# Five Branches University

> private university located in California, United States

**Wikidata**: [Q5455840](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5455840)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Branches_University)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/five-branches-university

## Summary
Five Branches University is a private for-profit university located in Santa Cruz, California, founded in 1984. It is classified as a special focus four-year institution dedicated to health professions, operating primarily as an exclusively graduate and professional school. As of 2020, the university served 349 students with a staff of 107 employees.

## Key Facts
- **Founding Date:** Established in 1984.
- **Location:** 200 7th Avenue, Santa Cruz, California, United States (Postal Code 95062).
- **Institution Type:** Private for-profit educational institution.
- **Carnegie Classification:** Classified as a "special focus four-year: other health professions school" and an "exclusively graduate/professional institution."
- **Enrollment:** 349 students (as of September 2020).
- **Employment:** 107 employees (as of September 2020).
- **Coordinates:** Latitude 36.9643, Longitude -121.998.
- **Website:** http://www.fivebranches.edu

## FAQs
### Q: Where is Five Branches University located?
A: The university is located at 200 7th Avenue in Santa Cruz, California, United States. It is situated within Santa Cruz County.

### Q: Is Five Branches University a public or private institution?
A: It is a private for-profit educational institution.

### Q: What type of education does Five Branches University offer?
A: The university is classified as a special focus institution for health professions. It operates as an exclusively graduate and professional institution, offering postbaccalaureate programs.

### Q: How large is the student body?
A: As of September 2020, the university had a total student count of 349 individuals.

## Why It Matters
Five Branches University represents a distinct category of American higher education: the private, for-profit, special-focus institution. Unlike broad-access universities, this institution focuses narrowly on health professions, specifically serving the graduate and professional market. Its existence highlights the diversity within the post-secondary landscape in California, providing specialized career training outside the traditional public university systems.

The university plays a specific role in the Santa Cruz educational ecosystem. By offering "postbaccalaureate: single program" curricula, it serves non-traditional or career-changing students seeking specific professional credentials in the health sector. With a staff of over 100 supporting a student body of roughly 350, the institution contributes to the local economy of Santa Cruz while maintaining a specialized academic mission focused exclusively on advanced professional education rather than undergraduate general studies.

## Notable For
- **Specialized Health Focus:** Designated as a "Special Focus Four-Year: Other Health Professions School" by the Carnegie Classification.
- **Exclusively Graduate Education:** Operates as an "Exclusively Graduate/Professional Institution," with no undergraduate classification listed in its Carnegie profile.
- **Specific Geographic Footprint:** Located at precise coordinates (36.9643, -121.998) in Santa Cruz, CA.
- **Data Verification:** Listed in multiple academic and organizational registries, including GRID (Global Research Identifier Database), ISNI, and IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System).

## Body

### Location and Facilities
Five Branches University is situated in the coastal city of Santa Cruz, California. The campus is physically located at **200 7th Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA, 95062**. The geographic coordinates for the institution are **36.9643° latitude and -121.998° longitude**.

### Institutional Identity
The institution was founded in **1984**. It operates as a **private for-profit educational institution**. The university maintains a digital presence at `http://www.fivebranches.edu` and is tracked under several international identifiers:
- **ROR ID:** 05qkp7h42
- **GRID ID:** grid.255938.0
- **ISNI:** 000000040633313X
- **Ringgold ID:** 52714
- **IPEDS ID:** 114585

### Academic Classification
According to the **Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education**, Five Branches University holds the following designations:
- Special Focus Four-Year: Other Health Professions Schools
- Exclusively Graduate
- Postbaccalaureate: Single Program - Other
- Exclusively Graduate/Professional Institution

### Operations and Scale
As of **September 2020**, the university reported an employee count of **107** personnel. During the same period, the total student enrollment was recorded as **349** students. The institution is recognized by the **Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)**, a key resource for federal education data in the United States.

## References

1. Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
2. Open ISNI for Organizations
3. Freebase Data Dumps
4. GRID Release 2016-05-31
5. Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
6. Quora
7. Aligned ISNI and Ringgold identifiers for institutions
8. Microsoft Academic Knowledge Graph
9. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)