| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private, for-profit career college; campus programs plus three online programs for California residents |
| Campus | 1: Panorama City (Los Angeles), CA, with a separate classroom building nearby |
| Credentials | Diplomas and Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees |
| Typical length | 8 to 9 months for diplomas; about 14 months for Vocational Nursing and the AAS degrees |
| Accreditation | ABHES (institutional) since 28 Jul 2008; next review 28 Feb 2028 |
| State approvals | BPPE (institution); Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (Vocational Nursing) |
| Federal aid | Yes (Title IV) |
| Published totals | $16,900 to $37,385 per program (program pages, no effective date stated) |
| Students | 398 in fall 2024, all full-time |
| Founded | 2005, as the Dental Technology Institute of Southern California; renamed in 2008; privately held |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
National Career College: a Los Angeles nursing and allied-health school
National Career College (NCC) is a private for-profit career college in Panorama City, in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. It opened in 2005 as the Dental Technology Institute of Southern California and took its current name in 2008, the year it was first accredited by ABHES. Its website lists six programs: Vocational Nursing, Medical Assistant and Dental Assistant on campus, and a Medical Office Specialist diploma and two associate degrees, in Healthcare Administration and in Business Management & Accounting, fully online for California residents only. Vocational Nursing is the largest program, with 111 of the college’s 256 completions in 2024-25, according to federal data. The college had 398 students, all full-time, in fall 2024.
Six programs, three of them online
NCC awards diplomas and Associate of Applied Science degrees. Totals in the table are the school’s published program-page figures.
| Program | Credential | Length | Where and how | Prepares for | Published total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational Nursing | Diploma, 58.5 credits | 57 weeks (about 14 months) | On campus, full-time day classes; 842 clinical hours | NCLEX-PN, California LVN licence | $37,385 |
| Medical Assistant | Diploma, 34.0 credits | 8 months | On campus: day, afternoon or evening hybrid; 205-hour externship | CMA (AAMA), NCMA (NCCT) | $16,900 |
| Dental Assistant | Diploma, 39.5 credits | 9 months | On campus: day or evening hybrid; 160-hour externship | Dental Board of California radiation safety, infection control and coronal polishing certifications (not RDA) | $19,390 |
| Medical Office Specialist (medical billing and coding) | Diploma, 37.5 credits | 8 months | Online, live classes; California residents only; 205-hour externship | NCICS, NCMOA (NCCT) | $16,900 |
| Healthcare Administration | AAS, 65 credits | 14 months (61 weeks) | Online, live classes; California residents only; 160-hour externship | CRCS (AAHAM), CCA (AHIMA), as named by the school | $29,900 |
| Business Management & Accounting | AAS, 67 credits | 14 months (60 weeks) | Online, live classes; California residents only; no externship | No exam named | $29,900 |
Every program except the business degree includes an externship or clinical placement, which the school arranges in California for online students too. ABHES accredits the college as a whole; the school claims no separate programmatic accreditation for any program.
What the main programs cover
Vocational Nursing
The diploma totals 58.5 semester credits and 1,624 clock hours over 57 weeks, and 842 of those hours are clinical practice in healthcare facilities. The programs index describes it as full-time day classes, and the program page lists a Monday-to-Thursday day schedule. Applicants need a score of 21 on the Scholastic Level Exam, at least 45.0% in the basic range of the TEAS, and California residency. The program is approved by the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians, and graduates take the NCLEX-PN to become licensed vocational nurses.
Medical Assistant
This 34.0-credit diploma takes eight months. Students pick one of three schedules: days Monday to Thursday, afternoons Monday to Friday, or an evening hybrid that meets in person on Mondays and Tuesdays and online on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The program includes a 205-hour externship. Completers can sit the Certified Medical Assistant exam of the AAMA or the National Certified Medical Assistant exam of the NCCT. Diploma applicants need a high-school diploma or equivalent and a score of 12 on the entrance exam.
