Excelsior University Reviews

"It is what it is. I started at Excelsior to become a Nurse. College misinformation and errors on my part meant I ran out of time. Not entirely Excelsior's fault. Excelsior does a great job when you are salvaging your abandon credits from other traditional colleges into something. Some classes I was able to use were almost thirty years old. (Obviously science and technical courses, not so much.) Some online courses with over 5-year-old textbooks that you can buy on EBAY for 5 bucks makes the course costs reasonable. Some undergrad courses and fees with books are under 250 dollars as of 2021. My Bachelors of Science Liberal Arts beat the dreaded "some college" on a job application. Just to drive myself crazy. I added up all my cost out of pocket. Then I assumed I worked overtime instead of studying. Then I took the identical percentage of that unrealized money and mirrored exactly what I invested in my current retirement fund. Compounding interest and market growth over 32 years came to $ 237,327.15 of potential 403b/1k money. Almost a quarter of million. Now to be fair. Excelsior expenses and time only represent 12,500,01 of that aforementioned expense. Considering I usually did my work while working and Excelsior's classes are priced reasonably. Excelsior is a great choice. (I should have listened to my Stepfather and became a plumber.) If you are stuck with a bunch of dead credits like I was. Excelsior is a great option. If you are young and do not have a lot of sunk cost into college odyssey. You should become a plumber too! That is where the real money is at. But the good news. I have my degree. The only real advice I have. Excelsior has a nasty habit of moving the academic goal posts when you are nearing the end of your degree. The only thing that saved me from additional classes. I communicated strictly via Yahoo E mail instead of campus intranet. I was able to show the Dean of Students what the advisor said what when and why. Excelsior intranet E mail get purged every 60 days. Excelsior yielded and I was able use my Capstone to cover a suddenly required humanities courses."

"I graduated from Excelsior College years ago with an associated science in nursing. Yes, it required lots of studying time. One of the reasons many LPN doesn't do good because they fail to think on rn level, they want to continue lpn mentality. Yes at first it was difficult for me, I soon realized I had to move out of the practical nurse mode to thinking as registered nurse. I will always remember this school because it was where I started in the 90s. It open many doors for me. However, I pursued my dreams and obtained my BSN years before I retired. I am still in nursing as a teacher and enjoying every moment of it."

"I see a lot of negative reviews on this school for the nursing program, but I on the other hand loved it. Because I travel a lot, it was great to be able to access my classes on my own time from my own computer. The key to this school (especially the nursing curriculum) is to definitely learn how to take the initiative to study and learn the lessons on your own. This is not to say you are literally on your own, as the classes provide you with all needed materials and information, you just have to know how to manage your time, prioritize, and discipline yourself to study. If you can do this, you will be successful in the program. I recommend this program to all my colleagues as I hear horror stories of people flunking out of the overpriced schools that demand so much time and money. You are provided a teacher you can communicate with and it always seemed that in every situation I faced someone at the school tried to help in some way. The only thing I would say is to check up on the requirements that you need for your state, as not all (but most) will accept a degree from excelsior. The CPNE was a challenge but since I took mine during Covid, there was no wait and I got to do a zoom test. It was one of the things that made me hesitant for this program, but it is possible and it should not deter you in deciding on this school as it really is no different or harder than any other nursing exam. I was also afraid I would not be successful as I am not the best with technology, but the courses are straightforward and simple to navigate. As healthcare looks toward the future, I am surprised there are not more online schools like this one. I have to say all in all excelsior was a fulfilling experience for me and helped me reach my career goals and I have no regrets whatsoever. Some may be afraid of a job not wanting to hire you because of graduating from an online school, but that is not true at all, as lots of people are impressed and realize that you have what it takes to be a hard worker. Maybe online school is not for everyone but those that are willing should give it a shot!!!"

"Incompetent college. I've attended a variety of top tier, private, public, and other types of colleges over the years, but Excelsior has been the worst. Professors claim to use some arbitrary rubric, but grading is all over the map. Assignments are a complete waste of time. Though unqualified, professors are often arrogant. The capstone and cornerstone courses are pointless busy work, at best. Financial aid is a joke. They claim you'll get all sorts of aid, but undo that aid halfway through the semester, leaving you owing thousands. It's an online college with no real campus, no real academics, and inept financial aid. Most people have never heard of Excelsior, which is the only thing this college has going for it."

