SCU Transition FAQ for Students

General Questions

Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) is taking over the Chicago and San Diego campuses and programs including the online Cosmetic Acupuncture Program of Pacific College of Health and Science (PCHS). As part of this arrangement, SCU is also taking ownership of Pacific Center for Lifelong Learning and the annual Pacific Symposium and intends to continue hosting and growing this important event, maintaining its prestige and deep roots in the acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) community.

Note that PCHS will continue to own and operate its New York campus and all NY-based programs, as well as all other PCHS Online degree programs including the Transitional Doctorate, Medical Cannabis Certificate, Holistic Nursing Certificate, RN to BSN, and MSN. Those entities are NOT part of this arrangement.

Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) is an accredited, non-profit healthcare institution and one of the world’s only universities dedicated to integrative, whole-person health—teaching students to combine the best of conventional medicine with proven complementary approaches, and to treat the whole person: body, mind, and spirit.

Founded in 1911 as a chiropractic college, SCU has spent over a century challenging convention and advancing healthcare. Today, the university offers graduate, undergraduate, and certificate programs across a wide spectrum of disciplines, including Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine, Occupational Therapy, Genetic Counseling, Genetics and Genomics, Medical Science, Physician Assistant Studies, Ayurvedic Medicine, Whole Health Leadership, and more. SCU has had an acupuncture program since 2000; their entry-level doctoral degree in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine was the first recognized in California and one of the first two to be ACAHM-accredited in the United States.

From its 25-acre campus in Whittier, California, SCU serves approximately 1,600 students through online, hybrid, and in-person programs.

SCU has also earned national recognition as a Great College to Work For multiple years in a row, including Honor Roll distinction in six categories: Confidence in Senior Leadership; Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging; Compensation and Benefits; Faculty & Staff Well-Being; Supervisor/Department Chair Effectiveness; and Professional Development.

Transactions in higher education take time, and it can be difficult to predict precisely how long each step in the process will take. That said, we anticipate receiving the necessary regulatory approvals and closing the transaction around May 2026. At that time, the Chicago and San Diego locations and their faculty, staff, and students will officially join SCU. The following are the basic steps in the process.

  1. Conduct Due Diligence (COMPLETE):
    • During this step, leaders from PCHS and SCU comprehensively evaluated the academics, operations, financials, etc. of the other—to ensure a thorough understanding of both the opportunities and potential challenges of entering into a formal agreement.
  2. Sign a Definitive Agreement (COMPLETE):
    • After thorough due diligence and related negotiations, PCHS and SCU decided to move forward. Both institutions then signed a legally binding contract (known as a Definitive Agreement) outlining the exact terms and conditions of the transaction.
  3. Request Regulatory Approvals & Begin Planning for Integration (WE ARE HERE):
    • Having signed a Definitive Agreement, PCHS has submitted requests for approval or notifications to our institutional accreditor (WSCUC) and other regulatory bodies like the Department of Education (DOE). We anticipate receiving those approvals in the first half of 2026, although this timeline could change if one or more approval processes take longer than anticipated.
    • As we await regulatory approvals, we will be forming a Transition Team that includes a range of employees from both institutions. The team will work together to flesh out the granular operational and academic logistics for blending our two organizations—from reporting structures to integration of technology systems to academic policies and more.
  4. Receive Approvals & Close:
    • When we receive the necessary approvals from our regulatory bodies, we will move to closing, which will make the transaction final and official. This is similar to closing on a house in the sense that, once we close, the Chicago and San Diego locations and their faculty, staff, and students will officially join SCU. We anticipate closing around May 2026.
  5. Post-Close
    • By the time we close, the Transition Team will have been working for months to ensure a smooth transition.
    • Even with careful planning and close collaboration between PCHS and SCU, the integration may take a full academic year or more.

Yes, when the San Diego and Chicago campuses become part of SCU, those campuses will undergo a name change and become known as Southern California University of Health Sciences. For PCHS alumni, nothing changes; they graduated from PCHS and PCHS will therefore remain on their diplomas and transcripts. When current PCHS students who graduate after the closing reach graduation, SCU (which will then be the largest TCM program in the nation) will be on their diplomas and transcripts.

It is unlikely but, yes, there is always a chance that it doesn’t go through, or that it will take longer than anticipated.

We are committed to keeping you well informed throughout this transition period through monthly email updates, postings on the Hub, townhall meetings, and other communications. In addition, you may email the Transition Team at [email protected] with specific questions, concerns, or ideas.

