Is Excelsior University Worth It?

Excelsior University gives you a strong financial return, and the reason is simple: you graduate with very little debt. A median debt near $14,000 against median earnings around $78,000 puts you in a rare position where the degree pays for itself fast. This is an online-focused school built around working adults, and the numbers reflect people who keep earning while they study.

Your major matters a lot here. Nuclear engineering technology is the clear winner, pairing the highest pay on the list with the lowest debt of the technical programs. Nursing pays well too, though you carry the heaviest debt load of any program to get there. Business administration and criminal justice land in the mid-$50,000s, which is solid for a low-debt online degree but nothing extraordinary. Liberal arts and general studies sits at the bottom for earnings, so treat it as a stepping stone rather than an endpoint, especially since it also carries the lowest debt.

The risk specific to Excelsior is program choice, not price. The low-earning liberal arts and general studies track can leave you with a degree that doesn't lift your income much, even though the debt stays small. If you're paying to finish a credential that advances a job you already have, that's fine. If you expect the degree alone to change your salary, pick a technical or clinical field.

This school fits you if you're a working adult in New York or beyond who wants to finish a degree cheaply while staying employed, particularly in nuclear tech, nursing, or business. Only about a quarter of students receive Pell Grants, so this skews toward people already in the workforce. If you want a traditional residential campus experience, look elsewhere.