| Type | Private, for-profit university: campus programs plus online degrees |
|---|---|
| Campuses | 14 campuses at 17 addresses in 6 states (VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, TX), plus online |
| Credentials | Diplomas (practical nursing, culinary, baking and pastry), associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees |
| Program length | Associate degrees about 15–19 months; bachelor’s about 2.5 years; 5-week terms year-round |
| Accreditation | SACSCOC (accredited since 1998, reaffirmed 2023, next review 2033); programmatic accreditation listed below |
| Federal aid | Yes (Title IV); FY2021 cohort default rate 0.0% |
| Founded / owner | 1966 in Norfolk, VA, as East Coast Polytechnic Institute; private, for-profit (legal entity ECPI University, LLC) |
| Students | 12,572 (fall 2024, College Navigator) |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
About ECPI University
ECPI University began in Norfolk, Virginia in 1966 as East Coast Polytechnic Institute and moved its main campus to Virginia Beach in 1987. Its colleges cover technology, nursing, health science, business and criminal justice, and culinary arts, the last branded the Culinary Institute of Virginia. Courses run year-round in 5-week terms, with students taking one or two courses at a time, which is how ECPI advertises associate degrees in 15 to 19 months and bachelor’s degrees in 2.5 years.
Its Atlanta campus, not in the 2024 or 2025 catalogs, is its first in Georgia. Richmond (Innsbrook) and Charleston moved to larger buildings in 2022, Greensboro is now in High Point, and the Richmond-South and Newport News Merchants Walk sites in the 2023 catalog are no longer listed. That catalog called ECPI’s Virginia health-science school Medical Careers Institute; the current site uses the ECPI name.
Programs at ECPI’s 14 campuses
What a campus teaches varies a lot: Atlanta teaches technology only, San Antonio’s only nursing program is the ADN, and dental assisting, surgical technology, radiography, paramedic and culinary programs are taught only in Virginia. Tuition is ECPI’s published per-semester rate for each program area.
| Program | Credential (length) | Where taught | Prepares for / accreditation | Tuition per semester* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cybersecurity; Cyber & Information Security Technology | BS (2.5 years); accelerated BS-to-BS (12 months); MS (15 months) | All 14 campuses; online | – | $8,976 (undergraduate); $6,660 (most master’s) |
| Cloud, AI/ML & Data Analytics, Software Development, UX/Web Development | BS (2.5 years) | Online; cloud at most campuses, the full set at about half (not Atlanta) | – | $8,976 |
| Electronics Engineering Technology, Mechatronics | AAS (13–19 months); BS (2.5 years) | Every campus except Roanoke and Columbia (the Virginia Beach main campus lists mechatronics but not EET); online | – | $8,976 |
| ESET, Mechanical Engineering Technology, CADD | AAS; BS (2.5 years); master’s (13 months) | Virginia Beach, Newport News; ESET and mechanical also online | ABET-ETAC: ESET BS (Virginia Beach, Newport News, online), Mechanical ET BS (Virginia Beach, online) | $8,976 |
| Practical Nursing | Diploma (15 months, 48.5 credits) | 11 campuses in VA, NC and SC | NCLEX-PN; state board approval | $9,991 |
| Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) | AAS (18 months, 71 credits) | VA (all 5 campuses), Charlotte, Raleigh, SC (all 3), Orlando (Lake Mary), San Antonio | NCLEX-RN; ACEN Initial Accreditation at 7 campuses | $10,200 |
| BSN; BS-to-BSN | BS (2.5 years, 120 credits); BS-to-BSN (11 months) | BSN: Virginia Beach, Manassas, Richmond, North Charleston, Orlando. BS-to-BSN: Orlando | NCLEX-RN; CCNE (Orlando, Virginia Beach, Richmond, Northern Virginia) | $9,270; BS-to-BSN $10,912.50 |
| RN-to-BSN; MSN (Family Nurse Practitioner, Nursing Education) | BS (11 months); MSN (15 months to 1.5 years) | Online; RN-to-BSN also at Newport News | ACEN (RN-to-BSN, Newport News); CCNE (master’s) | MSN $6,660; FNP $5,112 |
