Excelsior College

It took me 7 years to complete my degree. I was so forever grateful that they accepted the credits I had accumulated from all over the place, foreign and domestic, and they also accepted my ACE exams! It really made a difference for me. Out of the entire degree, I took a total of 4 classes with the school. They weren't particularly easy, but most definitely not super hard either. In my opinion, the degree of difficulty was about right. I was very pleased with them all. You do need to do a lot of reading and independent work, but if you have questions and email your instructors, they will typically respond quite promptly--especially if you are humble and nice in your tone. The academic counsellors I had were very good while you had one person assigned to you. However, that changed in my last 9 months at the school, and that's when I noticed that mistakes were being made: too many people meddling with your file without a unity in voice or consensus. Since I was so close to graduation, I decided to focus on completing my degree and getting ready for my next big stage in life. So I won't add any additional commentary that may no longer apply. I cannot speak for how things may be like now, but lend my voice to say that school served me well and it gave me an enormous opportunity at bettering myself that would not have otherwise been possible . Don't believe in all the negativity you hear out there. Just make the best of your learning and be proud of your accomplishments. If you fail, you only have yourself to blame because all these courses were written with the independent adult learner in mind. If you need 1:1 help, Excelsior has a free tutoring service. Use the tools you are given to succeed. Best of luck to you!

It was over 20 years since I was involved in furthering my education. My current employment allowed for increased promotional opportunities with an accredited degree. After many hours of searching it was Excelsior College that appeared to provide the best opportunity. Many of the courses were challenging and required essays for the mid-term and final exams. With an average grasp of the English language, Grammarly.com, and effective time management skills, the degree was easily worked into my schedule of family and a full time job. The courses were interesting, thought provoking, and enjoyable. My age and life experiences were certainly beneficial and allowed for a much easier writing experience. After taking one 8 week course at a time, 60% paid for by the GI Bill, I received my BS in Liberal Arts in 2.5 years. It also allowed me to be accepted into an on-line Masters Degree program at Arizona State University. I highly recommend Excelsior College, particularly for veterans and law enforcement officers. Excelsior gives the maximum credit for both aforementioned experience than any other school I researched. At the age of 51 I can proudly claim that I am a college graduate, soon to be working on a Masters.

I completed both my AAS and BS degrees here at Excelsior. It was a wonderful experience. I literally was promoted 2 months after receiving my BS degree. I enjoyed it so much that im not stopping. I plan on enrolling in the MS in management degree soon. I had alot of credits from earlier college. Between my work training and experience and my past liberal Arts credits I was able to finish an AAS in nuclear technologies as well as my bachelors in communications. The support along the way was top notch and the education was as well. The online programs are perfectly designed with plenty of student discussion interaction and amount of tests, papers, and projects. The 8 week courses are great just enough work to keep you engaged every week but not to much that you feel overwhelmed. You work hard at this school but they know that the students are balancing careers and family as well. I cant say enough about my online experience here. I recommend attending graduation if You can. It is quite an event.

I have attended several schools over the years. Excelsior has always been there for me. I am retired military(submarines). I attended school while being stationed over in Italy. I finished up my AAS degree and now continuing on to my other degrees. Excelsior is flexible and will work with you to try an obtain a flexible type degree status. I'm impressed. I was scared about taking an online course because I had always been traditional. Excelsior makes it easy.

Great school to attend, it's also demanding you will earn your degree. The support network is outstanding and there was never a moment where I wouldn't call and not be satisfied. I completed the BSL program after transferring in with a 2yr degree. I completed all degree requirement in March 13' and will be conferred on 17 May 2013, a little over 19 months for completion. As for respectability of the degree I am having no issues getting offers on jobs on the state and federal level. I would recommend this school to anyone looking for advancement at their own pace.

Excelsior College was such a great decision for my career and education. Their Professors were awesome and provided an educational environment that allowed me to provide honest input, and actually responded to you individually. I will never regret my BS in Liberal Studies!

I just finished my last class towards a BS in Liberal Studies. Not exactly the degree I dreamed of but a degree I feel I worked hard to get. Online education (as a working adult) is no joke. I read and wrote a lot but luckily had some flexibility to take courses that interested me. As a career military member with 7 different colleges and an AAS in Architecture, I knew finishing a BS in Architecture was not going to be possible. Excelsior helped me tie it all together. Good staff support and overall, the instructors were effective but sometimes seemed inconsistent with writing standards; I think the same could be said about a traditional "brick and mortar" colleges. Bottom line, I worked my tail off to attain my degree and Excelsior College worked for me.

