West Coast University-Orange County
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
Non-Pell students graduate at a 43.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
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 WCUC
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
- On campus4
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.
WCUC vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions WCUC 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-Orange County | 60% | 95.3% | 4,586 | $36,836 | — |
| 37% | 33.7% | 1,861 | $31,885 | — | |
| — | — | 483 | — | — | |
| — | — | 539 | — | — | |
| 63% | 97.2% | 927 | $27,313 | — | |
| — | — | 193 | — | — | |
| 63% | 67.4% | 765 | $25,884 | — | |
| 50% | 90.9% | 693 | $37,002 | — | |
| 42% | 82.6% | 32,944 | $26,933 | — | |
| 29% | 87.5% | 257 | $32,074 | — | |
| 36% | 78.2% | 1,121 | $15,928 | — | |
| 100% | 100.0% | 724 | — | — | |
| 67% | 81.4% | 2,556 | $19,585 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| — | — | 4,210 | — | R2 Research | |
| — | — | 1,672 | — | — | |
| 54% | 84.3% | 670 | $12,939 | — | |
| 49% | 73.4% | 1,067 | $19,474 | — | |
| 71% | 69.8% | 2,517 | $28,346 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| — | — | 263 | — | — | |
| — | — | 605 | — | — | |
| — | — | 1,926 | — | — | |
| Peer group median | 54% | 82.6% | 927 | $27,123 |
Institutions like WCUC
Explore the federal data for institutions in WCUC's comparison group.
- Florida
AdventHealth University
Grad rate37%Admit rate33.7%Enrollment1,861Net price$31,885View data - Iowa
Allen College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment483Net price—View data - Missouri
Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment539Net price—View data - Wisconsin
Bellin College
Grad rate63%Admit rate97.2%Enrollment927Net price$27,313View data - Illinois
Blessing Rieman College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment193Net price—View data - Nebraska
Bryan College of Health Sciences
Grad rate63%Admit rate67.4%Enrollment765Net price$25,884View data - Arizona
Chamberlain University-Arizona
Grad rate50%Admit rate90.9%Enrollment693Net price$37,002View data - Illinois
Chamberlain University-Illinois
Grad rate42%Admit rate82.6%Enrollment32,944Net price$26,933View data - Ohio
Chamberlain University-Ohio
Grad rate29%Admit rate87.5%Enrollment257Net price$32,074View data - Nebraska
Clarkson College
Grad rate36%Admit rate78.2%Enrollment1,121Net price$15,928View data - Missouri
Cox College
Grad rate100%Admit rate100.0%Enrollment724Net price—View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalNew York
D'Youville University
Grad rate67%Admit rate81.4%Enrollment2,556Net price$19,585View data - R2 ResearchCalifornia
Loma Linda University
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment4,210Net price—View data - Massachusetts
MGH Institute of Health Professions
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment1,672Net price—View data - Ohio
Mount Carmel College of Nursing
Grad rate54%Admit rate84.3%Enrollment670Net price$12,939View data - Nebraska
Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health
Grad rate49%Admit rate73.4%Enrollment1,067Net price$19,474View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsMassachusetts
Regis College
Grad rate71%Admit rate69.8%Enrollment2,517Net price$28,346View data - Illinois
Saint Anthony College of Nursing
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment263Net price—View data - Illinois
Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment605Net price—View data - California
Samuel Merritt University
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment1,926Net price—View data
WCUC Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The webpage for West Coast University's Institutional Research department contains links to program brochures and BPPE-related reports. There is limited information about the office's objectives or team, and the page primarily includes navigation links related to various university programs and admissions resources.
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 West Coast University-Orange County's Glossary of Terms page is a comprehensive resource for definitions of commonly used terms within the institution and healthcare field. The glossary includes recently added terms such as 'Nurse extern' and 'Chief nursing officer,' along with a vast collection of medical and academic terminologies. It serves as a beneficial tool for students and professionals to understand specific concepts used in their education and practice.westcoastuniversity.edu
Frequently asked questions about West Coast University-Orange County
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about WCUC.
What is the acceptance rate at West Coast University-Orange County?
What is the graduation rate at West Coast University-Orange County?
How many students attend West Coast University-Orange County?
What is the average net price at West Coast University-Orange County?
What is the yield rate at West Coast University-Orange County?
Where is West Coast University-Orange County located?
Who runs Institutional Research at West Coast University-Orange County?
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