| Fact | Laurus College |
|---|---|
| Type | Private college; all degrees 100% online, with optional on-site classes, computer labs and advising at six locations |
| Locations | 6 in 2 states: San Luis Obispo (main), Atascadero, Santa Maria, Oxnard and Chula Vista, CA; Las Vegas, NV |
| Who can enroll online | Residents of California, Nevada and Indiana (the states where Laurus is authorized to enroll distance students) |
| Credentials | Certificates (50 quarter credits), occupational associate and AS degrees (100), BS degrees (190) |
| Typical length | 1 year (certificate), 2 years (associate), 4 years (bachelor’s), in 5-week courses |
| Accreditation | Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), renewed June 2026 through June 2031 |
| State approval | California BPPE (institution 4000761); licensed in Nevada; authorized in Indiana |
| Federal aid | Yes for degrees (school code 041414); certificates are not eligible |
| Founded / owner | Laurus College, LLC, founded 2006, owned by Qe2 Systems, Inc. (2026 catalog) |
| Students | 1,116 undergraduates in fall 2024 (IPEDS) |
| Facts checked | 16 October 2026 |
An online college with six on-site learning centers
Laurus College is a private college owned by Laurus College, LLC, whose parent is Qe2 Systems, Inc., a Michigan corporation, according to its 2026 catalog. The LLC was founded in 2006, and the catalog says its sites were previously Atlas Computer Centers, dating from 1998. Every current degree is taught 100% online in five-week courses. The six locations, five in California and one in Las Vegas, are not separate campuses with their own programs: each offers computer labs, in-person advising and the option to attend classes on site, which veterans need for the GI Bill housing allowance. The programs are information technology, cyber security, business, healthcare management and audio video production, plus five one-year certificates.
Renamed and discontinued programs
Several programs have new names: Information Technologies and Network Systems is now the AS in Information Technology, IT Systems Management the BS in Information Technology, Medical Billing and Coding the Occupational Associate in Healthcare Management, Business Systems Management the BS in Business Administration, and Audio Production the BS in Audio Video Production. Nevada has not approved the new names, so Nevada students enroll under the old ones. The BS in Digital Arts and Computer Animation, the BS in Web Design and Development, the AS in Web Design and the AS in Visual Design and Multimedia have taken no new students since November 2025, and current students are finishing them under a teach-out plan.
Laurus programs and who can enroll
| Program | Credential | Length | Online enrollment | Certification objectives covered | 2026 catalog total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information Technology | AS, 100 quarter credits | 2 years | CA, NV | CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+; Microsoft Endpoint Administrator; ITIL 4 | $46,250 |
| Information Technology | BS, 190 quarter credits | 4 years | CA, NV | Adds Cloud+, CySA+, AZ-800, AZ-204 | $85,650 |
| Cyber Security | AS, 100 quarter credits | 2 years | California only | Security+, A+, Network+, AZ-800 | $46,450 |
| Healthcare Management (formerly Medical Billing and Coding) | Occupational Associate, 100 quarter credits | 2 years | CA, NV | None named | $46,250 |
| Business Administration | AS 100 / BS 190 quarter credits | 2 / 4 years | CA, NV | Not stated | $46,250 / $85,650 |
| Audio Video Production | AS 100 / BS 190 quarter credits | 2 / 4 years | CA, NV | Not stated | $50,800 / $90,000 |
| Help Desk and Support | Certificate, 50 quarter credits | 1 year | California only | A+, Network+, Linux+, Security+, ITIL 4, Endpoint Administrator | $25,050 |
| VIBE Coding; Hospitality Management; Agricultural Business Management; Casino and Gaming Management | Certificates, 50 quarter credits each | 1 year | California only | Not stated | $25,050 each |
All programs are delivered online, with optional attendance at any of the six sites. “Online enrollment” means the states whose residents can enroll; the catalog also lists an Indiana authorization, with no Indiana site, so Indiana residents should confirm which programs they can take. Course content is mapped to the objectives of the certification exams listed, but the programs do not award those certifications. The certificates are not approved for federal aid or VA benefits, and none of the programs carries specialized (programmatic) accreditation. Laurus has no nursing, medical assisting or other clinical programs and no hands-on trade programs, so none leads to a state licence.