I found this college to be amazing, and know many people who have graduated from this school and gone on in their fields and succeeded well and some are even now making 6 figures a year. This school is not meant for people with no life / previous college experience. Their main purpose is to help adults finish degrees. So, if you have never gone to school before, of course it is going to be more expensive. However, to all the people that say it is a scam it is a non for profit federally funded institution and has been around since the 70's. I do not see it being over priced considering I also have a BA in psychology from A DIFFERENT COLLEGE in NY and it cost me nearly $60,000 and I had 30 transfer credits. And of course the exams and testing are going to be harder, the instructors need to know that your regularly practicing the material.

I had a lot of classes at multiple universities (UAF, UWash) over several years, had been in-and-out of school, and switched majors five or six times. Life happens. And none of which made a degree. My transfer credits, AP exams, and CLEP exams got me a BA Liberal Studies (1999). For me, it was cheap and easy. Later, my Regents (Excelsior) degree, combined with a very (very) good GRE score, got me into a (liberal arts-related) graduate school at a public mid-major, where I finished a PhD. Excelsior probably will not get you into a top-tier graduate school -- and these days, jobs are scarce in academia for everyone, even at the top -- but it can work for smart and self-directed students, even if you want to pursue graduate studies.

Due to geographical relocations and "life", I had undergraduate credits compiled from large universities that I wanted to compile into a degree. Excelsior offered the accredited-program that I needed to "tie it all together" with a few additional courses. Other schools had basic residency course requirements that were prohibitive as far as cost and time. The courses that I took through Excelsior were challenging, in several cases more-so, than the brick and mortar classes that I have taken over the years. I found the professors knowledgeable and responsive. Yes there is a lot of writing required, and the online format requires self-direction. They do not baby you. But for the right person, it is a great solution to move forward and complete a degree that is accredited and will also get you into a graduate-school program, if that is your goal.

While in the Air Force I attended several colleges. Excelsior accepted most of my credits from the schools and several from the Community College of the Air Force. The CCAF is where I was trained to do my jobs in the AF and they are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It is very important to ensure what kind of accreditation a school has to Excelsior. I earned a Liberal Studies degree with excelsior and a Homeland Security certification; great support, lots of writing, experienced instructors guide the courses and know the material. If you are an enlisted person, don't hesitate to get your degree with excelsior, they are regionally accredited and can lead to a commission, a really good degree prior to getting out or retiring, or making yourself more competitive for the SNCO board. I highly recommend Excelsior.

I have been enrolled in a bunch of colleges throughout my career, both military and civilian (I am a veteran but not career military) and Excelsior accepted them all, including my Navy SMARTS transcript. Outstanding teachers, excellent courses, 100% online. The instructors have high standards and the classes are rigorous and not for someone expecting to skate through with a C, but Excelsior is a great place to earn a convenient and fully accredited, accepted-everywhere degree. I will be graduating in March 2013 with my BS in Liberal Studies with Emphasis in Admin. Mgt./PoliSci and have already been conditionally accepted to Villanova University's (Top Senior University in the North Region, US News) MPA program pending receipt of my BS diploma. My Master's admission success was very much based on the strength of Excelsior's programs. I would stack my degree up against anyone's.

I had a little trouble getting enrolled, but once I was in the program, things flowed smoothly. They accepted all but four of my previous credits, they kept up on my status reports, and they were clear about my financial aid. Most of my teachers were quick to respond and offered helpful feedback. More than simply gaining a degree, I learned something while I was in school. My husband had some issues with one professor's lack of math skills (grading) and with the finance office, but he called them and resolved each issue quickly and to our satisfaction.

I recently obtained my B.S. in liberal Arts with a concentration in Criminal Justice Administration. I have been enrolled with Excelsior College since 2002. I merged credits from previous schools (all brick and mortar)and several schools I have attended throughour my 19-year military career with the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves. My full-time occupation is a police officer. This solid academic institution provided me with rich support, guidance, and flexibility. I strongly recommend this school to military members, and those individuals who have an arduous work schedule. The courses are tedious but fair. A concerted effort is emphasized while taking courses at ESC as it is not automatic that students pass. Lastly, I was accepted to a Tier 1 graduate school in New York (brick & mortar) as my 3.51 average was conducive to now being enrolled with that institution. Excelsior College may not be for everyone, but those who obtained their degree from this school have truly earned it.

I have no issues with Excelsior. Be prepared to write essays. Most of the courses require a good deal of writing. If that is not your forte, It would be advisable to look elsewhere. The eight week sessions are demanding. I had substantial interactions with the admissions,financial aid, and academic advising personnel. All of them tried hard to provide a high level of service.

