| Fact | American Career College |
|---|---|
| Type | Private, for-profit healthcare college; most programs blended (online study plus set campus days), one diploma fully online |
| Campuses | 4 in 2 states: Los Angeles, Anaheim (Orange County) and Ontario, CA; Richardson (Dallas-Fort Worth), TX |
| Credentials | Diplomas, associate degrees (AOS, AAS, ADN) and one bachelor’s, the BS in Radiologic Sciences |
| Program length | Diplomas about 9–10 months (Vocational Nursing 12–18); associate degrees about 15–20 months |
| Accreditation | ABHES (all four campuses); programmatic ACEN, CoARC, CAPTE, ACOTE and ABHES for some programs |
| Federal aid | Yes; also Cal Grant, WIOA and VA benefits |
| Founded / owner | 1978, as the American College of Optics; privately owned; sister school of West Coast University |
| Students | About 6,050 (fall 2024) |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
A healthcare-only career college in Southern California and Texas
American Career College began in 1978 as the American College of Optics, training optical dispensers, and took its current name in the 1990s. It is privately owned and a sister school of West Coast University, and credits transfer between the two. California’s BPPE treats it as two institutions: Los Angeles with its Orange County branch in Anaheim, and Ontario. A fourth campus, in Richardson, Texas, is the newest, with radiography and a nursing degree awaiting state approval. ACC teaches only healthcare, from nine-month diplomas to associate degrees, and enrolled about 6,050 students in fall 2024.
ACC’s nursing, allied health and imaging programs
| Program | Credential | Length | Delivery and hands-on part | Campuses | Prepares for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational Nursing | Diploma, 1,530 hours | About 12 months (day) or 18 (evening/weekend) | On campus; about 804 clinical hours | LA, Anaheim, Ontario | NCLEX-PN (California LVN) |
| Vocational Nursing | AOS, 1,670 hours | About 15 months | Terms 1–5 on campus, term 6 online | Ontario | NCLEX-PN |
| Associate Degree in Nursing | ADN, 99 quarter credits | About 20 months | Blended; 840 clinical hours | LA, Ontario; Richardson pending Texas approval | NCLEX-RN |
| Medical Assistant | Diploma, 780 hours | About 9 months | Blended, 2 campus days a week; 220-hour externship | LA, Anaheim, Ontario | No exam named |
| Dental Assisting | Diploma, 820 hours | About 10 months | Blended; 180-hour externship | LA, Anaheim, Ontario | California dental x-ray certificate |
| Pharmacy Technician | Diploma, 800 hours | About 9 months | Blended; 320-hour externship | LA, Anaheim, Ontario | Licensure exam (not named) |
| Optical Technician | Diploma, 780 hours | About 9 months | Blended; 220-hour externship | LA, Ontario | No exam named |
| Medical Billing and Coding Specialist | Diploma, 634 hours | Under 9 months | 100% online; 130-hour simulated practicum | Online (Ontario); California authorization | No exam named |
| Physical Therapist Assistant | AOS, 1,590 hours | About 20 months | Blended; 600 clinical hours | Anaheim, Ontario | National PTA exam |
| Occupational Therapy Assistant | AOS, 99 quarter credits | – | Blended | Anaheim | NBCOT COTA exam |
| Respiratory Therapy | AOS, 103 quarter credits | – | – | LA, Anaheim, Ontario | NBRC TMC and clinical simulation |
| Radiography | AOS (CA), 130 quarter credits; AAS (TX), 108 | About 20 months | Blended; 1,040 clinical hours in Texas | All four | ARRT |
| Surgical Technology | AOS | – | – | LA, Anaheim, Ontario | – |
| Ultrasound Technologist | Associate degree, 2,020 hours | About 20 months | Blended | Anaheim | ARDMS SPI and ARRT sonography |
ACC lists six diplomas, eight associate degrees and a BS in Radiologic Sciences, plus the AOS in Vocational Nursing at Ontario; lengths come from its 2026 program brochures. Programmatic accreditation, as ACC’s accreditation page lists it: ACEN for the Los Angeles ADN (initial accreditation) and Ontario ADN (candidate until 21 November 2026); CoARC for Respiratory Therapy at Anaheim and Ontario; CAPTE for Physical Therapist Assistant; ACOTE for Occupational Therapy Assistant; and ABHES for Medical Assistant and Surgical Technology. Ultrasound Technologist is new and has no CAAHEP or JRC-DMS accreditation. ACC also lists an MRI Technologist program; we could not confirm its details.
