Become a part of something truly innovative in higher education as we re-imagine the path from high school to career by combining degrees, credentials and real-world experience for a more prepared work force.
What is APEX?
Saint Peter’s University is all about opportunity and we saw one as more and more high school students graduate with associate degrees. In 2024 alone, 251 New Jersey high school graduates also earned their associate degree– and that’s just from the county-based vocational-technical schools. Eighty-five high schools currently offer this type of dual enrollment program, allowing high school seniors to earn college credits and an associate degree while they are still in high school. Saint Peter’s is now proud to introduce The Academic and Professional Excellence Experience (APEX), an innovative, first-of-its-kind meaningful initiative where students coming into Saint Peter’s with an associate degree can obtain a bachelor’s degree, professional work or internship experience, a certificate and a master’s degree all within four-years of undergraduate studies at the same cost as a Saint Peter’s bachelor’s degree.
APEX was born out of a desire to re-envision a model for higher education that honors the transformative power of a campus-based undergraduate experience but marries it with the skills and experiences students, families and employers find most valuable. The cornerstones of the APEX initiative are:
- a commitment to an affordable education
- connections to real-world career experiences
- meaningful academic credentials
- a focus on guidance and mentorship.
APEX is truly different and was born out of providing value in multiple areas of students lives, both present and future.
Affordable Academic Credentials With Value
As part of APEX, Saint Peter’s is offering a corresponding professional, credit-bearing certificate. This is meant to coincide with and enhance the professional internship experience (also part of the initiative), contextualizing and building upon the types of skills that make students most appealing to employers. Students can then roll their certificate into credits applicable toward the master’s degree, which they complete in the fourth and final year.
With the price tag of a degree ever on the rise, more parents and students are questioning the true value of a college education. Saint Peter’s has always been a champion of affordability and making higher education accessible for all. Indeed, in 2021-22, SPU ranked 1st in New Jersey and 11th overall for Best Value in the Regional Universities North Category in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings. By consolidating the initiative within the traditional span of a bachelor’s degree program and keeping the full cost in line with an undergraduate degree, Saint Peter’s University is not only offering an affordable education, this is an education with real value. Mentorship, Community and Connections
With Jersey City being only a 12-minute train ride from Manhattan and located in bustling Hudson County with its own opportunities, APEX students are guaranteed a placement in an internship experience during their third year of the initiative, after they have completed the bachelor’s degree.
While this provides career experience, it is also about network building, community engagement, and academic/peer/professional mentorship. This ensures that these students extract the most value and attain the highest level of preparation from their experience. become a corporate sponsor
Workforce Development:
- Through APEX, Saint Peter’s can be a partner in creating a direct pipeline of qualified employees for aligned companies and organizations.
- APEX can be an opportunity for students to learn about lines of work to which they might not otherwise be exposed, particularly those that may be struggling to fill their ranks at the moment.
- By providing this unique experience, Saint Peter’s is expanding the talent pool of skilled and credentialed employees. Our students– many of whom come from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds– offer a rich array of experiences, ideas, points of view, and skills that make companies and organizations stronger and better adapted to today’s world.
Social Mobility:
- Saint Peter’s has long been a driver of social mobility for its students and is now recognized as 1st in New Jersey for social mobility by US News & World Report. APEX is an enhancement of this core tenet of a Saint Peter’s education, and alignment through partnership signals a commitment to the public good.
Be a Part of Something Innovative:
- No college or university is offering a comprehensive educational and professional experience like APEX. It combines the support and stewardship of a traditional four-year college experience with hands-on exposure to the professional world and advanced credentials. We want to be first in truly reimagining pathways to higher education, and we want committed professional partners to support and help guide us along the way.
Apex years 1-4