I have completed my Associates degree at my local brick and mortar community college. Excelsior College proved to be rather challenging as well as rewarding. I completed my Bachelors degree in Political Science at this institution after having to transfer once I went on active duty. Overall it is a good school with valid regional accreditation. Its affordable and flexible for Soldiers who have to move around allot.

Overall, I had good experience completing my degree at Excelsior. Because I had attended several different colleges and changed majors, I had over 170 hours without a degree, I only needed 13 semester hours. They accepted most of my previous CLEP and DANTES tests scores and all of my previous classes. I was lacking the required upper level credits. I completed my degree requirements in less than 3 months after my initial evaluation was completed. Yes the fees are high, but when you look at the overall costs it was a bargain. No minimum number of classes I had to take, no restrictions on the amount of transfer credits, and no maximum of credits by college level testing. So I only paid about $2500 to complete the 13 semester hours, mainly by testing including all required fees. So I now I have job that I couldn't have without my degree and the satisfaction of being a graduate.

I finished my BS in Liberal Studies with a dual focus in Administative Management and Psychology recently, after a 22-year military career where I attended Texas Tech University, University of Hawaii, and University of Phoenix along the way. Excelsior recognized my experience and previous efforts, drew up a plan with multiple options and guided me to the finish line. For any military person, it's a no-brainer for online education. You will do alot of essay writing because it's online, but you will be very prepared to move on to the Master's program if needed to. I'm starting mine in March.

As a recent graduate of Excelsior College (BS in Liberal Studies/focus: Sociology), I was truly impressed overall. After earning my Associate's Degree at a (regionally accredited) junior college, Excelsior accepted all my credits as I pursued a Bachelor's Degree. They offered various ways to earn credits; I took advantage of ECEs, DANTES exams, distance classes with BYU, and LSU. I truly felt challenged during my studies as it wasn't a "walk in the park" to complete my degree. I only experienced one negative issue with my advisor, but he was receptive and proffesional throughout the process; ultimately I supported my argument with documentation and the issue was resolved. Excelsior's advisors and librarians were excellent with respect to inquiries and assistant; they were rapid and clear with replies and followed up with an email. I did not feel like I was left to "sink or swim." I believe Excelsior's tuition and fees are reasonable;you'll surely save money if you exercise your option to earn credits with other associated schools or via examination. Excelsior's commencement at the Empire State Convention Center was an awesome experience as it was well organized and featured distinguished speakers. I recommend Excelsior College to highly motivated working adults, who cannot attend traditional "Brick and Mortar" schools.

I took my first college class in 1989 from The University of Maryland (Europe), while I was stationed in Italy. I just recently completed my degree, BSL 2009. I knew that if I just kept moving forward, taking classes when I could; overseas, on ships, on-line and in the classroom, I would someday reach mole education goal. Excelsior allowed me to move all of my credits into one organization and did not try to nickel and dime me with extra, unneeded, classes like many other universities. I am getting ready to retire from the Military in 5 months and my degree has opened up many doors that I would not have otherwise pursued. The staff was great and worked with me up to the end. Even when I found a mistake in my credit calculations, they were amendable to their error and fixed it right away. I am proud to be an Excelsior Alum and look forward to starting my Masters in the near future. Oh one small complaint, they don't have any bumper stickers that I can proudly display on my car!! EXCELSIOR please work on that LOL!!

Best college experience I have ever had. Completed my BS in minimum time because Excelsior accepted all credits attained at 4 other universities in Australia. Try doing this in Australia!

I graduated from Excelsior when it was named Regents College of USNY in the 90's. Regents was one of a few pioneers in flexible distance learning, with regional(best type in USA) accreditation in the early 70's. The flexibility is a tremendous asset for those who move a lot and attend many different schools, i.e. military members who make up a large percentage of Excelsior graduates. I was able to put together a diverse, eclectic mix of traditional and nontraditional education to earn my BS in Liberal Arts with Poli Sci and Sociology concentrations.

Rec'd A.S. in 1989 and B.S. in 1990(Called Regents College at the time). Excellent value. Obtaining this degree helped me get promoted while on active dduty in the Navy and helped me qualify for the position I now have with the government as a civilian. Credit for all my military schools and accepting CLEP and DANTES tests, as well as giving credit for high scores on GRE's make this a quick way to obtain your degree. My diplomas say University of the State of New York

Overall positive experience. Received A.A. in 1982; B.S. in '04. Excelsior liberally accepted credits from other institutions as well as CLEP, DANTES, etc. My Excelsior degrees have been readily recognized as valid, regionally accredited degrees. Excelsior was certainly a flexible, affordable method of degree completion. However, this program does require participants to be disciplined and somewhat self-directed. Some adult learners may need a more structured classroom approach but for those who are comfortable with independent learning it is an excellent adult degree program. (Support staff were always exceptional.)

