West Coast University-Miami
About
West Coast University (WCU) is a private, for-profit university focused on healthcare degrees with campus locations in Los Angeles, Anaheim, and Ontario, California; Richardson, Texas; and Miami, Florida. David Pyle founded American Career College in 1979 under the name of American College of Optics. Originally the school focused only on optical dispensing. In May 1997, Pyle purchased West Coast University, which was chartered by the State of California in 1909, out of bankruptcy, and developed a program for the training of registered nurses.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Pell recipients graduate at a higher rate than non-Pell students here — unusual and worth investigating.
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 3,179 borrowers who entered repayment, 4 (0.1%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at West Coast University-Miami
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
West Coast University-Miami vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions West Coast University-Miami selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectWest Coast University-Miami | 33% | 100.0% | 961 | $38,218 | — |
American University of Health Sciences | 50% | 50.0% | 473 | — | — |
Arizona College of Nursing-Las Vegas | 82% | 100.0% | 1,222 | $32,603 | — |
Aspen University | 27% | — | 3,511 | — | — |
Brookline College-Albuquerque | 9% | — | 560 | $39,885 | — |
Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine | — | — | 841 | — | — |
Chamberlain University-Arizona | 50% | 90.9% | 693 | $37,002 | — |
Chamberlain University-California | 0% | 80.0% | 751 | — | — |
Chamberlain University-Florida | 33% | 90.9% | 821 | $29,539 | — |
Chamberlain University-Georgia | 50% | 91.4% | 1,940 | $31,471 | — |
Chamberlain University-Illinois | 42% | 82.6% | 32,944 | $26,933 | — |
Chamberlain University-Michigan | 100% | 85.7% | 629 | $26,870 | — |
Chamberlain University-New Jersey | 33% | 100.0% | 1,226 | $36,438 | — |
Chamberlain University-Texas | 25% | 83.9% | 2,270 | $32,247 | — |
Chamberlain University-Virginia | 100% | 90.0% | 557 | — | — |
Denver College of Nursing | — | — | 811 | — | — |
Galen College of Nursing-Louisville | 23% | — | 5,585 | — | — |
Miami Regional University | 84% | 84.3% | 916 | $28,535 | — |
Nightingale College | 26% | — | 6,036 | $29,378 | — |
Pacific College of Health and Science | — | — | 736 | $46,892 | — |
Pacifica Graduate Institute | — | — | 833 | — | — |
Provo College | 47% | — | 669 | $30,255 | — |
Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions | — | — | 1,686 | — | — |
Rocky Vista University | — | — | 1,903 | — | — |
South University-Tampa | 18% | — | 752 | $24,280 | — |
South University-West Palm Beach | 17% | — | 433 | $20,494 | — |
United States University | — | — | 2,454 | $21,557 | — |
University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences | — | — | 4,370 | — | — |
West Coast University-Center for Graduate Studies | — | — | 548 | — | — |
West Coast University-Los Angeles | 31% | 92.3% | 2,673 | $51,992 | — |
West Coast University-Ontario | 39% | 88.1% | 2,671 | $49,752 | — |
West Coast University-Orange County | 60% | 95.3% | 4,586 | $36,836 | — |
| Peer group median | 33% | 90.5% | 939 | $31,859 |
West Coast University-Miami Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The webpage provides links to various resources and information about West Coast University, including program brochures, the BPPE Annual Report, and tuition and financial aid information. The page also includes contact phone number but lacks specific details about the Office of Institutional Research.
Visit IR office pageReports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- GlossaryGlossary of TermsThe glossary provides definitions for commonly used terms within the healthcare and educational fields at West Coast University. The terms cover a wide array of topics, including nursing positions, methodologies, research approaches, and medical conditions. The glossary aims to enhance the understanding of specialized terminology relevant to students, professionals, and prospective staff affiliated with the institution.westcoastuniversity.edu
Frequently asked questions about West Coast University-Miami
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about West Coast University-Miami.
What is the acceptance rate at West Coast University-Miami?
What is the graduation rate at West Coast University-Miami?
How many students attend West Coast University-Miami?
What is the average net price at West Coast University-Miami?
What is the yield rate at West Coast University-Miami?
Where is West Coast University-Miami located?
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