| Medical Assisting | AAS (15 months, 61 credits) | VA (all 5 campuses), NC (all 3), SC (all 3) | CMA, RMA, CPT or EKG; ABHES | $8,088 |
| Dental Assisting | AAS (15 months, 63 credits) | Virginia Beach, Newport News, Manassas, Richmond | RHS, ICE, RDA; no CODA accreditation named | $8,088 |
| Surgical Technology | AAS (18 months, 66 credits) | Manassas, Richmond (Emerywood) | CST; ABHES | $8,976 |
| Physical Therapist Assistant | AAS (18 months, 73 credits) | Newport News, Richmond (Emerywood), Orlando (Lake Mary) | NPTE-PTA; CAPTE | $9,984 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonography | Associate (1.5 years) | Newport News, Richmond (Emerywood), Orlando (Lake Mary) | No programmatic accreditation listed by ECPI | $9,984 |
| Radiography | Associate (1.5 years) | Newport News, Manassas | JRCERT (2024 catalog; 2025 review outcome not confirmed) | $9,984 |
| Paramedic (EMS) | Associate (1.5 years) | Newport News | CAAHEP/CoAEMSP; Virginia Department of Health | $5,808 |
| Physician Assistant | MS (24 months) | Virginia Beach | ARC-PA Accreditation-Provisional | – |
| Healthcare Administration | BS (2.5 years); MS (14 months, online) | Virginia Beach, Newport News, SC (all 3), Orlando; online | – | $7,176 (BS) |
| Culinary Arts; Baking & Pastry Arts | Diplomas (8 and 9 months); AAS (15 months) | Norfolk, Glen Allen | ACF (Culinary Arts AAS, Norfolk only) | $8,976 |
| Culinary Nutrition; Food Service Management | AAS (15 months); BS (2.5 years) | Norfolk, Glen Allen | – | $8,976 (AAS); $8,088 (BS) |
| Business (accounting, management, HR, leadership, project management, supply chain, analytics); MBA | BS (2.5 years); MS (15 months) | Online; Virginia Beach, Newport News, Glen Allen; Greenville (management); Manassas (MBA) | – | $8,088; $6,660 (master’s) |
| Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, Digital Forensics, Crime & Intelligence Analysis | BS (2.5 years) | Online; Virginia Beach, Newport News; Raleigh (criminal justice, homeland security) | – | $8,088 |
*From ECPI’s tuition page, checked October 2026; the page shows no effective date. Fees are extra (see below). ECPI’s online programs have no published list of states they can enroll students from: ECPI takes part in SARA, but confirm with admissions that you can enroll from your state before applying.
What the main programs cover
Associate Degree in Nursing
The ADN is a 71-credit Associate of Applied Science that runs about 18 months, includes a one-on-one preceptorship, working alongside a practicing nurse, and prepares graduates for the NCLEX-RN. Applicants take the TEAS entrance exam and must clear a background check and drug screen. Classes meet 4 to 5 days a week on a day schedule (8 AM to 5 PM) or an evening schedule (5:30 to 10:30 PM), but clinical shifts may fall on days, evenings or weekends, so evening students cannot count on evening-only clinicals.
Practical Nursing
The practical nursing diploma is ECPI’s entry-level nursing credential: 48.5 credits over about 15 months, with no prerequisite courses needed before starting. ECPI says it meets the nursing board requirements of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, the only states where it is taught, and graduates sit the NCLEX-PN to become licensed practical nurses. It is approved by those boards; we found no ACEN or CNEA accreditation. It is taught at 11 campuses, including Greensboro, which has no RN program, but not at Lake Mary, San Antonio or Atlanta.
Medical Assisting
Medical assisting at ECPI is an associate degree only: an AAS in Health Sciences with a medical assisting focus, 61 credits and 1,170 contact hours over about 15 months. ECPI’s 2023 catalog also listed a diploma at Newport News, but the current site does not. The program ends with a 5-week externship worth 4 credits, and students prepare for one of four credentials: CMA, RMA, phlebotomy (CPT) or EKG. Some courses may be taught “remote synchronous”, meaning live online classes at set times.
