finish the associate level and borrow leave with median federal loan debt of about $20,000. Federal earnings data puts median pay for those associate-level nursing graduates at roughly $79,700 one year after finishing and $91,300 four years out. These are estimates for graduates with reported earnings, not a promise.
Applying and licensure
The federal data does not report an overall admission rate for this school, so ask the admissions office how applicants are evaluated. Nursing programs usually add their own steps, such as prerequisite science courses, an entrance exam, a minimum GPA, and a limited number of seats, so contact the nursing department about current requirements. Our guide on how to get into nursing school walks through the typical process. After graduation, the path to a license goes through the New York State Education Department Office of the Professions and the NCLEX exam. Ask the program about its accreditation (ACEN or CCNE) and state approval, and see how it stacks up against other nursing schools in New York.
Figures come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and can change. Confirm current details with the school.
