California Coast University (CCU) is a fully online university providing students and professionals with an opportunity to obtain accredited degrees or advance their education. It is not an online branch of an existing school. The focus of California Coast is flexibility, with almost no time frames, schedules, or deadlines to worry
about. In fact, most students can even enroll at any point during the year. Add to that affordable tuition costs, and CCU is an appealing choice for many students.
| Best for | Working professionals, or those short on time, budget-friendly tuition |
| Tuition Discount | Active duty, veterans, law enforcement, firefighters, US government, CCU degree graduates, corporate partner discounts, payment plans |
| Financial aid availability | None Applicable |
| Available degrees | Associates, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral, Undergraduate Certificates, Graduate Certificates |
| Number of majors/programs available | 42 programs |
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Outstanding features |
Flexible scheduling, affordable tuition |
California Coast was started in 1973, and today it is one of the leading resources for online degrees and higher education accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission.
Additionally, here are two reasons many students prefer California Coast:
-Ultimate in flexibility
If you thought you never had time to go to college, then California Coast is the right option for you. It’s got to be one of the most flexible schools we have ever encountered. How flexible? For one thing, California Coast has rolling admissions. That means students can apply and get accepted to college at any time of year, and you don’t have to wait for a semester to start or finish to enroll. That’s pretty darn flexible. But it’s just the beginning of the story.
California Coast also has self-paced study programs. So, instead of working together as a class on a specific timetable, you are free to finish the course material on your own schedule. Depending on your personality, this can be a positive or a negative point. For some people, they’d simply never finish their degree or would flunk out of the class if they were given that much flexibility. But if you are dedicated to getting your degree, then this type of flexibility can be exactly what you need to finally fit classes in when you have the time.
There are a few rules to keep in mind, though. You’ll need to have a minimum of one course completed every six months. You’ll also have a time limit of 2 years for a Certificate, 5 years for Associate, Bachelors, and Masters programs, and 10 years for a Doctorate. So it’s not like you can take forever to finish the work, as there is a limit to your procrastination! And this works in the other direction as well: California Coast allows you to finish much faster (we’re talking 9 months for a BA or MA, 3 years for a doctorate, and 16 weeks for a certificate program).
-Fully online university
In addition to having all of your classes online, California Coast is a totally fully online college. Meaning, it has no physical campus at all. While having a real-life student body can be useful for several reasons, being totally online also has its perks. It means that the school is completely dedicated to making remote learning work, because, frankly, there’s no other option.
California Coast is definitely one of the most affordable college experiences you can find. So the tuition itself is lower than the average school charges, and California Coast also has payment plans (interest-free) starting at $150 per month. The per-unit cost is roughly $170 for Associate and Bachelor’s programs, around $250 for a Master’s, and somewhere in the range of $320 for a Doctorate.
California Coast also has a 10% discount for many potential students, including those in active military duty, veterans, government employees, anyone in law enforcement, and firefighters. You can also get a discount if you are a California Coast University degree or a corporate partner employee.
There are other fees that may be associated with your degree, so keep this in mind. For example, re-evaluation will cost you $75, program changes $250, and late fees $10. Not a ton of money, but these things add up if you’re not careful. California Coast also does not participate in regular financial aid programs. So bear that in mind when making your calculations.
Interest-free payment plans are offered at California Coast University. CCU currently offers different payment plans.
If you have professional training whether it’s in your career field or a certification, it may apply towards elective credit for undergraduate degrees. You may save money and time from earning elective credit from professional training; it all depends on the evaluation step after applying.
If you are a self-motivated and determined individual, then CCU will be a good fit for you! The programs exclude group projects to give students complete autonomy of their educational progress. Depending on the program, the requirement for completion varies:
Undergraduate certificates have a minimum of 16 weeks and a maximum of 2 years. Associate, bachelor’s & master’s degrees have a minimum of 9 months and a maximum of 5 years. Finally, a doctoral degree has a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 10 years.
Required documents for application process
1. Application (does incur a $75 fee)
2. Transcripts (unofficial transcripts are acceptable for the application evaluation process, but for enrollment the official transcripts are required)
3. Resume (highly recommended to be as detail as possible)
4. Professional Training (if applicable)
▪ Applications expire after (30) days.
▪ Enrollment agreements expire after (45) days.
▪ Re-evaluation costs $75
▪ The cost for changing degree programs is $250
▪ The late fee for the monthly tuition payment plan is $10
California Coast has degrees in the following fields:
You can get an Associate Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, or Doctorate from California Coast University. Certificates are also available. However, one downside is that you cannot take individual classes. So, if you are missing just one or two classes to complete your degree, California Coast is not the best option for you.
California Coast is accredited by the DEAC (Distance Education Accrediting Commission), a private, non-profit organization founded in 1926 that operates as an institutional accreditor of distance education institutions. Additionally, the school holds institutional approval from the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) of the State of California as well as several other academic affiliations (AACRAO, CAEL, MyCAA, CCRS, to name a few).
▪ “The value was amazing and done very professionally. My father actually attended CCU and suggested it to me.”-Lisa M. Lopez (CCU Graduate 2022 - BS Business Administration)
▪ “I am a law enforcement professional of over 17 yrs. My schedule is pretty crazy. This program allowed me to work at my own pace, get work done when I could, and was affordable.”- Justin Sorrentino (CCU Graduate 2022 - BS Criminal Justice)
▪ “I wanted to show my kids how important education is. Always better to show and not just preach it. This school has been amazing and I can't say enough good things about it. I have recommended this to coworkers, family, and friends.” - Stephanie Moser (CCU Graduate 2022 - BS Health Care Administration)
▪ “I never planned on getting a masters degree, but when I decided to, I’m glad I chose CCU. The balance between my degree and work made it so much easier to accomplish.”- (CCU Graduate 2022 – MA Organizational Leadership)
California Coast assigns its students Student Success Advisors upon enrollment to assist their students through graduation. Additionally, you can take advantage of the other resources available through the college, including:
California Coast has a textbook rental library to help students manage the hefty price tags that new textbooks usually come with. The library lets you rent out a textbook for 120 days for just $35, with a $50 deposit you get back when you return it.
What’s even more impressive is that California Coast University has created a study guide for every course offered in its online degree catalog. The guides are well-written, and they’re meant to assist students in navigating the course material and structure of the program. This is a particularly useful resource for online learning since many students may find it difficult to follow along without an in-person teacher and classroom environment. Study guides come with all the course material needed to complete the course, unit exams, writing assignments, final exams, syllabus, and instructional materials.
California Coast University takes online learning to a new level. A fully online university, California Coast has invested a lot of time and effort into making remote learning successful for anyone. From the useful study guides, to low-cost textbooks, affordable tuition, flexible timeframes, and rolling admissions, California Coast certainly gives students plenty of reasons to sign up. The extremely low costs of tuition and helpful student resources opportunities just seal the deal with this online degree opportunity.