Dental Assisting
ECPI’s dental assisting AAS is 63 credits and 1,260 contact hours spread over four semesters, or 60 weeks. It ends with a 10-week externship, twice the length of the medical assisting externship, and prepares students for the RHS, ICE and RDA exams. ECPI names no Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) accreditation for it, so check whether your state’s dental board requires a CODA program for the credential you want. It is taught only in Virginia.
Surgical Technology
The 66-credit surgical technology AAS takes about 18 months. Its hands-on part is three practicum courses (Practicum I to III) worth 10 credits combined, and a course numbered SUR285 prepares students for the Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) exam. ABHES accredits the program at its two campuses, Manassas and Richmond (Emerywood), Virginia. ECPI does not list CAAHEP accreditation, so ask the campus how its graduates qualify for the CST exam and whether employers in your area accept ABHES.
Physical Therapist Assistant
ECPI’s PTA degree is 73 credits over five semesters, about 18 months. Sixteen of those credits are four clinical courses, the part of the program spent with patients at clinical sites rather than in ECPI’s classrooms and labs. Graduates take the National Physical Therapy Examination for PTAs (NPTE-PTA). CAPTE accredits the program at Newport News, Richmond (Emerywood) and Orlando (Lake Mary), and each campus publishes its graduation, exam and employment results, shown in the PTA table below.
Tuition, fees and aid
ECPI charges tuition per semester by program area. Its tuition page (checked October 2026; no effective date shown) lists $8,976 for technology undergraduate programs, surgical technology and culinary programs; $9,991 for practical nursing; $10,200 for the ADN; $9,270 for the BSN; $10,912.50 for the BS-to-BSN; $8,088 for business, criminal justice, food service management, dental assisting and medical assisting; $7,176 for healthcare administration; $9,984 for sonography, PTA and radiography; $5,808 for paramedic; and $6,660 for most master’s degrees ($5,112 for the Family Nurse Practitioner track). Fees are a technology fee of $495 a semester ($594 for some programs), a $100 registration fee ($35 for graduate students) and a $25 application fee; textbooks are listed as included.
ECPI doesn’t state the number of semesters for most programs, so we don’t show program totals. For dental assisting, which runs four semesters, tuition plus the technology, registration and application fees comes to about $34,450 by our calculation. College Navigator lists 2024–25 tuition and fees of $18,484 and an average net price of $22,407 for 2023–24 full-time beginning students receiving aid. ECPI has a net price calculator.
ECPI takes part in federal student aid, and its FY2021 cohort default rate was 0.0% (College Navigator). For military students it accepts the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bill, Yellow Ribbon, Tuition Assistance and SkillBridge, and it says about 35% of its students are connected to the military. Its Armed Services Scholarship gives undergraduate service members and spouses $500 a semester ($1,000 a year). ECPI says it awards more than $14 million in scholarships a year; its Futures, Advancement, Working Parent and Opportunity scholarships are limited to the ADN, BSN, sonography, radiography, PTA and practical nursing programs, and ECPI doesn’t publish their amounts.
Admissions and schedule
Undergraduate applicants have a personal admissions interview, sign an application and enrollment agreement, provide a high school transcript or GED, and need acceptable scores on ECPI’s admissions assessment. The ADN adds the TEAS, a background check and a drug screen. The application fee is $25.
Programs run in 5-week terms year-round, with students taking one or two courses per term, on campus, online or hybrid. Nursing has day and evening tracks, with clinicals that can fall at any time, and some health-science courses are taught live online.
Accreditation and results
ECPI is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees; it has been accredited since 1998, was reaffirmed in 2023 and is next reviewed in 2033. It is licensed or approved by the Florida Commission for Independent Education, the UNC Board of Governors and NC State Board of Community Colleges, the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and SCHEV in Virginia, and it takes part in SARA.
Programmatic accreditation: ACEN Initial Accreditation for the ADN at seven campuses (Newport News, Richmond, Roanoke, Manassas, Virginia Beach, Orlando and Greenville); ACEN for the RN-to-BSN at Newport News; CCNE for the BSN at four campuses and for the nursing master’s; CAPTE for the PTA program; JRCERT for radiography (the 2024 catalog gave the next review as 2025); CAAHEP/CoAEMSP for paramedic; ABHES for medical assisting and surgical technology; ARC-PA Accreditation-Provisional for the physician assistant program; the American Culinary Federation for the Norfolk culinary arts associate; and ABET-ETAC for two engineering technology bachelor’s degrees.
