Westcliff University (WU) is a private, for-profit university in Irvine, California. Founded in 1993, it offers bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees, as well as certificate programs and continuing education courses.[1]
History
Westcliff University was founded in 1993 with a focus on online education in the fields of business and education.[2]
In 2019, Westcliff University acquired Western State College of Law, further expanding its educational offerings and strengthening its presence in legal education.[3]
Campus
The university moved to a new campus in 2018, located in the Von Karman Creative Campus area of Irvine, California.[4] The new location expanded the university's campus space more than four times larger than the previous facility.[4] The campus is centered by the main building housing classrooms, faculty offices, administrative services, and study areas, as well as a multipurpose building for athletics and recreation, career fairs, and other events.[4] In 2020, it moved to the nearby Intersect Campus area of Irvine.[5]
Westcliff also holds in-person classes at Plaza Tower in Cerritos, California.[6]
Academics
The university offers online and hybrid programs focused on business, IT, and education fields. Programs include one-year certificates, bachelor's degrees, post-baccalaureate certificates, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees.[1] The university is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), and Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). It is also approved by California's Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE).[7]
Colleges and schools
Westcliff University offers 21 areas of study and confers degrees from two colleges.[1] The university is classified as a Special Focus Four-Year: Business & Management School by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.[8] The university has a 10-to-1 student-faculty ratio and offers bachelor's degrees and master's degrees through its three colleges and one law school:[1]
Enrollment
International students make up 89% of the university's undergraduate enrollment.[9] As of Fall 2018, California residents accounted for 9% of the student population.[9] 98% of undergraduate enrollment was categorized as full-time. Eighty-one percent of undergraduates were registered in online programs, 1% enrolled in hybrid programs, and 18% enrolled in on-campus programs.[9] The graduate curriculum is spread across the programs more evenly, with 37% enrolled in online programs, 47% enrolled in hybrid coursework, and 16% in on-campus programs.[9]
Athletics
The Westcliff athletic teams are called the Warriors. The university competed as an independent program until 2020, when it joined the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac) in March of that year, effective beginning the 2020–21 school year.[10]
Westcliff competes in 28 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, futsal, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and water polo, while women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, futsal, lacrosse, soccer, softball, stunt, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and water polo. The university also sponsors a varsity ESports team. Westcliff Athletics also offers an academy team (developmental program) for another 11 teams.[11]
Along with the move to the NAIA, the university announced further expansion of the athletic program with the addition of men's and women's tennis, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's surfing, men's and women's water polo, softball and cheerleading.[12]
