Five Branches University

Private for-profitSpecial Focus: Medical Schools/CentersGraduate/Professional

Fin. Resilience

Resilience score

vs. 99 peers in its group

Five Branches University is a private for-profit institution in Santa Cruz, CA, classified by Carnegie as “Special Focus: Medical Schools/Centers.”

It is benchmarked here against 99 peer institutions (Special Focus: Medical Schools/Centers · Private for-profit).

On Ibex's Financial Resilience score it rates 20 out of 100 within that peer group, a transparent composite of endowment per undergraduate, net tuition revenue per student, and instructional spend per student.

Its strongest standing relative to peers is field-demand outlook (10-yr) (+6.2%, 86th percentile).

Its weakest is full-time faculty share (7.8%).

Peer group

Special Focus: Medical Schools/Centers · Private for-profit

99 institutions

No cross-metric risk flags triggered.

Policy & demographic exposure

How exposed Five Branches University is to the structural shifts reshaping higher ed: a composite structural-risk index plus the 2025 federal budget law’s endowment excise tax, Grad PLUS elimination, new Parent PLUS borrowing cap and new Workforce Pell short-term-credential opportunity, and the demographic enrollment cliff. Only signals that apply to this institution are shown.

Structural risk index

High

Grad PLUS exposure

49.2%

High exposure

Higher than 87% of schools nationally

AY2025-26 YTD (through Q2, Dec 2025)

Avg Grad PLUS loan

$19,929

Half the cap+

Higher than 52% of schools nationally

AY2025-26 YTD (through Q2, Dec 2025)

Enrollment cliff (home state)

-27.7%

Severe decline

Indicative signals, not forecasts, see each metric’s definition and the methodology. Endowment-tax, Grad PLUS, Parent PLUS and Workforce Pell figures appear only where the institution is actually exposed; “nationally” compares against all schools that report each signal.

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Revenue composition

Where the money comes from $4.6M total revenue · IPEDS FY2022-23

Tuition & fees is the largest single source at 94% of revenue.

Tuition & fees94.2%

Other revenue5.8%

Where each dollar of revenue comes from, as a share of total positive revenue. Sources are standardized across public (GASB) and private (FASB) reporting; a net investment loss in a down market is shown as 0% and excluded from the mix.

Federal funding mix

Which agencies fund this school $30,000 obligated · FY2024

Education alone accounts for 100% of it.

Education100.0%

Federal dollars each agency committed to this institution in FY2024, as a share of its total positive obligations (USAspending.gov). Obligations are money committed, not money spent, so this total will not match the audited “Federal awards expended” figure elsewhere on this page. Amounts an agency reclaimed during the year are excluded.

Financial Health

Net tuition revenue / FTE

Below peers

$11,816

17th percentile in peer grouppeer median $16,815

2024-2599 peers

Instructional spend / FTE

Below peers

$3,241

22nd percentile in peer grouppeer median $5,661

2024-2599 peers

Operating margin

Thin

2.6%

38th percentile in peer grouppeer median 7.8%

FY2022-2371 peers

Net surplus as a share of total revenue (IPEDS FY2022-23): (total revenues − total expenses) ÷ total revenues. A surplus above 4% is strong; a thin surplus near 0% leaves little margin for shocks.

Tuition dependency

94.2%

55th percentile in peer grouppeer median 93.8%

FY2022-2371 peers

Tuition & fees as a share of total revenue (IPEDS FY2022-23). Higher = more exposed to enrollment swings.

Financial responsibility score

Average

2.2

51st percentile in peer grouppeer median 2.2

FY2022-23 (Federal Student Aid)47 peers

The U.S. Department of Education's financial-responsibility composite score, a -1.0 to +3.0 measure of an institution's solvency built from its audited finances. 1.5 and above passes; 1.0-1.4 is a zone needing oversight; below 1.0 fails and can trigger letter-of-credit or cash-monitoring requirements. ED computes it only for private non-profit and proprietary schools, so it is reported only where scored. Higher is safer. Banded against the school's peer group.