College Navigator reports a 42% graduation rate within 150% of normal time for its fall 2018 cohort, with 17% transferring out, and 56% retention of full-time bachelor’s students from fall 2023 to fall 2024. We found no institution-wide job placement rate published by ECPI.
First-time NCLEX pass rates (Virginia, Florida and BSN figures are ECPI’s own; we could not get the Virginia Board of Nursing’s reports, and we found no North Carolina figures):
| Campus | Exam (program) | First-time pass rate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach | NCLEX-PN | 96.3% (2025) | ECPI |
| Richmond | NCLEX-PN | 97.96% (2025) | ECPI |
| North Charleston | NCLEX-PN | 96.55% (58 tested, 2025) | SC Board of Nursing |
| Greenville | NCLEX-PN | 87.60% (121 tested, 2025) | SC Board of Nursing |
| Columbia | NCLEX-PN | 86.96% (115 tested, 2025) | SC Board of Nursing |
| Virginia Beach | NCLEX-RN (ADN) | 82.41% (2025) | ECPI |
| Newport News | NCLEX-RN (ADN) | 85.37% (2025) | ECPI |
| Richmond | NCLEX-RN (ADN) | 94.92% (2025) | ECPI |
| Roanoke | NCLEX-RN (ADN) | 78.46% (2025) | ECPI |
| Greenville | NCLEX-RN (ADN) | 92.78% (97 tested, 2025) | SC Board of Nursing |
| Columbia | NCLEX-RN (ADN) | 96.97% (33 tested, 2022) | SC Board of Nursing (see note) |
| North Charleston | NCLEX-RN | 89.72% (107 tested, 2025); 68.25% (2022) | SC Board of Nursing |
| Orlando (Lake Mary) | NCLEX-RN (ADN) | 100% (2024) | ECPI |
| San Antonio | NCLEX-RN (ADN) | 100% (6 of 6, 2024) | Texas Board of Nursing |
| Virginia Beach / Richmond / Manassas | NCLEX-RN (BSN) | 94.12% / 95% / 90% (2025) | ECPI |
Note on Columbia: ECPI’s ADN page shows 96.97% as Columbia’s 2025 rate, but the South Carolina Board of Nursing lists 96.97% (33 tested) for 2022, and the board’s report as we read it on 4 October 2026 showed no later Columbia ADN results. We show the board’s figure.
PTA outcomes as published by ECPI for CAPTE (2024–25 or most recent):
| Campus | Graduation | NPTE first-time pass | NPTE ultimate pass | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando (Lake Mary) | 80% | 75% | 88% | 100% (2024) |
| Newport News | 85% | 81% | 86% | 100% (2023–24) |
| Richmond | 100% | 82% | 85% | 96.5% (2023–24) |
Before you enroll
- Check that your campus teaches your program. Atlanta teaches technology only, Greensboro (High Point) has practical nursing but no RN program, Lake Mary has no practical nursing or medical assisting, and San Antonio’s only nursing program is the ADN. Dental assisting, surgical technology, radiography, paramedic and culinary programs are taught only in Virginia.
- Several health programs have newer or limited programmatic accreditation: the ADN holds ACEN Initial Accreditation, the physician assistant master’s is ARC-PA Accreditation-Provisional, dental assisting names no CODA accreditation, ECPI lists none for sonography, and practical nursing is approved by state boards only.
- ECPI’s enrollment agreement requires pre-dispute arbitration and a class-action waiver. It does not apply to non-Virginia residents in fully online programs, and there is a carve-out for Direct Loan claims (ECPI disclosure).
- College Navigator shows 42% of ECPI’s fall 2018 cohort graduated within 150% of normal time. Ask for the graduation rate of your program at your campus.
- ECPI publishes no list of states its online programs can enroll students from. Confirm eligibility for your state before applying, especially for online nursing programs.