What the main programs cover
Vocational Nursing
The diploma is 1,530 clock hours (90.5 quarter credits). About 804 hours are clinical, spread over five clinical courses and a 70-hour capstone, and an exit HESI exam is required. The day program takes about 12 months; the evening and weekend option, two nights a week plus weekends, takes about 18. It is taught on campus at all three California campuses. Ontario also offers a 1,670-hour AOS version over about 15 months, with the first five terms on campus and the sixth online.
Associate Degree in Nursing
The ADN runs eight 10-week terms, about 20 months, for 99 quarter credits and 1,580 hours, mixing online and campus courses. Seven clinical courses of 120 hours each make up the hands-on part. In California it is taught at Los Angeles and Ontario, where the Board of Registered Nursing approved yearly intakes of 170 and 155 students in November 2024. The Texas version at Richardson has the same structure but was still pending Texas Board of Nursing approval in ACC’s July 2026 brochure.
Medical Assistant
The 780-hour diploma (50.5 quarter credits) takes about nine months. Students attend campus two days a week and study online the rest of the time, with a weekend option. They complete 20 hours of worksite-professionalism training before a 220-hour externship. The program has ABHES programmatic accreditation. ACC’s brochure does not name the certification exam it prepares for, so ask which one the campus uses before enrolling.
Dental Assisting
The 820-hour diploma (55 quarter credits) takes about 10 months, blended with two campus days a week and a weekend option. It includes a 180-hour externship. Students earn California’s certificate to take dental x-rays and are trained in coronal polishing. ACC’s brochure does not say whether graduates are eligible for California’s Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) license, so students aiming for that license should ask the campus how the program counts toward it before they enroll, and what further steps or exams the state would require.
Pharmacy Technician
The 800-hour diploma (48 quarter credits) runs about nine months, blended with two campus days a week; Los Angeles also offers a weekend schedule. The 320-hour externship is longer than the 180 to 220 hours in ACC’s medical, dental and optical diplomas. ACC says graduates are eligible to sit for their licensure examination but does not name the exam, and it lists no ASHP accreditation for the program. Students should ask which national exam the course prepares them for.
Radiography and Physical Therapist Assistant
Radiography is about 20 months and blended. California’s version is a 130-credit AOS approved by the state’s Radiologic Health Branch; the Texas AAS is 108 credits and 1,870 hours, 1,040 of them clinical. Both prepare for the ARRT exam. The Physical Therapist Assistant AOS, at Anaheim and Ontario, runs 1,590 hours (96 credits) over eight terms, with two 300-hour clinical rotations, and prepares for the national PTA exam.
Cost: one total price per program
ACC charges one total price per program, with no in-state or out-of-state rates, and the published totals are the same at its three California campuses. Its 2026-27 prices are not published in a form we could read, so the latest figures are the total charges for students who finished on time in calendar 2024, from ACC’s School Performance Fact Sheets (published 1 December 2025) and its 2024 reports to California’s BPPE: $13,520 to $21,410 for diplomas, $43,911 for Vocational Nursing and $43,320 to $89,717 for associate degrees. These are whole-program totals, not yearly costs. We found no published Texas prices.