What the main programs cover
Information Technology (AS)
The AS core covers Hardware Technology Fundamentals, Operating Systems and Security, Introduction to Database Management, Network Infrastructure and Operations, Network Services and Security, Python, Cybersecurity Fundamentals, Fundamentals of Network Security and Project Management. Students then pick a concentration: Cybersecurity, Help Desk and Support, Network Administration (Microsoft Endpoint Administration, Advanced Networking with Cisco Technologies, Network Defense), Web Development, IT Project Support or Health Information Systems. The careers Laurus names include network and computer systems administrator, network support specialist and computer user support specialist.
Information Technology (BS)
The 190-credit bachelor’s builds on the AS courses and adds Linux Administration, Windows Server Infrastructure, Server Administration and Cloud Integration, and Cloud Infrastructure. Its concentrations are Cybersecurity, Cloud and DevOps, Networking and Infrastructure (including a Cisco course), Web Design and Digital Marketing, IT Management and Strategy, Cybersecurity Governance and Healthcare Information Management. Course content is mapped to CompTIA Cloud+ and CySA+ and to Microsoft AZ-800 and AZ-204, among others. Laurus names network administrator, systems analyst, database administrator and IT consultant as target jobs.
Cyber Security (AS)
The Cyber Security AS is open only to California students; Nevada has not approved it. Its 14 core courses include digital forensics, network defense, incident response, ethical hacking and Windows Server, and the content is mapped to CompTIA Security+, A+ and Network+ and to Microsoft AZ-800. Laurus names security analyst and network security analyst as target jobs. Students in the IT degrees can take a cybersecurity concentration instead, which is also available in Nevada.
Healthcare Management (Occupational Associate)
This degree replaced Medical Billing and Coding, and Nevada students still enroll under that name. The core covers Medical Terminology, Medical Office Functions, Revenue Cycle, Healthcare Finance (including 1500 claim forms), human resources, supervision, and leadership and compliance. A Medical Coding and Reimbursement concentration adds Understanding Health Insurance, ICD-10 Diagnosis Coding and Current Procedural Coding; the other concentrations are Healthcare and Data Informatics and Patient Experience. No coding certification exam is named, so ask before counting on CPC or CCA preparation.
Help Desk and Support (certificate)
The one-year certificate packs ten courses into 50 quarter credits: hardware, operating systems and security, Microsoft Endpoint Administration, network infrastructure, Linux administration, ITIL, Python, cybersecurity fundamentals, network security fundamentals and career development. Content is mapped to CompTIA A+, Network+, Linux+ and Security+, Microsoft Endpoint Administrator and ITIL 4. Laurus names help desk technician, IT support specialist and desktop support analyst as target jobs. It is open to California students only and cannot be paid for with federal aid or VA benefits.
Cost: one 2026 rate for every student
Laurus charges one rate to every student, with no in-state or out-of-state tiers. Its 2026 catalog (1 January to 31 December 2026) sets tuition at $2,000 per five-credit course, plus a program fee of $100 per general-education course and $200 per core, elective or concentration course, a $100 registration fee and an equipment package of $2,950 ($7,500 for Audio Video Production). Assuming no transfer credit, catalog totals are $25,050 for a certificate, $46,250 to $50,800 for an associate degree and $85,450 to $90,000 for a bachelor’s; the $85,450 figure applies to programs now in teach-out.
| Level | Programs | 2026 catalog total |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate (50 quarter credits) | All five certificates | $25,050 |
| Associate (100) | Information Technology AS; Healthcare Management OA; Business Administration AS | $46,250: tuition $40,000, program fees $3,200, equipment $2,950, registration $100 |
| Associate (100) | Cyber Security AS | $46,450 (program fees $3,400) |
| Associate (100) | Audio Video Production AS | $50,800 ($7,500 equipment) |
| Bachelor’s (190) | Information Technology BS; Business Administration BS | $85,650: tuition $76,000, program fees $6,600, equipment $2,950, registration $100 |
| Bachelor’s (190) | Audio Video Production BS | $90,000 |
No 2027 catalog or price list had been published when we checked, so these are the latest figures. We found no itemised list of what the equipment package contains, so ask before you enroll whether it includes a computer.