I graduated with both as AS and BS from Excelsior College. They supported me the entire time I was enrolled. The counselors and professors are tops, giving great and valuable guidance, instruction, and support. The online library made it easy to find the reference materials needed to write top-notch papers. The flexibility of the training was a big plus as I travel a lot for business. I loved the fact that with many of the courses you had a choice of online or CBT based instruction. The CBT based was a godsend while I was deployed and bandwidth/Internet connectivity was never reliable but I still had the support of a professor via email. I have completed many traditional class studies and online studies. In my opinion I could not see a significant difference between the to types of course study during my time at Excelsior.

Only school that I could find that offered a degree in Music. I have been a Music Director for many years and have an extensive resume in solo singing. I changed my major at a well known university here in Virginia from Business to Music and they wanted me to take a lot of elementary classes that were unnecessary. I transferred all my credits to Excelsior and in one year I have received a BSLS with a focus in both Business and Music and it is so stated on my transcripts. It would have taken a lot of wasted time and money to pursue it any other way. True, i did have to do most of the work myself as far as getting classes, but it kept me focused until I achieved my goal.

I researched dozens of online colleges before deciding on Excelsior College for my BS in Liberal Studies. I was impressed with their wide array of major and focus offerings as well as the flexibility of the programs. I took seven exams and one course through EC and each was challenging and rewarding, a real liberal arts education. The advising and customer service was wonderful. They answered all of my emails and phone calls within 24 hours and were very helpful and knowledgeable. They even pushed my graduation date up a month at my request because I needed my degree credential for a job application that was closing. I am proud of my Excelsior College degree and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to others. Ever upward!

Expensive but worth the costs for us professionals seeking to complete their degree at a regionally accredited university.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH EXCELSIOR HAS BEEN GREAT. I TRANSFERRED A LARGE NUMBER OF CREDITS AND ONLY NEEDED TO TAKE THE INFORMATION LITERACY COURSE TO GRADUATE. I TOOK THE COURSE AND COMPLETED MY DEGREE REQUIREMENTS ACCORDINGLY. I WAS AWARDED A SCHOLARSHIP TO TAKE CARE OF THE ENROLLMENT FEE, SO I WAS LEFT WITH THE FEE TO TAKE THE ONE COURSE REQUIRED AND THE GRAUDATION FEE. THE ADVISING STAFF WAS PHENOMENAL AND ALWAYS SENT YOU AN EMAIL CONFIRMATION TO REVIEW EXACTLY WHAT YOU DISCUSS WITH THEM VIA THE PHONE. (I LOVE THAT) EVERYONE WAS COURTEOUS AND KNOWLEDGABLE. I DO THINK THIS SCHOOL IS A GOOD CHOICE FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS MULTIPLE SOURCES OF COLLEGE CREDIT. I TOOK THE TIME TO REVIEW THEIR DEGREE PROGRAM AND DID A ROUGH ESTIMATE OF HOW MY PREVIOUS COLLEGE COURSEWORK WOULD FIT INTO THEIR REQUIREMENTS. I CAN SAY I AM VERY HAPPY! INFORMATION LITERACY THE INFORMATION LITERACY COURSE, I MUST SAY, WAS A BIT OF A WASTE OF TIME. THE COURSE COST $300 TO TAKE AND ONLY TOOK ME ONE DAY TO COMPLETE IN ITS ENTIRETY. IT IS A SELF PACED COURSE ON REASEARCH TECHNIQUES AND INFORMATION ON HOW TO EFFICIENTLY GATHER AND LOCATE INFORMATION. I JUST FELT LIKE THE COURSE WAS SUCH A WASTE OF TIME AS NONE OF THE IDEAS INTRODUCED WERE NEW. ANYONE WHO HAS COMPLETED AT LEAST 2 COLLEGE LEVEL ENGLISH COURSES HAS BEEN EXPOSED TO THE MATERIAL PROVIDED IN THE COURSE.

Once you transferred your credits, and have your review, you’re on your own. That’s a good thing at times as you can still take CLEP, DANTES, in addition to Excelsior tests and on-line classes. I recommend calling often, and use the on-line My-EC to ask before you study or take a course to ensure it fits your path. I did find the frustration in the support staff on their ability to get back to students. But here’s the bottom line – It’s affordable, flexible, and accredited.

