California Southern University is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

for-profit Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." A business entity is not necessari ...

online university A virtual university (or online university) provides higher education programs through electronic media, typically the Internet. Some are bricks-and-mortar institutions that provide online learning as part of their extended university courses while ...

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, fourth-most populous city in Arizona ...

. It is part of the

American InterContinental University American InterContinental University (AIU) is a private for-profit university with its headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois. It employs open admissions. American InterContinental University is a member of the American InterContinental Universit ...

System. It offers associate,

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

, and

doctoral A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

degree programs. The university is owned by the for-profit company

Perdoceo Education Corporation Perdoceo Education Corporation (PRDO) is a public company that owns five for-profit universities in the United States: American Intercontinental University, Colorado Technical University, California Southern University, Trident University In ...

, publicly traded on the NASDAQ under PRDO and formerly known as Career Education Corporation (CEC).

History

The university was established in California on December 27, 1978, by Donald Hecht as a traditional

correspondence school Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

and received its initial approval to offer degree programs from the

California Department of Education The California Department of Education is an agency within the government of California that oversees public education. The department oversees funding and testing, and holds local educational agencies accountable for student achievement. Its s ...

. It originally offered associate level programs, then expanded to bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. During the 1990s, the university added distance learning programs in the fields of business, psychology and law. The university is now recognized as an online degree granting institution. Until June 2007, the university was known as the Southern California University for Professional Studies (SCUPS) and was located in

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

. On July 1, 2020, Christina Villanueva issued a Citation and Order of Abatement in her official capacity as Discipline Manager of the

California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education The California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) is a unit of the California Department of Consumer Affairs charged with regulation of private postsecondary educational institutions operating in the state of California. The BPPE i ...

, a unit of the

California Department of Consumer Affairs The California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) is a department within the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency. DCA's stated mission is to serve the interests of California's consumers by ensuring a standard of profess ...

. On October 29, 2019, bureau staff conducted an unannounced compliance inspection at the school. Staff of the university were unable to access the supporting documentation for the 2016–2017 School Performance Fact Sheet (SPFS) as well as the documentation for the 2019 3rd quarter Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF) Assessment Reporting Form. In 2022, the university was acquired by

for $40 million and merged this acquisition into

as a branch campus joining the American InterContinental University System. The university was regionally accredited by the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC ( )) provided accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa and Northern ...

(WASC) before being acquired by

. CalSouthern was officially granted institutional accreditation under the American InterContinental University System by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

on July 5, 2022. The university closed its Irvine and Costa Mesa, California locations as part of the merger with

and opened their main office in Chandler, Arizona by late 2022. California Southern does not accept applications from residents of Massachusetts and New York.

Academics

California Southern University offers bachelor's, master's, and professional doctorate degrees entirely online. The California Southern School of Business is accredited by the

Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), formerly the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, is a United States–based organization offering accreditation services to business programs focused on te ...

(

ACBSP The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), formerly the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, is a United States–based organization offering accreditation services to business programs focused on tea ...

). The California Southern School of Nursing's baccalaureate and master's degree programs are accredited by the

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) is a nursing education accrediting agency in the United States. The CCNE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The commission's headquarters are in Washington, D.C. CCNE acc ...

( CCNE).

School of Law

The California Southern University School of Law is an unaccredited correspondence law school which offers two graduate-level degrees, the Master of Science in Law ( MSL) and the

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

(J.D.). However, the university is not currently enrolling new learners in the School of Law. The school is registered with the Committee of Bar Examiners of the

State Bar of California The State Bar of California is an administrative division of the Supreme Court of California which licenses attorneys and regulates the practice of law in California. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law ...

as a "Registered Unaccredited Correspondence Law School", which is sufficient to qualify its graduates to sit for the California Bar Examination provided they complete 864 hours of preparation (per year) and study over four years. A typical JD degree at an accredited institution is three years. It is not registered with or accredited by the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...

Bar examination pass rate

In the February administration of the California Bar Examination in 2020, one of 14 takers passed the examination, for a pass rate of seven percent. For the years 2008 through 2013, 20 graduates have taken the California Bar Examination as first-time takers; of that number, five passed the examination for a pass rate of 25 percent.

Student outcomes

According to the

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...

, California Southern University has a 6-year graduation rate of 17% and a 3-year default rate of 18.8 percent.

Notable alumni

* Pam Blackwell - Educator * Clifford Mayes - Scholar

References

External links

* {{Authority control Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Distance education institutions based in the United States Universities and colleges established in 1978 For-profit universities and colleges in the United States 1978 establishments in California Costa Mesa, California Private universities and colleges in California