Degree students can use federal aid (school code 041414): Pell Grants, FSEOG, Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, Parent PLUS loans and Federal Work-Study. The certificates are not eligible. Laurus offers no named scholarships of its own; its funding page points to an outside scholarship search. It does not take Cal Grants.
Admissions and five-week courses
- A high school diploma or equivalent (a DD-214 is accepted in some cases), an application and an admissions interview. Laurus does not admit students without one (no Ability-to-Benefit route).
- Applicants must show they can learn online and meet the technology requirements. Those educated in a non-English setting need TOEFL iBT 61 or IELTS 6.0.
- Provisional admission allows up to 5 credits while high school documents are pending.
- Transfer credit can cover up to 75% of a bachelor’s and 50% of an associate degree, with a minimum grade of C- and a 2.0 GPA.
Courses are five credits and last five weeks, so new terms start about every five weeks; advisors give the exact dates. Students take their classes online and may attend sessions on site at any of the six locations.
DEAC accreditation and state approvals
Laurus is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which first accredited it in June 2018. At its 19 June 2026 meeting the Commission renewed accreditation through June 2031, and its July 2026 report lists no probation, show-cause or other adverse action. From 2008 to 2022 Laurus was accredited by ACICS, an agency that is no longer federally recognized. No program has specialized accreditation.
In California, the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) lists Laurus as approved under institution code 4000761. Its approval to operate dates from February 2023 and was due for renewal around June 2026; we could not confirm the renewal, so check BPPE’s site for the current status. On 8 October 2025 BPPE issued Laurus a Class B citation with an order of abatement after an unannounced inspection in December 2024 found the college had not kept a required data point supporting its 2021/22 School Performance Fact Sheet. BPPE noted no prior discipline. In Nevada, Laurus is licensed by the Commission on Postsecondary Education, and in Indiana it is authorized by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education’s Board for Proprietary Education, according to the catalog.
Graduation and job placement rates
Laurus’s DEAC student achievement disclosure, published 30 March 2026, gives an institutional graduation rate of 34% for associate and bachelor’s students who graduated in 2025 within 150% of program length.
Federal figures on College Navigator are higher: 43% of full-time, first-time students who started in 2018-19 graduated within 150% of normal time, and 79% of first-year students returned from fall 2023 to fall 2024. Laurus had 1,116 undergraduates in fall 2024; 10% studied entirely at a distance and 90% took some distance courses.
In its 2024 annual report to BPPE, Laurus gives completion and placement rates by program for its California students; the report says these rates are not from IPEDS. Placement means graduates employed in the field out of graduates available for work. Programs are listed under their 2024 names.
| Program (2024 name) | Starts | Graduates | Completion | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AS Information Technologies and Network Systems (now AS Information Technology) | 36 | 16 | 30.56% | 23.08% (3 of 13) |
| BS IT Systems Management (now BS Information Technology) | 18 | 10 | 44.44% | 75% (6 of 8) |
| OA Medical Billing and Coding (now Healthcare Management) | 41 | 13 | 17.07% | 63.64% (7 of 11) |
| AS Business Administration | 155 | 58 | 26.45% | 74.07% (20 of 27) |
| AS Audio Video Production | 36 | 6 | 8.33% | 0% (0 of 4) |
None of Laurus’s programs leads to a licensure exam, so there are no pass rates to report.
Before you enroll
- Online enrollment is authorized only for California, Nevada and Indiana, and we found no listing for Laurus in the SARA reciprocity agreement. Students in any other state should confirm with Laurus that they can enroll before applying.