Dental Assistant
The Dental Assistant diploma is 39.5 credits over nine months, taken by day from Monday to Thursday or as an evening hybrid with two in-person and two online evenings a week. It includes a 160-hour externship in dental offices. The program includes the Dental Board of California’s radiation safety, infection control and coronal polishing certifications. The program does not make graduates Registered Dental Assistants; the school says they can pursue the RDA once they have work experience.
Medical Office Specialist
The school also calls this diploma Medical Billing and Coding Specialist. It is 37.5 semester credits over eight months, taught fully online in live sessions, by day or evening, Monday to Thursday. Coursework covers ICD-10-CM and CPT coding, insurance claims, the MOSS billing software, electronic health records and HIPAA, plus a 205-hour externship at a local medical facility. The program page names the NCCT’s NCICS and NCMOA exams but not the CPC. Applicants must prove California residency and basic computer skills.
Healthcare Administration (AAS)
This online degree takes 14 months (61 weeks) and is listed at 65 semester credits, though the FAQ on the same page says 65.5. Live classes run by day or evening, Monday to Thursday. Courses cover electronic medical billing and records, electronic health records, healthcare information systems, insurance and coding, and human-resources and operations management. Students complete a 160-hour externship at a California site. The program page names the AAHAM CRCS and AHIMA CCA credentials. Degree applicants need an entrance-exam score of 16.
Business Management & Accounting (AAS)
The degree is 67 semester credits over 14 months (60 weeks), 15 of them in general education, taught in live online sessions Monday to Thursday. Two accounting courses cover service and merchandise businesses, and further courses cover QuickBooks I and II, payroll accounting and income tax preparation. Management courses include introduction to business, business management skills, human-resources management, business law and a single business marketing course, plus office software. It is the only NCC program without an externship.
One price per program, and how students pay
NCC charges one price per program, with no in-state or out-of-state rates, and distance education costs no more. The Vocational Nursing program page and the other program pages list these totals but give no effective date (checked October 2026). We could not read the tuition schedule in the 2026 catalog, so confirm the current price before enrolling.
| Program | Tuition | Materials and supplies | Books and uniforms | Registration | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational Nursing | $32,825 | $1,995 | $2,490 | $75 | $37,385 |
| Medical Assistant | $14,900 | $1,550 | $375 | $75 | $16,900 |
| Dental Assistant | $17,298 | $1,457 | $560 | $75 | $19,390 |
| Medical Office Specialist (online) | $15,100 | $1,065 | $660 | $75 | $16,900 |
| Healthcare Administration AAS (online) | $28,252 | $713 | $860 | $75 | $29,900 |
| Business Management & Accounting AAS (online) | $28,162 | $803 | $860 | $75 | $29,900 |
The totals are higher than in the school’s 2022 to 2024 state reports, which listed $35,885 for Vocational Nursing, $16,350 for Medical Assistant and Medical Office Specialist, $18,591.50 for Dental Assistant and $27,432.50 for each AAS. California’s Student Tuition Recovery Fund adds $2.50 per $1,000 of charges. Online students get a Chromebook at no extra cost.
NCC takes federal student aid, and 88% of its students received federal student loans in 2024, according to its 2024 state report. It also accepts Cal Grant, WIOA (through the state’s training provider list) and Vocational Rehabilitation; it publishes no named scholarships. Niche, citing federal data, puts the average net price at $26,953 a year.
Veterans can use the Montgomery GI Bill (Chapter 30), Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33), Chapter 35, Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31) and military Tuition Assistance. Prior military training is evaluated for credit, and the school charges no late fees if VA payments are delayed.
Admissions, entrance exams and schedules
Applicants need a high-school diploma or a recognized equivalent such as the GED or HiSET, an interview and campus tour, an application with a $75 non-refundable registration fee, and a basic-skills assessment. The entrance test is the Scholastic Level Exam, 50 questions in 12 minutes: the passing score is 12 for diplomas, 16 for degrees and 21 for Vocational Nursing, with two attempts allowed. An ability-to-benefit route uses the Wonderlic test. Vocational Nursing also requires the TEAS and California residency, and the online programs require proof of California residency.
