| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private university, fully online and self-paced |
| Where | Online only; administrative office (no classes) at 925 N. Spurgeon Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701 |
| Credentials | Undergraduate and graduate certificates; associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees |
| Program size | 3-unit courses; certificates 12 units, associate 60, bachelor’s 126, master’s 39 |
| Time limits | Certificates 16 weeks to 2 years; associate, bachelor’s and master’s 9 months to 5 years; doctorate 3 to 10 years |
| Accreditation | DEAC since 2005, renewed 24 January 2025 through January 2030; California BPPE approval stated in the 2026 catalog |
| Federal aid | No (not in Title IV); VA benefits for degree programs and MyCAA accepted |
| Tuition (2026) | $170 per unit associate and bachelor’s, $250 master’s, $320 doctoral, plus a $75 registration fee; one rate for every state |
| Founded | 1973, as California Western University; renamed in 1981 |
| Students | 5,897 enrolled in calendar 2024 |
| Facts checked | 17 October 2026 |
A self-paced online university with no classrooms
California Coast University (CCU) is a private university that teaches every program online. Students can enroll at any time, and there are no terms, group projects or set meeting times; final exams in core and general-education courses are taken before a proctor the student arranges. CCU opened in 1973 as California Western University and took its current name in 1981. Its 2026 catalog describes it as owned by its employees through an employee stock ownership plan. Its address, 925 N. Spurgeon Street in Santa Ana, California, is an administrative office where no classes meet. The 2024 annual report CCU filed with California’s Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) lists 5,897 students enrolled that year, 3,407 of them in bachelor’s programs. Its degrees are academic, and none leads to a state license.
Programs from certificates to doctorates
CCU organizes its programs by credential level. The table groups current programs by subject; a dash means the pages we read gave no figure.
| Program area | Credentials | Units | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration | Undergraduate certificate; AS; BS; MBA; graduate certificate | 12; 60; 126; 39; 12 | — |
| Business Marketing | Certificate; AS; BS; MBA in Business Marketing; graduate certificate | 12; 60; 126; 39; 12 | — |
| Management and organizational studies | Certificate; BS Management; BS Organizational Behavior; MBA in Management; MA Organizational Leadership; graduate certificates | 12; 126; 126; 39; 39; 12 | BS Organizational Behavior approved by DEAC in January 2024 |
| Human Resource Management | MBA; graduate certificate | 39; 12 | Graduate level only |
| Finance | Fundamentals of Finance undergraduate certificate | 12 | No finance degree |
| Health Care Administration | Undergraduate certificate; AS; BS; MBA in Health Care Management; graduate certificate | 12; 60; 126; 39; 12 | Management, not clinical training |
| Criminal Justice | Certificate; AS; BS; MS | 12; 60; 126; 39 | Academic degrees, not police academy training |
| Homeland Security; Public Safety Administration | BS | 126 | Homeland Security approved by DEAC in January 2025 |
| Psychology | Certificate; AS; BS; MS; graduate certificate | 12; 60; 126; 39; 12 | — |
| Education | MEd (2); EdD (3); graduate certificates | MEd 39 | — |
| General Studies | AS; BS | 60; 126 | — |
Undergraduate and master’s courses are 3 units; doctoral courses run from 2 to 12 units. An associate degree is 18 core units, 30 units of general education and 12 elective units, with at least 30 units taken at CCU. A bachelor’s degree is 42 core, 42 general-education and 42 elective units, with at least 33 at CCU. A master’s degree is 13 courses plus a pass/no-pass comprehensive exam, again with at least 33 units at CCU. Each School Performance Fact Sheet CCU publishes states that the program does not lead to state licensure.
What the main programs cover
BS in Criminal Justice
This is CCU’s largest program, with 572 new students in 2024 according to the BPPE annual report. The 126 units are 14 core courses (BCJ 100, 210, 230, 240, 245, 303, 340, 351, 355, 360, 400, 403, 450 and 470), 42 units of general education and 42 of electives. Each course has open-book study-guide tests with no time limit, and core finals are proctored. CCU makes no claim of POST or police academy certification for the degree. The AS takes six of the core courses, and the MS in Criminal Justice is a 13-course graduate degree.