"I did the LPN to RN program and went back to do MSN program. It was not easy but doable. It's designed to be tough and makes you think. The reviews on CPNE are correct- I actually failed the frist time but passed the second. Looking back, I think it's because I thought I knew everything- obviously I didn't. You have to have a pretty tough outer shell to do it. I've been in my dream job for a long time now. Go for it!"

"Overall I have had wonderful experience with Excelsior. I have been enrolled for a few years and it has been very flexible with my military career. Others have stated that they have had issues with Military TA but I have not had any issues personally. Additionally, instructors and advisors have always been easy for me to get in contact with. I did notice in this last class that the instructor seemed like a robot because he would respond to discussion questions with unrelated topics that didn't apply. Overall, if you have lots of credits from multiple schools and are looking to get your degree knocked out, Excelsior is the place to go."

"I graduated with an associates degree in nursing in 1984. Then we had to come to Albany and do a 2 day test for clinical competency. I passed in the 2nd attempt and took my boards in New York. Scored high no problems. For me this program gave me the opportunity I could not get in Ohio. I decided on a well known college for my BSN and double Master's because at the time on-line school were not well thought of... I currently work as the ADON for a traditional college. I would recommend this school to those who have extensive clinical, experience in hospitals, not nursing home or if you a medic. My son is a Director he graduated from this college. It can be done again if you are clinically experienced. By the way the first fail was I forgot to wash my hands before inspecting a site to put the IV in."

"The "teachers" at Excelsior "College" (and now they're calling themselves "University") are sometimes bots and people in the administration office cutting and pasting "feedback". I guess a lot of Excelsior students get their degrees paid for by someone else, so they don't care how low the quality of the "education" they're getting is but if you want to actually have an intelligent conversation with anyone, look elsewhere. You might have to do what I did and enroll at a brick and mortar campus with a hybrid program for working adults, but you'll be so glad you did. :)"

"I graduated with my Associates Degree in Nursing in 2010. Excelsior allowed me the opportunity to bridge from Paramedic to RN and move forward with my career as at the time I was a single mother with 2 children working full time as a Paramedic. Since that time I worked as an ER nurse, travel nurse across the U.S. and have been a successful flight nurse for the last 10 years. I have obtained my CEN, CFRN and BSN which I received from University of Texas at Arlington. I would not have been able to do without Excelsior. Yes, it was difficult and stressful, but very doable. It required strict time managment and a true commitment. I am very grateful for the opportunity it gave me and would recommend this program if you are self-disciplined and willing to work hard."

"Go to ANY other college. This excuse of an institution treated me, as a student, like absolute garbage. Their staff input my courses incorrectly and created an issue with my tuition assistance from the military. They refused to help me resolve the issue in any way. I repeatedly reached out to resolve the issue and was actively ignored. Instead, they demanded money from me that was owed by the military and harassed me to drive me into compliance. To be clear, i understand how to use militsry tuition assistance and was fully in compliance with the program. This is an extremely unprofessional college."

"I was initially excited about this program being it was flexible online instruction for the already working Nurse. However, one of my instructors (one that used to instruct the old CPNE's the school used to require), would fail people for very petty nick picky things that were not even part of the Rubric we were instructed to follow to a "T." We had to video ourselves completing a head to toe assessment. Shouldn't be that hard considering we are all already Nurses and do this every single day. So, I followed the Rubric which is what they stress we need to do. The Rubric states when assessing pulse make sure we verbalize the rate. The instructor counted it against me for verbalizing the rate, stating we don't check the rate when assessing a pulse??? Then we assess for sensation and if you just "touch" the fingers instead of "rubbing" your finger down theirs you also fail. The later, she will tell you that you need to assess sensation on 3 to 4 fingers instead of one???? Again, Rubric states no such thing nor did we receive any instruction to the expectations before hand. Then at the end when assessing ROM, if you do not do "active" ROM you also fail. Again the Rubric just states ROM, never specified active or passive. Guess we are supposed to read minds. She also failed me because she stated I did not assess the skin turgor in which I definitely did and even verbalized it while I was performing it, reminded her of that in an email and had her re watch my video. She admitted to her mistake, but you see my point here???? You get 2 attempts to get all 32 skills exactly the way she wants them regardless of what the Rubric says and with no prior direction of what her exact expectations are, and that is it. Then you fail the entire class. Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. This is set up to get more money out of students. This school had this very exact issue when they used to do the CPNE and there were lawsuits. They've just figured out a clever way of incorporating the same thing into a class now. I'm thankful I found out quicker than later. I still wasted about $6000 so far. Could've been way worse. Do not waste your time. What kind of Nursing program operates like this??? There is no contacts for you to contact such as department heads or anything. I have decided to go to"