Grad PLUS exposure

High exposure

49.2%

2024-25

Share of the institution's graduate federal loan dollars (Grad Unsubsidized + Grad PLUS) that came from Grad PLUS, the program the 2025 budget law eliminates for new borrowers from July 1, 2026, alongside new caps on graduate borrowing. A higher share means more of the school's graduate students rely on borrowing that will no longer exist above the unsubsidized cap. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education / Federal Student Aid Direct Loan Dashboard, primarily award year 2025-26 (year-to-date through Q2, December 2025), the most current federal data; schools not yet reporting Grad PLUS in 2025-26 retain their most recent complete year (2024-25), shown per school. The reliance share is stable across the two vintages. Shown only for schools with Grad PLUS originations; an exposure signal, not a forecast of revenue loss.

Avg Grad PLUS loan

Half the cap+

$19,929

2024-25

Average Grad PLUS loan per recipient (FSA Direct Loan Dashboard, award year 2025-26 year-to-date through Q2, with 2024-25 full-year retained where 2025-26 is not yet reported). The 2025 budget law eliminates Grad PLUS for new borrowers from July 1, 2026 and caps unsubsidized graduate borrowing at $20,500/year, so this is the average per-borrower amount that will no longer be available above that cap. Paired with Grad PLUS exposure (the institution's reliance share), it is the depth axis of the Grad PLUS shock: how much each affected borrower stands to lose. Shown only where Grad PLUS was originated.

Structural risk index

High

2024-25

An indicative 0–100 structural-risk index (higher = more pressure), an equal-weight blend of the stress signals we measure: thin or negative operating margin, low months of operating cushion, high tuition dependency, and a shrinking home-state high-school-graduate pipeline (enrollment cliff). Averaged over whichever signals are available (at least two required). It screens for the financial and demographic pressures that precede closures and mergers, a directional indicator, NOT a prediction that any institution will close, and not a credit rating.

Federal funding obligated

Below peers

$30,000

11th percentile in peer grouppeer median $1.6M

FY2024 (USAspending.gov)18 peers

Obligations reported to USAspending.gov for FY2024 (Oct 2023 to Sep 2024), summed across every awarding agency. This is money committed, not money spent, so it will not equal the audited 'Federal awards expended' figure and the two should not be subtracted from one another. Negative amounts (agencies reclaiming prior commitments) are excluded.

Federal funding agencies

94th percentile in peer grouppeer median 1

FY2024 (USAspending.gov)18 peers

A count of awarding agencies with positive FY2024 obligations. Neither high nor low is inherently better: a community college funded solely by the Department of Education is behaving normally, while a research university typically draws on ten or more agencies.

Largest funder's share

100%

100th percentile in peer grouppeer median 100%

FY2024 (USAspending.gov)18 peers

The largest agency's FY2024 obligations as a share of the institution's total positive federal obligations. Read it as concentration, not risk: most teaching colleges sit near 100% because nearly all their federal money is Department of Education student aid.

Enrollment & Pipeline

Program concentration (HHI)

Highly concentrated

10,000

2022-23

How concentrated the institution's degree and certificate output is across academic fields (CIP 2-digit families), as a Herfindahl-Hirschman Index on the latest year's completions: 10,000 means every completion is in one field; lower means output is spread across many. A higher value means the school leans on fewer fields and is more exposed to demand shifts in them; a lower value reflects a broad program portfolio. Shown for institutions reporting at least 100 annual completions. A structural-diversification signal, not a measure of quality.

12-month FTE enrollment

392

34th percentile in peer grouppeer median 572

2022-2399 peers

Full-time-equivalent enrollment over the full 12-month year (IPEDS 12-month enrollment, 2022-23). Counts part-time students at their fractional load, so it runs above fall full-time headcount and is the denominator used for per-student finance measures.

