Jersey City, N.J. – January 16, 2025 – Saint Peter’s University proudly introduces APEX, the Academic and Professional Excellence Experience, a groundbreaking model redefining degree attainment and affordability, experiential learning and career outcomes in one comprehensive package. For the first time, students who have earned an associate degree through dual enrollment coursework in high school can now earn a bachelor’s degree, two professional certificates, an accelerated master’s degree and gain real-world work experience within four years. This comprehensive experience is offered at almost the cost of a Saint Peter’s bachelor’s degree, which is one of New Jersey’s most affordable undergraduate degrees.
“An increasing number of students in New Jersey and beyond are participating in dual enrollment programs and graduating with a two-year college degree in hand,” said Jeffrey Gant, vice president for enrollment management at Saint Peter’s University. “Knowing that students have devoted time and effort to earn an associate degree, we developed APEX to create a new pathway from high school to career that offers meaningful credentials and real-world experience at an affordable cost.”
The APEX initiative emphasizes critical skills such as leadership, communication and problem-solving, making graduates highly appealing to employers, and they build on these skills by completing two professional certificates in the third year of the program. Three of the major benefits of the APEX program to prospective students are maximizing time to completion of higher education degrees, career connections and affordability.
Just a 12-minute train ride from Manhattan, Saint Peter’s campus not only offers access to the most bustling city in the world, but is located in Jersey City and Hudson County, which are bursting with opportunities for exposure to all ranges of industry, business and professional experiences. Through APEX, students are guaranteed a placement in a paid internship experience during their third year of the program. The University has already established partnerships with hundreds of companies, organizations and agencies in the New York Metro Area to offer internships and co-op opportunities.
In addition to its focus on experiential learning, the model is designed with affordability in mind. Students earning an associate’s degree through a dual enrollment program with Saint Peter’s or another institution pay fractional per-credit rates compared to traditional degree programs. Then, once the student transitions to Saint Peter’s University, they’ll earn a bachelor’s degree, two certificates and a master’s degree all for almost the cost of the bachelor’s degree.
“This program exemplifies true innovation in higher education,” said Hubert Benitez, D.D.S., Ph.D., president of Saint Peter’s University. “As the landscape evolves, we are redefining the college experience to meet the needs of today’s students while preserving the transformative value of four years on campus. By integrating academic excellence with professional experience, we’re equipping students to enhance their resumes, broaden their horizons and ensure they are uniquely positioned to thrive in their careers.”
To learn more about this initiative, please visit saintpeters.edu/apex.
# # end # #
For more than 150 years Saint Peter’s University, inspired by its Jesuit, Catholic identity, commitment to individual attention and grounding in the liberal arts, educates a diverse community of learners in undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional programs to excel intellectually, lead ethically, serve compassionately and promote justice in our ever-changing urban and global environment. To learn more, please visit www.saintpeters.edu.
Media Contact
Angeline Boyer
aboyer1@saintpeters.edu
(201) 761-6238