I submitted XXX plus semester units I had accrued over the years. I have certificates and an A.A. from a local brick and mortar junior college. I spoke with someone different every time I called. They misplaced my transcripts right from the start and couldn't get the institutional names right. They wouldn't give me any credit for my A.A. major until I enrolled, even though I was only trying to get a liberal arts degree. They required that I take 20% more lower and upper division classes for a simple B.S. than my own local state college requires.

After my review, I only had to take one class! It was only a one credit course so I was done early. I was in some trouble because if I didn't have a Bachelor's degree, I couldnt work. The advisors and other staff were very sympathetic to my needs and got all my evaluations done really quickly. They saved my family and my tail. I was so impressed with the compassion shown by the school, I will try to donate a little money every year. This is definitely the place to go if you need results!

My degree is a B.S. Liberal Arts with a major in History and a depth in Administrative/Management Studies. During my younger years I was in the military and found myself changing schools often. Each school had its own requirements so some of the credits from previous programs would transfer and many would not transfer. Each program was different from the one you left. At Excelsior I was able to use classes from all the schools that I attended as well as military credit to finish up a Bachelors degree-something I started in 1979. Excelsior's program is outside the box. It's an innovative program and its flexiblilty allows others like me to complete their degrees. How is a service member supposed to complete his degree today between deployments and PCS moves? With Excelsior's program soldiers and sailors can work on their degrees while they are deployed and can remain in the same program regardless of where he or she is assigned.

I graduated in 1977 when the program was called The University of the State of New York. Then they changed the name to Regents External Degrees, then Regents College, then Excelsior College. For me the name changes cause a lot of problems when using this degree to qualify for programs at other schools. Having said that, I feel it is an outstsnding way to get a fully accredited degree without having to get all your credits from just one or two schools. I have credits from 10 different regionally accredited institutions and had no problems applying that work to the B.S. program. It does seem that they're getting pricey. I cannot afford them now.

Great College and well worth the money. Being in the military I have attended both on-line and on-campus programs. Therefore, I had numerous credits that I had obtained. Excelsior showed me exactly what I need to graduate and the staff was very helpful. After graduating I test to to see ho my degree would do. I have been accepted to Liberty, OU, University of Denver, and nuermous others. Excelsior College is well respected and worth the time time and money.

After attending several different schools, I completed my degree at Excelsior. They did an excellent job in the review of my previous earned credit and outlining the courses needed to complete my degree. The course were hard, but well worth the effort to complete. The teachers I had were well credentialed and provided great support and guidance. I am proud to have a degree from this program.

Wow, Excelsior is a great college and the staff is very helpful. I enrolled in the college and within weeks I had a degree plan. This degree plan along with the staff helpful suggestion I will be done with college this July. As an undergraduate student with a 3.17 GPA they allowed me take a graduate course! Great college with great staff.

Definitely the best school to transfer your credits to. There is no residency requirement. So if you have all the credits you need to graduate up front, you can enroll and simply graduate.

I completed my BS degree through credits obtained via various sources: Online courses, IT industry certifications, Excelsior exams, etc. - I would advise it to anyone for degree completion! Excelsior rocks! Chris/Boston

I started the BS in Liberal Arts program and had no problems in transfering my previous credits and CLEP exams I have taken filling 60 credits including the core requirements. And with the help of my counselor found a variety of schools to get credits for my two concentrations in business and vocational adult education. I have to point out customer service and counseling is very important in a distance learning program in my opinion. And of course I must coordinate this with my superiors at work and the company training department for the suitable applied courses. So for now I give the school high marks on the counseling and working with me to get the best program options to meet the degree requirements filled. Of interest to the school program they accept credits from any accredited source and legitimate common ways of getting credit, credit bank credits for you for a fair fee and have reasonable costs overall. The admissions process is very detailed, they offered me a great deal of help and gave me top notch counseling so far. Highly recommended.

Excelsior College is one of three major institutions that will allow you to transfer in 100% of your degree requirements. While they do offer some coursework of their own, they will accept credit from other RA colleges, CLEP/DANTES/ECE exams, ACE evaluated military experience... and, they're very generous by most transfer standards. The Liberal Studies degrees offer the most flexibility in program design and therefor in acceptability of transfer credit. If you have a collection of credit already from the acceptable sources, Excelsior should be among the colleges you consider. It's fantastic for those people who didn't quite finish their younger college experience and for those who have attended a large number of colleges and need the credits earned placed on a single transcript toward a good, recognized, degree. It's possible to wrap a bachelor's degree at Excelsior for right around $1500. I've spent just about $2000 on mine.