BS in Business Administration
The 14 core courses run from BAM 105 to BAM 410 and include Introduction to Accounting (BAM 110), Principles of Economics (BAM 223), Introduction to Financial Management (BAM 313) and International Business (BAM 401), with one marketing course, MKT 230. The rest of the 126 units are general education and electives, and prior learning and military training can earn undergraduate credit, with up to 30 units of specialized training counting toward electives. The 60-unit AS uses six of the same core courses. Students have at least 9 months and at most 5 years to finish either degree.
BS in Health Care Administration
The bachelor’s core combines the HCA course series with business courses (BAM 105, 312, 313, 315, 402 and 411) and two psychology courses, PSY 150 and 180, for 14 core courses within 126 units. The AS in Health Care Administration has a six-course core, HCA 200, 305, 310, 320, 340 and 420. Both are management programs with no clinical component and no license at the end. Bachelor’s graduates can continue to the 39-unit MBA in Health Care Management, and short certificates exist at undergraduate and graduate level.
Business Marketing degrees
The AS in Business Marketing core is BAM 105 and 306 plus four marketing courses, MKT 121, 230, 310 and 333, with general education and electives making up the 60 units. The subject continues in the 126-unit BS in Business Marketing and, at graduate level, the MBA in Business Marketing. A 12-unit Fundamentals of Marketing certificate of four courses suits students who want a short credential first; certificate students must complete at least two courses at CCU.
MBA and its concentrations
The 39-unit MBA is 13 courses, BAM 509 to BAM 570 and the GRM 597 course, followed by a pass/no-pass comprehensive exam. Applicants need a bachelor’s degree from an institution recognized by the US Department of Education. Versions in Business Marketing, Health Care Management, Human Resource Management and Management are also offered; the HR version’s core, for example, includes Advanced Human Resource Management, Strategic Compensation and Employee Training and Development. At least 33 units must be completed at CCU.
No federal aid: tuition and how students pay
CCU charges one rate to students in every state, with no in-state or out-of-state tiers. Its tuition and fees page lists 2026 tuition of $170 per unit for associate and bachelor’s courses, $250 per unit for master’s courses and $320 per unit for doctoral courses, plus a $75 registration fee. A student in good standing keeps the rate for as long as they stay in the same program. Without transfer credit, full programs come to:
- Associate degree: 60 units, about $10,200.
- Bachelor’s degree: 126 units, about $21,420.
- Master’s degree: 39 units, about $9,750.
- Certificates: 12 units, about $2,040 (undergraduate) or $3,000 (graduate).
Transfer credit lowers the total, and the enrollment agreement states the actual figure. CCU’s program guide, revised July 2026, also prints lower per-unit figures; the rates above are the ones on the tuition page. Other fees include textbook rental at $35 per book for 120 days plus a $50 refundable deposit, $90 to repeat an exam and $250 to change programs.
CCU does not participate in Title IV or any federal loan program, so federal grants and loans cannot be used. Instead it offers interest-free payment plans: $500 down and then $150 a month, $300 down and then $175 a month, or payment in full. For enrollments after January 2025, a 10% discount, which cannot be combined with another, goes to active-duty service members, veterans and reservists, law enforcement officers, firefighters, US government employees, graduates of a CCU degree program and employees of corporate partners.
Military and veterans. CCU’s VA certifying official certifies enrollment for Chapter 30, 31, 33, 35 and 1606 benefits. VA students must enroll in CCU’s Academic Term Program, and certificate programs do not qualify for VA tuition assistance. Military spouses can use MyCAA benefits.
Admissions, transfer credit and pacing
Admission is open: applicants who meet the entry requirement for their level can start at any time. Undergraduate certificates and associate degrees need a high school diploma, GED or equivalent, and associate students must be at least 18. Graduate certificates and master’s degrees need a bachelor’s degree from an institution recognized by the US Department of Education. Undergraduates can earn credit for military training evaluated through ACE and the Joint Services Transcript, and for prior learning, including up to 30 semester units of specialized training toward electives. With no terms, students set their own pace within the program time limits shown in the at-a-glance table.
Accreditation and the 2026 BPPE citation
CCU was first accredited on 8 January 2005 by DEAC, the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, then called DETC. DEAC renewed its accreditation on 24 January 2025, through January 2030, according to the commission’s meeting report, which also approved the new BS in Homeland Security. DEAC is recognized by the US Department of Education and by CHEA. CCU’s 2026 catalog and accreditation page say it holds institutional approval from California’s BPPE. CCU is also approved by the Kansas Board of Regents and by Virginia’s SCHEV to offer distance education to Virginia residents.
