Our Leadership

President of APC Colleges: Ellen Hollander

APC Board Chair: Stephen J. Jerome, Monroe College

Who We Are

APC colleges represent one of the four sectors of higher education in New York. Our 38 campuses are located in every corner of New York State. We are privately-owned, degree-granting institutions that provide students the skills and training needed in today’s advanced job market. Many of our colleges are family-owned and have a long tradition of serving the higher education needs of New York’s students. With small class sizes, flexible programs and career-focused instruction, APC colleges connect students to meaningful jobs in a variety of traditional and emerging professions.

APC colleges offer a range of targeted associate, baccalaureate and master level degree programs that empower individuals and strengthen New York’s economy. From business administration to computer programming, healthcare to visual arts, APC students have access to the up-to-date curricula and the practical skills and training they need to succeed in today’s competitive workplace.

All APC colleges are accredited by national or regional accrediting bodies of higher education. Programs of study meet the same standards for registration that apply to public and independent colleges.

Click here for a listing of our colleges.

Click here to view the Statewide Master Plan for proprietary degree-granting institutions.

Our History

In 1978, the five presidents of Albany Business College, Monroe College, Rochester Business Institute, Utica School of Commerce and the Wood School formed the Association of Private Degree Granting Institutions through incorporation by the State Board of Regents. Renamed the Association of Proprietary Colleges in 1985, APC now serves more than 30,000 students on 38 campuses throughout New York, upstate and downstate, in both urban and suburban communities.

Our Mission

APC promotes the best and most efficient practices at our member colleges so they may bring affordable, accessible, career-focused education to their students. APC advocates for our member institutions at all levels of government, promoting policies and funding that will ensure that APC students are eligible for the same performance-based funding as students in the other three sectors of higher education.

Our Students

The credo of APC students can be summed up in three words: Believe. Achieve. Succeed. The thirty-thousand students enrolled in APC member colleges hail from every region of the state and are as diverse as New York. Whether enrolled right after graduation from high school or after spending time in the workforce or raising a family, APC students have a keen understanding of the value and power of a college education and the dedication and discipline to make that goal a reality. Stop by any one of APC’s 38 campuses and ask our students why they chose an APC education. Chances are they’ll tell you they wanted a practical education that would connect to a meaningful career. Effective, results-driven higher education. That’s what APC is all about.