Westwood College-Los Angeles (WCLA) Academics and Admissions

Academics

Westwood College was established in Los Angeles in 1999, and since the very beginning has been recognized as an institution that offers high quality education in the form of twenty diplomas, associates, bachelor’s, and master’s programs. Westwood College-Los Angeles offers careers belonging to four different programs: technology, business, and justice. In any of these areas you can find various course options, ranging from animation to criminal justice. Westwood is known for its fast-track, career focused training.

What does this mean? It means that students are engaged from the very beginning to learn and apply the fundamental skills required for successfully performing in a professional environment. Unlike most colleges and universities, Westwood’s approach enables its students to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in no more than three years. The foundation of a strong education lies in the relationship between students and teachers, but also in the interaction between students and the market; this is why the college strives to prepare their students to deal with real life situations by complementing theory with practice.

This approach has proven quite successful, and two accrediting agencies, the ACCSC and the ACICS (both recognized by the United States Department of Education) have already accredited the college’s courses; this has opened the door for Westwood students to federal loans and grants that the US government only gives high-quality educational establishments.

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Information Summary

Ranks 354th in California and 3880th overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	30.4
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$17,687
Admission Success rate	N/A
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	29 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	50% / 18%
Enrollment Total (all students)	672

Admissions

To apply to Westwood College, there are four basic steps that must be taken. First, applicants are required to fill out the college’s application form. This form will require students to fill out certain information and submit some documentation of past studies that demonstrates that the applicant ready for college. Apart from this, all applicants must complete the financing process; they must meet with counselors, enroll their classes, and get started. Some schools have highly selective admissions processes, but this is not the case with Westwood College.

Westwood is a college that wishes to offer high-quality education to as many people as it possibly can, as long as applicants have the knowledge and capacity of making good use of it. Finally, given that courses only last two months, applicants are welcome to begin their application processes at any point they feel like doing so; the college receives applications all year round, there are no actual deadlines given that if you miss out on one course you can be admitted to the one that immediately follows.

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Financial Aid

Westwood College understands that some students find colleges unaffordable, so it tries to assist all students get the financing help they need through its Financial Aid Office. At present, Westwood College offers financial aid in the form of grants, scholarships, and student loans.

Scholarships and grants are granted on the basis of need, merit, and talent. For example, if you are a student with excellent grades you can apply for a scholarship. If you are a California state resident and have good grades but not enough money to attend college, you may be eligible for either a scholarship or a grant. It is also important to know that financial assistance, despite being open to all who need it, is limited; it is important that you apply in a timely manner because applications are processed on a date-received basis.

Student Financial Aid Details

Ranks 91st for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in California.

Students

Westwood College opened its very own Los Angeles campus in 1999. This campus offers no on-campus housing for its students but given its location, students are more than able to find suitable housing accommodation close by. Westwood does assist students in finding appropriate housing around campus; the Collegiate Housing Service works with Westwood in providing shared student housing in apartments.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Student Graduation Demographics

Athletics

Westwood College presently has no Athletics Department; it offers no intramural sports and it does not compete in any college division anywhere in the United States. The college understands that sports and recreation are important but given that the college is a fast-track, career-focused institution, it leaves students to pursue athletics on their own time outside the campus. Westwood is still growing and developing to better service the educational needs of students, but until then, it is important that you know that there are no sports teams associated with the college and there are no opportunities of receiving sporting scholarships.

Additional School Information

Activities occur all year round on campus; the idea of these activities is to enhance student life and enabling them to become balanced, mature, and socially responsible people. The activities sponsored by Westwood include the following: job fairs, charity events, Thanksgiving feasts, Winterfest, and barbecues, among others. The college also has a wide offering of student clubs in all of its divisions (business, design, Technology, and Justice) so that students can pursue individual interests that are in some way related to their chosen career (or to another that they find interesting but do not wish to pursue in full).

If you are interested in achieving academic excellence, you should know that the college does have a chapter of the Alpha Beta Kappa National Honor Society, which has the objective of promoting excellence in its members. So, no matter what your interests outside your chosen career paths are, Westwood College offers various alternatives so that you can fulfill all of your expectations and get an integral education.

Bibliography

About us, http://www.westwood.edu/why-westwood/about-us/, web, 26 July 2011.
Admissions, http://www.westwood.edu/admissions/, web, 26 July, 2011
Financial Aid, http://www.westwood.edu/financial-aid/, web, 26 July 2011
Snider, Mark. How to get money for college 2011: Financing your future beyond federal aid. United States: Peterson’s, 2011. Print.

Westwood College-Los Angeles