On 26 January 2026 the BPPE issued CCU a citation for one Class A violation, with a $2,501 fine, for failing to collect or maintain some of the data required for its 2022/2023 School Performance Fact Sheets, and ordered it to submit a data template and a signed attestation. The BPPE affirmed the citation on 25 March 2026 after an informal conference.
Graduation and job placement rates
CCU’s DEAC student achievement disclosure, dated 31 March 2025, gives these graduation rates for the 2024 cohort, counting students who finished within 5 years (10 years for the doctorate):
| Level | Students in cohort | Graduation rate |
|---|---|---|
| Associate | 159 | 55% |
| Bachelor’s | 881 | 71% |
| Master’s | 343 | 72% |
| Doctorate | 33 | 9% |
CCU’s School Performance Fact Sheets for calendar 2024, filed under BPPE rules, report how many graduates found work in their field of study. The rate counts only in-field jobs among graduates available for employment.
| Program | Graduates employed in field, 2024 |
|---|---|
| BS Business Administration | 19% (19 of 101) |
| BS Criminal Justice | 20% (71 of 363) |
| BS Health Care Administration | 43% (13 of 30) |
| MBA in Health Care Management | 62% (13 of 21) |
| MBA in Human Resource Management | 22% (2 of 9) |
No CCU program leads to a licensing exam, so there are no pass rates to report.
Before you enroll
- Students pay without federal aid. Pell Grants and federal student loans are not available; payment plans, VA benefits for degree programs, MyCAA and employer reimbursement are the main options.
- Students arrange their own proctor. Final exams in core and general-education courses must be supervised by someone CCU approves, who cannot be a relative, a housemate or another CCU student and must check the student’s government ID.
- Few graduates report in-field jobs. In 2024, 19% of BS Business Administration and 20% of BS Criminal Justice graduates available for work were employed in their field, by CCU’s own fact sheets.
- This is academic study, not trade training. No program leads to a state license, and the criminal justice degrees are not police academy training.
- Few doctoral students had finished. In DEAC’s disclosure for the 2024 cohort, 3 of 33 doctoral students (9%) had graduated and 15 had withdrawn, measured over a 10-year window.
Library, textbooks and advising
The student handbook lists free access to the LIRN online library databases, a textbook rental library and Student Success Advisors who answer questions by phone and email.
What students say
Two review sites have more than 25 reviews of CCU (both checked 17 October 2026):
- Niche: 4.31 out of 5 from 26 reviews.
- OnlineU (the former GradReports reviews): 76 reviews, with 92% of reviewers saying they would recommend CCU and 92% saying the degree improved their career prospects.
- Praised: self-paced study that fits around work or military service; low tuition and interest-free payment plans; responsive advisors and staff; promotions or raises after graduating.
- Criticized: little contact with instructors and rubric grades without personal feedback; employers and states vary in how they treat the degree; slow progress through the doctoral dissertation; some reviewers find the coursework less demanding than they expected.
Read these with care: OnlineU’s reviews are not verified and cluster in mid-2023, and Niche has only just over 25 reviews, so neither sample is large.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Business
- Business Administration: undergraduate certificate, AS, BS, MBA, graduate certificate
- Business Marketing: Fundamentals of Marketing certificate, AS, BS, MBA in Business Marketing, Graduate Certificate in Marketing Studies
- Management: Fundamentals of Management certificate, BS, MBA in Management, Graduate Certificate in Management Studies
- BS Organizational Behavior; MA Organizational Leadership; Graduate Certificate in Organizational Leadership
- MBA in Human Resource Management; Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management
- Fundamentals of Finance undergraduate certificate (12 units)
Criminal Justice and Law
- Criminal Justice: Fundamentals of Criminal Justice certificate, AS, BS, MS
- BS Homeland Security; BS Public Safety Administration
Healthcare Administration
- Health Care Administration: undergraduate certificate, AS, BS
- MBA in Health Care Management; Graduate Certificate in Health Care Management
Psychology
- Fundamentals of Psychology certificate, AS, BS, MS, Graduate Certificate in Psychology Studies
Education
- MEd Administration; MEd Curriculum and Instruction; graduate certificates in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Administration
- EdD Educational Administration; EdD Educational Psychology; EdD Organizational Leadership
General Studies
- General Studies AS and BS
Campus Locations
100% Online