Fully online students

60th percentile in peer grouppeer median 5%

2024-2599 peers

Share of students enrolled exclusively in distance-education courses (IPEDS, Fall 2023). Describes delivery model, not quality; online-heavy institutions look different on residential measures.

Applicant-pool diversity shift

+5%

WICHE 2024 (11th ed.)

Percentage-point change in the non-white share of the institution's home-state public high-school graduating class between the class of 2025 (the national peak) and 2037 (WICHE, Knocking at the College Door, 11th ed., public-school race detail). A forward look at who the future applicant pool will be: a positive value means the state's graduating class is projected to grow more racially diverse. Strategic recruiting context, not a forecast of any one school's enrollment, and a college recruits from many states.

Hybrid (some online) enrollment

91%

76th percentile in peer grouppeer median 59%

Fall 202399 peers

Share of all students taking some, but not all, of their courses at a distance (IPEDS, Fall 2023). This is the hybrid middle ground between the fully online share and the fully in-person share, and it signals how far a school has moved coursework online without going exclusively remote. Context metric, not better or worse. Banded against the school's peer group.

Graduate share of enrollment

100%

100th percentile in peer grouppeer median 4.8%

Fall 202399 peers

Graduate students as a share of total headcount enrollment (IPEDS, Fall 2023). It separates research-intensive universities with large graduate bodies from undergraduate-focused institutions. Context metric, not better or worse. Banded against the school's peer group.

Women share of faculty

51.8%

19th percentile in peer grouppeer median 72.7%

2023-2483 peers

Women as a share of all instructional staff, full- and part-time combined (IPEDS Human Resources, Fall 2023). A gender-composition signal for the teaching workforce. Context metric, not better or worse. Banded against the school's peer group.

Faculty of color share

59.3%

69th percentile in peer grouppeer median 47.3%

2023-2483 peers

Instructional staff who are American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, or two-or-more races, as a share of all instructional staff (IPEDS Human Resources, Fall 2023). Nonresident and race-unknown staff are excluded from the numerator. Context metric, not better or worse. Banded against the school's peer group.

Direct competitors within 100 mi

Average

63rd percentile in peer grouppeer median 3

2024-2599 peers

How many institutions of the same type (same Carnegie classification and control, i.e. the schools competing for the same students) sit within roughly 100 miles. A higher count means a more crowded local market and a harder yield fight, which matters most as the regional pool of high school graduates shrinks; a low count means the school has its catchment largely to itself. Distance is straight-line from campus coordinates. Banded against the school's peer group. Fewer is better for recruiting leverage.

Metro-area unemployment rate

Average

5.6%

55th percentile in peer grouppeer median 5.2%

ACS 2019-2399 peers

The civilian unemployment rate in the school's metropolitan or micropolitan area (US Census ACS 2019-23, mapped by the school's federal CBSA code). It is a proxy for local labor demand: a lower rate means a tighter job market, a stronger near-term destination for graduates and a smaller pool of working adults to recruit. It describes the local economy, not the school. Schools outside any metro area are not scored. Banded against the school's peer group.

On-campus crime rate

Below peers

0 per 1k

83rd percentile in peer grouppeer median 0 per 1k

2024 (Clery)84 peers

Criminal offenses reported on campus in 2024 (murder, manslaughter, the four sex-offense categories, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor-vehicle theft and arson) per 1,000 students, from the school's federal Clery Act filing. Counts and enrollment are summed across the institution's campuses. A higher number does not always mean a more dangerous school: thorough reporting and dense residential campuses raise it. Lower is generally safer. Banded against the school's peer group.

Enrollment cliff (home state)

Severe decline

-27.7%

2024-25

Projected change in the number of high-school graduates in the institution's HOME STATE from the class of 2025 (the national peak) to 2041, per WICHE's Knocking at the College Door, 11th Edition (Dec 2024). The 'enrollment cliff' is the post-2008 birth decline reaching college age; the U.S. total is projected to fall about 13% over this window. A college recruits from many states, so its home-state projection is an indicative directional signal of feeder-market pressure, not a forecast of that institution's own enrollment.