- Graduation and placement rates are low. Laurus’s 2025 graduation rate reported to DEAC is 34%, and only 3 of 13 available graduates of the AS in IT and network systems were working in the field in the 2024 BPPE report.
- The certificates and the Cyber Security degree are for California students only, and the certificates cannot be paid for with federal aid or VA benefits.
- Courses are mapped to CompTIA, Microsoft and ITIL exam objectives, but the programs do not award those certifications.
- Every program includes a charged equipment package ($2,950, or $7,500 for Audio Video Production) whose contents we could not find itemised.
- Laurus College is not related to Laurus Technical Institute in the Atlanta area.
Laurus’s six locations
- San Luis Obispo, CA: 81 Higuera Street, Suite 110, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
- San Luis Obispo (Atascadero), CA: 8693 El Camino Real, Atascadero, CA 93422
- Santa Maria, CA: 411 East Betteravia Road, Suite 100-B, Santa Maria, CA 93454
- Oxnard, CA: 2351 Lockwood Street, Oxnard, CA 93036
- Las Vegas, NV: 8965 S Eastern Avenue, Suite 280, Las Vegas, NV 89123
- San Diego (Chula Vista), CA: 2300 Boswell Road, Suite 170, Chula Vista, CA 91914
San Luis Obispo is the main location; the four other California sites are BPPE-registered branches, and BPPE lists the same 15 programs at each. All six share one phone number, (805) 267-1690. The college’s administrative offices at 421 East Betteravia Road, Suite 100, Santa Maria, are offices only and are not counted as a location. Oxnard opened in 2011, Las Vegas in 2020 and Chula Vista in 2021; we found no location openings or closings from 2023 to 2026.
Housing and veterans’ benefits
Laurus has no student housing; the catalog says students who attend on site live near a location. It accepts the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the Montgomery GI Bill (chapters 30 and 1606), Veteran Readiness and Employment (chapter 31) and transferred or dependent benefits. To receive the GI Bill housing allowance at the in-residence rate, a student must attend at least one 50-minute class session on site each term. The $100 registration fee is waived for eligible active-duty members, reservists, veterans and dependents. Veterans are a large share of students: 861 undergraduates received Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits in 2023-24, and College Navigator lists Laurus as a Yellow Ribbon school.
What students say
On Niche, Laurus College averages 4.31 out of 5 from 86 reviews, with an overall grade of B (checked 16 October 2026). Reviewers praise flexible scheduling for working adults, service members and parents, supportive and accessible instructors with small classes, and strong support for veterans. Complaints concern billing and financial-aid transparency, trouble getting the courses students wanted, and administrative mistakes, such as a fee charged to reprint a diploma issued with the wrong name. We could not see the review dates, so we cannot say whether the reviews arrived in bursts or were invited by the school.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Computer and Information Technology
- Information Technology (AS)
- Information Technology (BS)
- Cyber Security (AS)
- Help Desk and Support (certificate)
- VIBE Coding (certificate)
Business
- Business Administration (AS)
- Business Administration (BS)
- Hospitality Management (certificate)
- Agricultural Business Management (certificate)
- Casino and Gaming Management (certificate)
Healthcare
- Healthcare Management (Occupational Associate)
Media
- Audio Video Production (AS)
- Audio Video Production (BS)
Campus Locations
San Luis Obispo, CA 81 Higuera Street, Suite 110, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
San Luis Obispo (Atascadero), CA 8693 El Camino Real, Atascadero, CA 93422
Santa Maria, CA 411 East Betteravia Road, Suite 100-B, Santa Maria, CA 93454
Oxnard, CA 2351 Lockwood Street, Oxnard, CA 93036
Las Vegas, NV 8965 S Eastern Avenue, Suite 280, Las Vegas, NV 89123
San Diego (Chula Vista), CA 2300 Boswell Road, Suite 170, Chula Vista, CA 91914