What students say
Niche’s ECPI University page shows 4.05 out of 5 from 1,342 reviews, with a Niche grade of B (checked October 2026). That page is ECPI’s parent federal record, so the count probably includes online students; none of ECPI’s campus pages has 25 or more reviews. GradReports tells a less positive story: 43% of its 182 reviewers would recommend ECPI. We could not check review dates, so we can’t say whether reviews were invited or posted in bursts.
- Praised: the fast, accelerated format with hands-on labs; instructors with industry experience, especially in technology and cybersecurity; and small classes, tutoring and flexibility for working adults and veterans.
- Criticized: administration and communication problems, including last-minute schedule changes and cancelled clinicals; in nursing, high attrition, uneven instructors and clinical placements far from home; and cost, credits that didn’t transfer and delays with financial aid or VA benefits.
Sources
ECPI campuses · ECPI programs · ECPI accreditation and licensure · ECPI tuition · 2025 catalog: campuses · College Navigator · SC Board of Nursing NCLEX-RN results · Niche
Programs & Courses
Information Technology
- Cybersecurity (bachelor's; accelerated BS-to-BS; MS)
- Cyber & Information Security Technology (bachelor's)
- Cloud (bachelor's)
- AI/ML & Data Analytics (bachelor's)
- Software Development (bachelor's)
- UX/Web Development (bachelor's)
Engineering Technology
- Electronics Engineering Technology (associate)
- Mechatronics (associate and bachelor's)
- Electronics Systems Engineering Technology (ESET, bachelor's)
- Mechanical Engineering Technology (associate and bachelor's)
- Computer-Aided Drafting & Design (CADD)
- Master's in engineering technology; MS Systems Engineering (mechatronics)
Nursing
- Practical Nursing (diploma)
- Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
- BS-to-BSN (accelerated, Orlando)
- RN-to-BSN (online and Newport News)
- MSN: Family Nurse Practitioner; Nursing Education (online)
Health Science
- Medical Assisting (associate)
- Dental Assisting (associate)
- Surgical Technology (associate)
- Physical Therapist Assistant (associate)
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography (associate)
- Radiography (associate)
- Paramedic / EMS (associate)
- Healthcare Administration (bachelor's; master's online)
- Physician Assistant (master's, Virginia Beach)
Business
- Accounting
- Business Management
- General Management
- Human Resources
- Leadership
- Project Management
- Operations, Logistics & Supply Chain
- Business Analytics
- MBA
Criminal Justice
- Criminal Justice
- Homeland Security
- Digital Forensics
- Crime & Intelligence Analysis
Culinary Arts (Culinary Institute of Virginia)
- Culinary Arts (diploma and associate)
- Baking & Pastry Arts (diploma and associate)
- Culinary Arts & Applied Nutrition (associate)
- Food Service Management (bachelor's)
- Hospitality Management (bachelor's, online)
Campus Locations
Virginia Beach, VA 5555 Greenwich Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Virginia Beach, VA 5501 Greenwich Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Norfolk, VA 2428 Almeda Ave, Suite 106, Norfolk, VA 23513
Newport News, VA 1001 Omni Blvd, Suite 100, Newport News, VA 23606
Manassas, VA 10021 Balls Ford Rd, Suite 100, Manassas, VA 20109
Glen Allen, VA 11104 W. Broad St, Glen Allen, VA 23060
Richmond, VA 2809 Emerywood Pkwy, Suite 400, Richmond, VA 23294
Roanoke, VA 5234 Airport Rd NW, Suite 200, Roanoke, VA 24012
Charlotte, NC 4800 Airport Center Pkwy, Suite 100, Charlotte, NC 28208
High Point, NC 3975 Premier Dr, High Point, NC 27265
Raleigh, NC 4101 Doie Cope Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613
North Charleston, SC 3800 Paramount Dr, North Charleston, SC 29405
Columbia, SC 250 Berryhill Rd, Suite 300, Columbia, SC 29210
Greenville, SC 1001 Keys Dr, Suite 100, Greenville, SC 29615
Atlanta, GA 3101 Towercreek Pkwy SE, Suite 700, Atlanta, GA 30339
Lake Mary, FL 660 Century Point, Suite 1050, Lake Mary, FL 32746
San Antonio, TX 4715 Fredericksburg Rd, San Antonio, TX 78229