State Board Rules to Limit University’s Enrollment While Nursing Shortage Persists

Registered nurses and health care workers rally outside a hospital in a file photo in Los Angeles on March 11, 2020. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

With the state facing a nursing shortage—and following two days of contentious, passionate discussion from board members, stakeholders, and dozens of public commenters—California’s Board of Registered Nurses decided Nov. 16 to limit the number of nursing students allowed to enroll at Irvine-based West Coast University.

The school was previously allowed to enroll 1,500 students annually, split evenly at campuses in Orange County, Los Angeles, and Ontario, California—though numbers swelled to approximately 3,300 by 2023.