Campus programs run by day, with afternoon or evening-hybrid options for Medical Assistant and an evening hybrid for Dental Assistant. The online programs meet live by day or evening, Monday to Thursday. The catalog lists academic hours of 8:30am to 10:30pm Monday to Thursday and 1 to 5pm on Friday.
Accreditation and results
NCC has been accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) since 28 July 2008, and its next review is due 28 February 2028, according to College Navigator. It is approved by California’s Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE), its Vocational Nursing program by the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians, and it holds California Department of Public Health and VA approvals. The CDPH approval covers a Nurse Assistant Training program that appears in the catalog but not on the website; it had two starts in 2024. The BPPE’s 2024 report records no final disciplinary action by the accreditor that year.
| Measure | Result | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Vocational Nursing, first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate | 74% of 91 testers | 2025, Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians |
| Vocational Nursing, first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate | 83% of 86 testers | 2024, same source |
| Vocational Nursing, first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate | 77% of 70 testers (2023); 77% of 53 (2022) | Same source |
| Graduation rate | 74% graduated or transferred out within 150% of normal time | Full-time, first-time students who began in 2021-22; College Navigator (federal IPEDS data) |
| Retention | 88% | Fall 2023 to fall 2024; College Navigator |
| Three-year loan default rate | 0% (0 of 196 borrowers) | FY2021 cohort; College Navigator |
| Employed in the field | 72% (Dental Assistant) to 100% (Healthcare Administration, 14 of 14); Vocational Nursing 75% | 2024 graduates available for work, school report to the BPPE |
NCC’s own filings with the BPPE report a 100% licensure pass rate for Vocational Nursing in each year from 2022 to 2024, for example 88 of 88 in 2024. Those figures count passers among graduates who reported results and leave out first-attempt failures, so this page uses the board’s first-time rates. The 2025 rate of 74% was the lowest of the five years the board lists from 2021.
Before you enroll
- NCC has no registered nursing (RN) program. Vocational Nursing leads to an LVN licence; becoming an RN takes a separate program elsewhere.
- The three online programs admit California residents only and are not open to students in other states.
- The Vocational Nursing first-time pass rate fell from 83% in 2024 to 74% in 2025, while the school’s own state filings claim 100%. Ask for current board results before enrolling.
- Dental Assistant is not a Registered Dental Assistant program, and the Healthcare Administration degree is not accredited by CAHIIM and does not lead to the RHIT credential.
- NCC does not guarantee employment, and its catalog says the jobs graduates find are “in all probability” entry level.
One campus and a nearby classroom building
All campus programs and every lab course are at 14355 Roscoe Blvd., Panorama City, CA 91402, which also houses admissions and financial aid. A separate Educational Center at 8215 Van Nuys Blvd. #100, about 0.3 miles away, has classrooms only and is part of the same campus. Panorama City is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles.
Housing and career help
NCC has no dormitories. Its catalog estimates nearby housing at about $500 to $1,000 a month, and Student Services can help with housing and transportation. Job placement assistance is free, and externships are built into every program except the business degree.
What students say
On Niche, National Career College is rated 4.42 out of 5 from 50 reviews, with an overall grade of B- (checked October 2026). The review snippets we could read praise supportive staff and faculty, hands-on labs and externships, short programs and a helpful career center. A few reviews give one or two stars, but we could not read their text, so we can’t summarize the complaints. Fifty reviews is a small sample, and we could not tell whether they were invited by the school.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Vocational Nursing
- Vocational Nursing (LVN), diploma
Medical and Dental Assisting
- Medical Assistant, diploma
- Dental Assistant, diploma
Healthcare Administration (online, California residents only)
- Medical Office Specialist (Medical Billing & Coding), diploma
- Healthcare Administration (AAS)
Business (online, California residents only)
- Business Management & Accounting (AAS)
Campus Locations
Los Angeles (Panorama City), CA 14355 Roscoe Boulevard, Panorama City, CA 91402