About Northcentral University
At NCU, we are dedicated to providing our students with the personal attention they look for when pursuing advanced education. We take a great amount of pride in our programs and the thousands of graduates who have achieved their goals, be it completing their bachelor's degree, obtaining a Master's degree or successfully defending their dissertation to earn their doctoral degree.
School of Business
Interested in Business?
Our School of Business can help you gain leadership skills, insight and real-world knowledge that can be taken directly from the classroom to the workplace.
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School of Education
Interested in Education?
Our School of Education can help you increase your impact in the classroom and beyond with degrees designed to elevate your knowledge and leadership abilities.
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School of Social & Behavioral Sciences
Interested in Psychology?
Our Department of Psychology can expand your understanding of human behavior while supporting your professional growth with courses led by an all-doctoral faculty.
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Interested in Marriage and Family Therapy?
Our Department of Marriage and Family Sciences can help you explore a future in social work or a career in one of today’s fastest growing mental health professions.
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School of Technology
Interested in Technology?
Our School of Technology will help you acquire cutting-edge skills and knowledge that’s aligned with the rapidly evolving tech industry, including leadership and research skills.
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School of Health Sciences
Interested in Health Sciences?
Our School of Health Sciences can elevate your skills and prepare you for leadership roles with curriculum aligned with industry needs and classes led by all-doctoral faculty.
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Why Northcentral University?
ONE-TO-ONE LEARNING MODEL
In each and every course, one student is paired with one faculty member, resulting in a class size of one. Featuring individualized teaching through feedback, a deeper understanding of the material is achieved and a real relationship built on mutual respect is formed between the professor and the student.
FINANCING
Paying for college is a major financial commitment, so we try to keep our tuition and fees as low as possible while still providing a quality academic experience. Financial aid is available to those who qualify and our financial aid team will work with you to create the plan that best works for you.
100% DOCTORAL FACULTY
As part of our commitment to excellence in online higher education, Northcentral University maintains 100% doctoral faculty, most of whom have completed their program of study at a regionally accredited institution of higher education in the discipline in which they teach or develop curricula.
GMAT/GRE NOT REQUIRED
Another part of the NCU difference is that, upon application to graduate school, Northcentral University does not require graduate testing such as the GRE or GMAT. This means you have the ability to earn an advanced degree on your own terms.
FLEXIBLE START DATE
You shouldn't have to put your education on hold, at Northcentral University we offer weekly course starts to fit your schedule. With no need to wait for the start of a semester, you can start your educational journey as soon as you're ready.
UNIQUE FLEXIBILITY
Northcentral University has no physical residency requirements, which makes us a great fit for working professionals, as well as for military personnel and international students who do not have to relocate or spend money to travel to a campus to complete the online degree.
ACCREDITATIONS
Accreditation is a higher education seal of approval for schools, employers, and most importantly, for students. NCU is a WSCUC accredited institution. WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 985 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100, Alameda, CA 94501, 510.748.9001, www.wscuc.org. WSCUC is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

NCU - What It Takes
At Northcentral University, we believe you have what it takes to change the world, so we offer what it takes to make it happen.
Our 100% online graduate online programs are designed to help working professionals pursue their passions and achieve their goals.
There are no boundaries to what you can achieve!
Learn more at info.ncu.edu
Northcentral University Overview
Northcentral University is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. San Diego is a great location for students who prefer city over country life.
What Is Northcentral University Known For?
- Students who want to work more closely with their professors have an easier time at Northcentral University since the student to facuty ratio is 1 to 1.
- The highest award offered at Northcentral University is the doctor's degree.
- For the 2017-2018 academic year, 26% of the faculty were full-time.
Northcentral University Rankings
These rankings may look different from those published by other outlets, because we use an outcomes-based approach rather than a subjective one. We get our data from a number of places, including the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard. For more information, check out our rankings and methodology page.
Northcentral University has been awarded the following overall awards by our latest rankings.
Program Level Awards
These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at Northcentral University.
Where Is Northcentral University?

Contact details for Northcentral University are given below.
Contact Details | |
---|---|
Address: | 11355 N. Torrey Pines Road, San Diego, CA 92037 |
Phone: | 888-327-2877 |
Website: | www.ncu.edu |
Facebook: | http://www.facebook.com/NorthcentralU |
Twitter: | https://twitter.com/NorthcentralU |
How Do I Get Into Northcentral University?
You can apply to Northcentral University online at: https://apply.ncu.edu/
Can I Afford Northcentral University?
The student loan default rate at Northcentral University is 5.4%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.
Northcentral University Undergraduate Student Diversity

There are also 11,058 graduate students at the school.
Gender Diversity
Of the 45 full-time undergraduates at Northcentral University, 4% are male and 96% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity
The racial-ethnic breakdown of Northcentral University students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 0 |
Black or African American | 3 |
Hispanic or Latino | 4 |
White | 9 |
International Students | 0 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 29 |
Online Learning at Northcentral University
The following chart shows how the online learning population at Northcentral University has changed over the last few years.

This school is the 9th most popular in California for online learning according to the online graduations recorded by the Department of Education for the academic year 2017-2018.
Online Growth Rankings of Northcentral University
The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at Northcentral University was -1.4%. This is the #178 largest growth rate of all schools that are mostly online. This refers to all students at Northcentral University regardless of major.
The following table shows the 1-year growth rate of Northcentral University majors that offer at least one online course. This table only includes majors with positive growth.
Major | 1-Year Growth Rate |
---|---|
Business Administration & Management | 3% |
Business, Management & Marketing | 4% |
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology | 95% |
Computer & Information Sciences | 90% |
Computer Information Systems | 90% |
Health Professions | 9% |
Mental & Social Health Services | 9% |
Psychology | 9% |
The table below shows how the average growth rate over 4 years at Northcentral University ranks compared to all other mostly online schools that offer a specific major.
Major | Growth Rate Rank | |
---|---|---|
Child Development & Psychology | #17 | |
General Education | #21 | |
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology | #32 | |
Mental & Social Health Services | #32 | |
General Psychology | #49 | |
Psychology | #56 | |
Computer Information Systems | #57 | |
Accounting | #75 | |
Computer & Information Sciences | #78 | |
Education | #85 | |
Business Administration & Management | #111 | |
Health Professions | #119 | |
Business, Management & Marketing | #121 |
When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.
Northcentral University Undergraduate Concentrations
The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.
Major | Bachelor’s | Graduate Certificate | Master’s | Doctor’s | TOTAL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Education | 9 | 168 | 291 | 394 | 862 |
Business Administration & Management | 9 | 33 | 395 | 328 | 765 |
General Psychology | 11 | 19 | 113 | 75 | 218 |
Mental & Social Health Services | 0 | 23 | 158 | 7 | 188 |
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology | 0 | 0 | 55 | 0 | 55 |
Child Development & Psychology | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
Computer Information Systems | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Accounting | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Educational Administration | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Human Resource Management | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Computer Science | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Data Processing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Information Technology | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Curriculum & Instruction | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Teacher Education Grade Specific | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Health & Medical Administrative Services | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Nursing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Legal Research | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Criminal Justice & Corrections | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Public Administration | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Social Work | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
TOTAL | 29 | 244 | 1,039 | 804 | 2,116 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
More about our data sources and methodologies.