| Program | Total charges, 2024 on-time completers |
|---|---|
| Medical Coding diploma (Ontario) | $13,520 |
| Medical Billing diploma (Ontario) | $15,910 |
| Medical Billing and Coding diploma | $20,260 |
| Optical Technician | $20,620 |
| Dental Assisting | $21,230 |
| Pharmacy Technician | $21,265 |
| Medical Assistant | $21,410 |
| Vocational Nursing | $43,911 |
| Surgical Technology AOS | $43,320 |
| Respiratory Therapy AOS | $54,440 |
| Occupational Therapy Assistant AOS | $61,109 |
| Physical Therapist Assistant AOS | $61,720 |
| Radiography AOS | $80,680 |
| Associate Degree in Nursing | $89,717 |
Charges rose about 3–4% for diplomas and 9–15% for Vocational Nursing, the ADN and Radiography between 2023 and 2024, so expect 2026-27 prices to be higher. The billing and coding figures are for earlier diplomas; the online Medical Billing and Coding Specialist diploma, which began around January 2026, is too new to appear in these 2024 figures.
ACC takes federal student aid, Cal Grants, WIOA workforce funding and vocational rehabilitation, and it is approved for VA education benefits; its California campuses received about $3.55 million in veterans’ aid in 2024. In the same BPPE reports, 83% (Los Angeles and Anaheim) and 85% (Ontario) of students had federal loans. College Navigator shows a cohort default rate of 0.0% for fiscal 2021 at Anaheim and Ontario. Niche lists average net prices of $30,072 to $32,427 a year (October 2026).
Admissions and blended schedules
Admission is rolling, and the catalog includes entrance-testing policies. Diplomas in medical assisting, dental assisting, pharmacy technician and optical technician are blended, with two campus days a week. Vocational Nursing is offered as a day program or on two evenings a week plus weekends. Degree programs run in 10-week quarters and mix online and campus courses. The Medical Billing and Coding Specialist diploma is fully online, and ACC states distance-education authorization for California only.
Accreditation, state actions and results
ABHES, the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools, accredits all four campuses: Los Angeles, Anaheim, Ontario and Dallas-Fort Worth. College Navigator lists Anaheim’s next ABHES review in February 2027 and Ontario’s in February 2029. We found no ABHES action against the school, and ACC’s 2024 reports to California’s BPPE state that it had no final accreditor disciplinary action that year. BPPE approves ACC to operate in California. ACC’s July 2026 brochure lists the Texas ADN as pending Texas Board of Nursing approval.
After inspecting the Los Angeles campus on 3 December 2025, California’s BPPE issued ACC a Notice to Comply listing eight violations and no fine. The catalog lacked the cancellation statement, the full grievance policy and the distance-learning disclosure; the enrollment agreement lacked the cancellation statement and distance-education disclosures; and the website did not link to the current catalog. ACC had 30 days to certify corrections.
Separately, American Career College appears on the school list of the Sweet v. Cardona borrower-defense settlement. Former ACC students with federal loans can check the list; it is a different school from American Career Institute.
Licensing exam pass rates, 2024
| Exam (first attempt, 2024) | Los Angeles | Anaheim (Orange County) | Ontario |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCLEX-PN (Vocational Nursing) | 92.8% | 94.8% | 88.3% |
| NCLEX-RN (ADN) | 98.2% | – | 96.0% |
| ARRT (Radiography) | 93.6% | 81.5% | 86.7% |
| National PTA exam | – | 88.6% | 78.3% |
| NBCOT (Occupational Therapy Assistant) | – | 78.1% | – |
| NBRC TMC (Respiratory Therapy) | No testers yet | 82.3% | 76.1% |
Pass rates are first-attempt rates for calendar 2024 as ACC reported them to California’s BPPE and in its School Performance Fact Sheets. Ontario’s respiratory therapy rate rose from 49.3% in 2023. We found no published 2025 rates, and no results are published yet for the Texas campus.
Completion and job placement
California’s 2024 state fact sheets show low on-time completion. Completion within the normal program length was 16–41% for the medical assistant, dental assisting and pharmacy technician diplomas and 50–70% for Vocational Nursing across the three campuses; Optical Technician was 30% at Los Angeles and 9% at Ontario. Placement in the field among graduates available for employment ran 54–80%, as the Orange County fact sheet and the other campus sheets show.
