No sports. No dorms. No study-abroad. National University’s structure and format are nontraditional, but many of its students are, too. Since its founding, the school has focused on serving working adults, and today, about 80% of students are 25 and older.
National University’s courses are structured in four- or eight-week segments, and students take just one class at a time so they can focus on one subject while juggling other responsibilities (like a full-time job). The university is based in San Diego, but about three-quarters of students take courses exclusively online. Students who want in-person instruction can attend one of the 28 campuses across California.
Many of the university’s largest majors have clear career paths, such as nursing, early childhood education and criminal justice, but there are more than 60 bachelor’s degree programs to choose from. (The No. 1 most popular is business administration.)
National University was founded by a veteran who saw a need to serve vets after the Vietnam War. The legacy is still seen today: NU enrolls active-duty military students (it offers courses on more than a dozen military bases), thousands of its students are receiving Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits, and the university offers discounted tuition for military personnel and veterans, as well as their dependents.
