Private (for-profit)

West Coast University - Orange County

Anaheim, California·Private for-profit, 4-year or above·Far West·westcoastuniversity.edu
Acceptance
95.3%
+12.7pp vs peer
6-yr Graduation
60%
+6.0pp vs peer
Total enrollment
4,586
peer median 927
Avg net price
$32,879
+$4.8k vs peer
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AboutAdmissionsOutcomesCostLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsCampus safetyFacultyPeersCampus networkIR OfficeDocuments

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.

IPEDS
Applied
43
43 candidates competed
Admitted
41
95.3% acceptance rate
Enrolled
17
41.5% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
60%+6.0pp vs peer
4-year graduation
60%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
60%
Full-time retention
100%

Pell equity

30.0pp gap
Pell recipients
40%2 of 5
Non-Pell (all)
70%7 of 10
Subsidized loan, no Pell
83%5 of 6
No Federal Aid
50%2 of 4

Non-Pell students graduate at a 30.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$29,867
$30–48k—
$48–75k$34,887
$75–110k—
$110k+$34,887

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$32,879
+$4,755vs peer median $28,124
Federal loans
83.8%
In-state tuition
$22,506
Out-of-state
$22,506

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 3,179 borrowers who entered repayment, 4 (0.1%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.1%
-2.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
3,179
Defaulted
4
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
2.6%
2017
1.6%
2018
0.5%
2019
0.1%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* 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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at WCUC

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs12
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,966 total completions
01Health Professions
1,94598.9%
02Business
211.1%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
4,586
12-mo unduplicated
6,935
Undergraduate
4,421
Graduate
2,514

Gender split

Men
22%1,548
Women
78%5,387

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
39.9%
Asian
37.7%
White
11.3%
Two or more
6.6%
Black
2.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.8%
Non-resident
0.5%
Unknown
0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 4,481 students

3-year trend

3.022 yrs ago0.891 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
17
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    IPEDS
    Student-to-faculty
    14.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    121

    WCUC vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions WCUC selected for federal comparison reporting.

    IPEDS
    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    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$32,879—
    AdventHealth University
    		37%33.7%1,861$30,135—
    Allen College
    		No freshman cohortNo freshman entry483$31,509—
    Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing
    		No freshman cohortNo freshman entry539No freshman cohort—
    Bellin College
    		63%97.2%927$37,408—
    Blessing Rieman College of Nursing and Health Sciences
    		No freshman cohortNo freshman entry193No freshman cohort—
    Bryan College of Health Sciences
    		63%67.4%765$26,919—
    Chamberlain University-Arizona
    		50%90.9%693$40,096—
    Chamberlain University-Illinois
    		42%82.6%32,944$31,837—
    Chamberlain University-Ohio
    		29%87.5%257$31,544—
    Clarkson College
    		36%78.2%1,121$19,241—
    Cox College
    		100%100.0%724$28,124—
    D'Youville University
    		67%81.4%2,556$20,433Doctoral/Professional
    Loma Linda University
    		No freshman cohortNo freshman entry4,210No freshman cohortR2 Research
    MGH Institute of Health Professions
    		No freshman cohortNo freshman entry1,672No freshman cohort—
    Mount Carmel College of Nursing
    		54%84.3%670$10,420—
    Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health
    		49%73.4%1,067$21,863—
    Regis College
    		71%69.8%2,517$27,477Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
    Saint Anthony College of Nursing
    		Not reportedNot reported263$21,045—
    Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing
    		No freshman cohortNo freshman entry605No freshman cohort—
    Samuel Merritt University
    		No freshman cohortNo freshman entry1,926No freshman cohort—
    Peer group median54%82.6%927$28,124

    Institutions like WCUC

    Explore the federal data for institutions in WCUC's comparison group.

    IPEDS

    Campus network

    WCUC is a campus of a larger institution. See its main campus and the other campuses in the same network.

    IPEDS
    Part ofWest Coast University-TexasRichardson, TX · Main campus
    View main campus

    WCUC Institutional Research office

    The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

    Office
    Office of Institutional Research
    Phone
    866-508-2684

    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 page

    Reports & documents (2)

    Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

    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?

    West Coast University-Orange County's acceptance rate is 95.3% (41 admitted from 43 applicants), based on the latest IPEDS.

    What is the graduation rate at West Coast University-Orange County?

    West Coast University-Orange County reports a 6-year graduation rate of 60% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend West Coast University-Orange County?

    West Coast University-Orange County reports a total enrollment of 4,586 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at West Coast University-Orange County?

    The average net price at West Coast University-Orange County is $32,879 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    What is the yield rate at West Coast University-Orange County?

    West Coast University-Orange County's yield rate is 41.5%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

    Where is West Coast University-Orange County located?

    West Coast University-Orange County is located in Anaheim, California 92802-2905.

    Who runs Institutional Research at West Coast University-Orange County?

    West Coast University-Orange County's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

    About the data on this page

    Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

    IPEDSFall 2025–26 release, published July 28, 2026
    Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
    National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
    College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
    Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
    U.S. Department of Education
    FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
    Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
    U.S. Department of Education
    DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
    Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Federal Pell Grant & loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Pell Grant and Direct Loan recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
    Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
    Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
    Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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