Scholarly works published

110

36th percentile in peer grouppeer median 334

2024 (OpenAlex)14 peers

From OpenAlex, an open catalog of the world's scholarly works. Counts the institution's lifetime indexed research works (papers, datasets, books and other outputs). It separates research-intensive universities from teaching-focused peers and signals scholarly capacity; reported only where OpenAlex has a confident match to this school. Context metric, not better or worse. Banded against the school's peer group.

Research citations

857

21st percentile in peer grouppeer median 6,964

2024 (OpenAlex)14 peers

From OpenAlex, an open catalog of the world's scholarly works. Counts the institution's lifetime indexed citations received by its scholarly works. It separates research-intensive universities from teaching-focused peers and signals scholarly capacity; reported only where OpenAlex has a confident match to this school. Context metric, not better or worse. Banded against the school's peer group.

Institutional h-index

21st percentile in peer grouppeer median 42

2024 (OpenAlex)14 peers

From OpenAlex. The institution has an h-index of h when h of its works have each been cited at least h times: a single figure blending output and impact. Reported only where OpenAlex has a confident match. Context metric, not better or worse. Banded against peers.

Wikipedia pageviews (monthly)

340

trailing 12 mo (Wikipedia)

Average monthly views of the institution's English-Wikipedia article over the trailing 12 months (Wikimedia REST API). A top-of-funnel public-attention proxy: how often people look the school up. Reported only where a matching Wikipedia article exists. Context metric, not better or worse. Banded against the school's peer group.

Year founded

1984

Wikidata

The year the institution was founded, from Wikidata (the structured-data sister project of Wikipedia). An establishment and legacy signal; reported only where Wikidata records a founding date for a matched institution. Context, not better or worse. Banded against the school's peer group, so an earlier year ranks as more established.

In-state HS graduates

469,214

100th percentile in peer grouppeer median 143,303

Class of 2025 (WICHE)92 peers

The size of the school's home-state high-school graduating class in 2025 (WICHE Knocking at the College Door, public and private combined). It is the near-term in-state feeder market, the complement to the enrollment-cliff projection, which shows the direction that market is heading. Context metric, not better or worse. Banded against the school's peer group.

Net-price momentum (CAGR)

Below peers

5.4%

81st percentile in peer grouppeer median 1.3%

2024-2599 peers

Compound annual growth rate of net tuition revenue per full-time-equivalent student over the tracked years. A high positive rate means the school's real net price is climbing faster than peers, which can strain affordability and yield. Banded against the school's peer group. Lower is better.

Student Outcomes & Risk

3-yr cohort default rate

Strong

1.3%

17th percentile in peer grouppeer median 3.6%

FY2017 cohort96 peers

Share of borrowers who defaulted within three years of entering repayment (U.S. Dept. of Education official cohort default rate). Shown for the FY2017 borrower cohort, the most recent cohort whose full three-year default window closed before the 2020-23 federal student-loan payment pause. More recent cohorts are reported by the College Scorecard at essentially 0%, but that reflects the payment pause (no payments were due, so almost no one could default), not borrower health, so the pre-pause cohort is the last meaningful reading. Lower is better.

Full-time faculty share

Below peers

7.8%

4th percentile in peer grouppeer median 32.3%

2024-2575 peers

Loan repayment rate (5-yr)

Average

54.5%

56th percentile in peer grouppeer median 50.2%

2024-2573 peers

Share of student-loan borrowers who had repaid at least $1 of their loan principal within five years of entering repayment (College Scorecard, FY2024-25), a longer-horizon companion to the three-year repayment rate. As with the three-year figure, a low rate can reflect graduates deferring payments while in further schooling rather than financial distress.

