Pacific College of Health and Science has signed an agreement with Southern California University of Health Sciences (Whittier, Calif.) whereby Pacific College’s San Diego and Chicago campuses – including students, faculty, staff, and academic programs – will join SCU effective May 2026, pending regulatory approval. PCHS will continue to operate its New York campus and academic programs independently.
Founded as a chiropractic college in 1911 (Los Angeles College of Chiropractic), SCU currently offers graduate, undergraduate, and certificate programs spanning a wide variety of integrative health-oriented disciplines including not only chiropractic, but also sports medicine, physical & occupational therapy, ayurveda, acupuncture & Chinese herbal medicine, clinical psychology, whole-health leadership, and more. (Click here to see the complete list of SCU academic programs.)
According to the announcement, “The transition provides the strongest possible pathway for the PCHS San Diego and Chicago campuses to thrive in today’s dynamic higher education environment, while enabling both SCU and PCHS to advance their shared missions of transforming healthcare through an integrative, whole-person approach.” The announcement also notes that SCU will be the largest accredited TCM program in the nation once the transition is complete.
“By partnering with SCU, we are ensuring that our Chicago and San Diego campuses can continue to grow and compete in the ever-changing higher education landscape,” said PCHS President Malcolm Youngren. And with a focus only its New York campus, PCHS will be able to “accelerate its multidisciplinary approach in New York ... and expand its campus footprint; initially with an additional 7,000 sq ft of space at the Manhattan campus and later through satellite campuses in the NYC metro.”
As part of the agreement, SCU will also take over the Pacific Center for Lifelong Learning, the PCHS cosmetic acupuncture program, and Pacific Symposium.
“This is an exciting next step in SCU’s journey as the nation’s first Integrative, Whole Health University,” said Dr. John Scaringe, president and CEO of SCU. “We are not only creating a national hub for TCM education, innovation, and advocacy, but expanding our reach and influence on integrative, whole-person care and healthcare transformation more broadly.”
Pacific College posted a comprehensive Q&A for its students prior to the official press announcement; access it here for additional information.