ACC’s ABHES outcome figures (July 2024 to June 2025) are higher, for example 91% placement for Vocational Nursing at Los Angeles, because the definitions differ: ABHES counts retention as graduates plus students still enrolled, divided by enrollment, and placement as graduates working in the field. Federal data put the 150% graduation rate for first-time, full-time students who started in 2021-22 at 70% (Anaheim) and 66% (Ontario).
Before you enroll
- These are expensive programs: total charges for 2024 completers were $89,717 for the ADN, $80,680 for Radiography and $43,911 for Vocational Nursing, and prices rose from 2023 to 2024. Ask for the current total in writing.
- Many students do not finish on time. In California’s 2024 fact sheets, on-time completion was 16–41% for the medical, dental and pharmacy diplomas.
- Accreditation differs by campus. Respiratory Therapy is CoARC-accredited at Anaheim and Ontario but not listed as accredited at Los Angeles, and Ontario’s ADN is an ACEN candidate only until 21 November 2026.
- Texas is just starting. The Richardson ADN was pending Texas Board of Nursing approval in July 2026, we found no published Texas prices, and ACC’s Dallas campus page and Texas brochures do not name a Texas state approval for the school, so ask the campus about it.
- The online Medical Billing and Coding Specialist diploma has a 130-hour simulated practicum, not a live externship, and ACC states distance-education authorization for California only.
ACC’s four campuses
- Los Angeles, CA: 4021 Rosewood Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90004
- Anaheim, CA: 1200 North Magnolia Ave., Anaheim, CA 92801
- Ontario, CA: 3130 East Sedona Ct., Ontario, CA 91764
- Dallas (Richardson), TX: 2323 N Central Expy, Suite 101, Richardson, TX 75080
Anaheim is the campus ACC calls Orange County; it also uses a second site at 2461 W. La Palma Ave., Building 601, in Anaheim, which is part of that campus rather than a separate one. Los Angeles and Ontario teach the ADN and Optical Technician; Anaheim and Ontario teach Physical Therapist Assistant; Anaheim alone has Occupational Therapy Assistant and Ultrasound. Richardson offers only Radiography and the ADN, which was pending Texas Board of Nursing approval in July 2026.
Externships and career help
ACC has no student housing. Its campus diplomas include externships of 180 to 320 hours, the nursing, radiography and PTA programs include clinical hours, and the online billing and coding diploma uses a simulated practicum instead. ACC says it provides career guidance and assistance but cannot guarantee employment.
What students say
On Niche, ACC averages about 4.1 out of 5 across 596 reviews of its three California campuses: Los Angeles 4.15 from 218 reviews, Ontario 4.07 from 213 and Anaheim 4.1 from 165 (checked October 2026). The Dallas-Fort Worth campus has no reviews yet. Reviewers praise patient instructors who offer tutoring, helpful admissions advisors, and hands-on labs. Complaints are the high cost, staff and instructor turnover and disorganization (mostly at Ontario), and little campus life. The Los Angeles reviews shown in October 2026 were all recent and all positive, so read them with care.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Nursing
- Vocational Nursing (diploma)
- Vocational Nursing (AOS, Ontario)
- Associate Degree in Nursing
Diploma programs
- Medical Assistant
- Dental Assisting
- Pharmacy Technician
- Optical Technician
- Medical Billing and Coding Specialist (online)
Therapy and respiratory care (associate degrees)
- Physical Therapist Assistant
- Occupational Therapy Assistant
- Respiratory Therapy
Imaging and surgery
- Radiography (AOS in California, AAS in Texas)
- Surgical Technology
- Ultrasound Technologist
- MRI Technologist
- BS in Radiologic Sciences
Campus Locations
Los Angeles, CA 4021 Rosewood Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90004
Anaheim, CA 1200 North Magnolia Ave., Anaheim, CA 92801
Ontario, CA 3130 East Sedona Ct., Ontario, CA 91764
Dallas (Richardson), TX 2323 N Central Expy, Suite 101, Richardson, TX 75080