Field-demand outlook (10-yr)

Fast-growing field mix

+6.2%

86th percentile in peer group

BLS EP 2024-3466 peers

Projected 10-year (2024-34) change in U.S. employment for the occupations this institution's degrees and certificates feed, blended across its program mix. Built by mapping each CIP 2-digit field to its occupations via the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk, taking the employment-weighted average of each occupation's BLS-projected percent change, then weighting fields by the institution's latest-year completions. The U.S. all-occupations benchmark is 3.1%, so a higher value means the school's graduates concentrate in faster-growing labor markets. An INDICATIVE field-level signal at broad-field granularity, not a program-specific or graduate-specific projection, and not a placement or earnings guarantee. Shown where at least 50% of completions fall in fields with a coherent occupational mapping and the school reports 100+ annual completions.

Top fields of study (all levels)

Five Branches University’s largest fields by completions, with graduate earnings (4 years out) and debt benchmarked against the same field at its peer group. Sparklines show the 8-year completions trend.

Field	Completions / yr	Median earnings, 4 yrs out	Median debt	Earnings premium	Risk score
Health Professions & Clinical Sciences	155	–	–	–	Low · 0
Health Professions & Clinical Sciences	35	–	$138,800 100th pct · 29 peers	–	High · 100

Earnings-premium status is an indicative estimate: median graduate earnings four years out vs the CA state median earnings of a high-school graduate (undergraduate credentials) or a bachelor’s-degree holder (graduate credentials) from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2022 ACS 5-year). The official U.S. Department of Education determination uses its own cohort definition and may differ.

The risk score (0–100) is an indicative blend of earnings-premium margin and the five-year completions trend, higher means a field pays closer to (or below) the benchmark and is shrinking. A directional screen, not an official determination.

Major-level detail (CIP 4-digit)

Health Professions & Clinical Sciences – 1 CIP program (4-digit), 0 with earnings

Major (CIP 4-digit)	Compl./yr	Earn 4yr	Earn 1yr	% > threshold	Median debt	Debt/earn	Earnings premium	2 of 3 yrs
Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical SystemsCIP 5133 ›	155	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

Major-level earnings, debt and threshold pass-rates are reported by College Scorecard only where enough graduates exist to protect privacy, so 0 of 1 major shows an earnings figure; the rest read “–”. % > threshold is ED’s own share of graduates out-earning the federal earnings threshold (the do-no-harm pass rate), drawn from the best available measurement window (4-, 5- or 1-year) pooled across all nine College Scorecard Field-of-Study releases; a small chip marks any figure not on the 4-year window, and hovering names the cohort size and source release. 2 of 3 yrs flags fields below the earnings-premium benchmark in two of the latest three reported cohort-years, the statutory trigger under the 2025 test (effective July 1, 2026). Indicative; the Department of Education’s official determination may differ. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard Field of Study (2014–15 through 2022–23 cohorts + most-recent snapshot), accessed March 2026.

Health Professions & Clinical Sciences – 1 CIP program (4-digit), 0 with earnings

Major (CIP 4-digit)	Compl./yr	Earn 4yr	Earn 1yr	% > threshold	Median debt	Debt/earn	Earnings premium	2 of 3 yrs
Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical SystemsCIP 5133 ›	35	– n=83	–	41%	$138,800	–	–	–

See the interactive dashboard for all fields and credential levels (associate through doctoral). Source: College Scorecard Field of Study.

Frequently asked

Which schools are Five Branches University's peers?

Five Branches University is benchmarked against 99 institutions in the Special Focus: Medical Schools/Centers · Private for-profit peer group; all percentiles and medians on this page are computed within that group.

Compare with peers

American Academy of Health and Wellness American College of Acupuncture and Oriental Med Arizona School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine California Health Sciences University Colorado Chinese Medicine University Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts

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Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard & IPEDS (most recent releases), with the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Employment Projections, field-demand outlook) and WICHE (enrollment-cliff projections). Figures lag the current academic year by roughly two to three years. Percentiles and medians are computed within the institution's peer group. Financial Resilience is a transparent composite, see each component above. Compiled by Ibex Insights.