"I had a really good experience here. I was able to complete 2 years of school (16 classes) within 13 months. It's not recommended to take so many at a time (I took 3-4 at once for half of it) but I managed. I already had an associates and I attended that community college and a university in person. My instruction here was just as good and on par with online classes I've taken at both the CC and in person Uni. I chose Excelsior because it was affordable and offered my degree program (I had to move and the schools near me don't offer it). I'm really glad I did. My courses were very paper heavy (50+ between all of my classes) but I really enjoyed them. My professors were always very responsive and so were the advisors and financial aide if I had any questions. Really enjoyed my experience and would recommend."

"I have found all of the the staff to be very responsive. There is an abundance of helpful resources and free tutoring available 24-7. It is a tough program and I am learning a lot. It is fast paced and requires commitment. I enrolled on the recommendation of a former co-worker who is alumni and is now working as an electrical engineer. So far I am very happy with Excelsior. I am in my 4th, 8 week term."

"Do not attend business tech at all. The professor waits weeks into the semester to tell you something is wrong with format and language of you assignments then the last two weeks of class stops basing your grade on the format so by then your already failing. Waiting my money and got charged for student loans that were lied about"

"ADN program was horrible. Excelsior told me that it would take 3 months to get scheduled for final 3 day in hospital test (which I had to travel for). In reality, took over a year to get scheduled which put me way behind on my goals. The test wasn't realistic and was only memorization. It was such a poor experience that I haven't wanted to leave a review because I didn't even want to deal with having to think about it. I am in a BSN program online right now with another school and am having an amazing experience and am actually learning practical lessons. I would have made this step way earlier if I wasn't recovering from Excelsior... Awful."

"The instruction is fine but the academic advising and billing department leave a lot to be desired. For military students, this will cost a good deal out of pocket. Each book must be bought and this semester, there was a technology fee of $60 each class. The advising team is slow to respond if at all; if you are using TA, getting approval from your service may be difficult if you are expecting them to respond in the same week. Overall, their degree program is not unique and due to expanded fees and customer service, I would look elsewhere."

"Absolutely fantastic. I have had nothing but great experiences with Excelsior. They do a great job at making your workload manageable for someone who is still working full time. I would recommend Excelsior to anyone who is looking to get a respected degree for a low price."

"A terrible experience. Impossible to reach “teachers”, advisors who are unhelpful and easily frustrated and a school interface that is literally twice as hard as the course information to utilize. You’re left to your own to find your way around a labyrinth of broken links, error messages and pages that are missing critical links. A total rip off, stay away at all costs."

"Really wish I would have chosen another school. Realistically I had no choice since I needed an affordable option. There is no support and if you try to get help its a 30 percent chance that you will receive it. The faculty nor the staff has really any connection to the students it really is not about connection or community. Although there are some good staff and faculty, there will be one professor with a PH.D that will try to discredit you and ruin your career. The online option is fast pace and if your a beginner invest in yourself and attend a local college or a top tier school. It should not be just about numbers and collecting a check and that is exactly what is happening. There are so many schools that are better I will say that the library and the financial aid office staff are very professional. Even if Excelsior have an endowment they will not help those in need. This school is for military personnel a young student or even an older student like myself should attend a physical school. Please do not attend a mushroom school like I did the greatest investment should be into yourself. It is too late for me to get a refund or go somewhere else. You can not even get a grade change if your adjunct professor has something against you they will make sure they hurt you. Remember it is a computer generated program run by numbers and countless answering of questions. I enjoy answering questions however there is no extra credit and you can not beat the numbers. Its a number games of constantly engaging students and whatever you miss its your problem. Choose a local school if your not a military personnel. The notifications for reminders about assignments is not active in my account. Excelsior requires mid term reports to students and this did not happen for me. This class was not difficult they spoke of super heroes and this was a required class they understood that most student would not take philosophy class on their own. So they named it ethics and we should have discussed ethics on a particular topic. I am liberal arts and would not take a philosophy class because I understood coming from an urban environment who is put in those positions. Do your research and make a list of 10 things you want from a school. Give yourself some time to think about it do a tour of your school. All Excelsior is going to do is take your money."

"Highly convoluted online "learning" environment. Teachers are unreachable, advisors are slow to respond and purpose of classes are questionable. I'm sure its adequate for the "all I need is a piece of paper" degree types, but for those of us who want to learn something new, apply it, and help with career advancement, it's basically worthless."