PCHS Student-Specific Questions

If you graduate after the formal closing (which is anticipated to occur around May 2026), you will graduate from SCU—meaning that your diploma will be from SCU. If you graduate prior to the closing, your diploma will be from PCHS.

Thankfully, the PCHS and SCU academic calendars are remarkably similar, and both are on a trimester system. As a result, we don’t anticipate significant changes in your term start and end dates. You may view SCU’s academic calendars here: www.scuhs.edu/student-services/?activetab=content_calendars

SCU does not intend to make changes to your course requirements due to the change of affiliation of the San Diego and Chicago campuses. Therefore, if you remain continuously enrolled–and there are no regulatory changes beyond SCU’s control–your course requirements are expected to remain unchanged. That said, like any university, SCU reserves the right to change its requirements, policies, and procedures at any time.

SCU’s goal is to make this transition as seamless as possible for students. Therefore, if you remain continuously enrolled and progress in the same courses at the same pace–and there are no regulatory changes beyond SCU’s control–your time to completion/graduation should remain unchanged. That said, like any university, SCU reserves the right to change its requirements, policies, and procedures at any time.

SCU does not intend to make changes to your clinical training requirements due to the change of affiliation of the San Diego and Chicago campuses. Therefore, if you remain continuously enrolled and progress in the same courses at the same pace–and there are no regulatory changes beyond SCU’s control–your clinical training requirements and the cities/areas in which there are clinics available for you to rotate should remain unchanged. That said, like any university, SCU reserves the right to change its requirements, policies, and procedures at any time.

You will eventually be migrating to SCU’s technology platforms. Our Transition Team will be working through the logistics and exact timeline for the migration and will keep you informed as things progress. We are committed to providing you with the best learning experience, and ample training and support to make the transition as easy as possible for you.

SCU does not intend to make changes to your local faculty as a result of this change of affiliation. However, this transition will result in the following changes:

  • Depending on where you are in your program, you may gain access to SCU faculty that teach online courses at your level.
  • You will no longer have access to PCHS faculty who teach exclusively for PCHS New York.

Of course, as with any workplace, we cannot guarantee that some employees won’t choose to leave SCU based on their personal and professional aspirations.

If you enrolled at PCHS prior to this change of affiliation, and if you remain continuously enrolled, SCU will honor your existing tuition. Your fees will, however, be adjusted to SCU’s fee structure. Any student that enrolls after the change of affiliation will enter under SCU’s tuition and fees. Of note, SCU offers a “Fixed Rate Tuition Guarantee” to all students, ensuring that tuition does not increase as long as a student maintains continuous full-time enrollment in a degree program.

As an SCU student, you should have access to all or most of the same federal loan and grant programs that you had access to at PCHS.

If you have not yet completed the 2026-27 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Financial Aid) then you will need to complete it and add both the PCHS and SCU School Code (001229) to the FAFSA. For the current award year (2025-26) you should add the new SCU School Code (001229) to your FAFSA. If you have questions, SCU’s Financial Aid team can provide instructions on how to complete this process.

Yes, if you remain continuously enrolled, SCU will honor your current scholarships and grants, to ensure you enjoy the same amount of financial support you received at PCHS.

While SCU cannot give legal advice and/or predict future legal changes, we do not anticipate any impact on your F1 Visa status. SCU’s Primary Designated School Official is working through the details and will provide F1 students with more information at a later date.

SCU does not expect any impact on your VA benefits. SCU’s VA Certifying Official will provide VA benefit eligible students with more information at a later date.

Yes, you may have the option to transfer between SCU’s various campuses. That said, similar to PCHS transfers, specific program offerings may vary by campus. Transferring could mean changes to your course requirements, tuition, and/or learning format (e.g. in-person, online, hybrid).

Over time, student services will transition to a unified model that reflects the best of both institutions. SCU recognizes that PCHS has developed valuable student support systems, and as part of the transition, SCU will assess all existing services to identify and retain best practices. Their goal is to ensure that all students benefit from high-quality, accessible support—whether through existing SCU resources, current PCHS services, or newly integrated solutions.

PCHS Alumni-Specific Questions

Yes, because you graduated from PCHS, you will always be an alumnus of PCHS and PCHS will remain on your transcripts and diploma forever.

SCU hopes you’ll consider yourself part of both! The SCU alumni community is large and vibrant and looks forward to welcoming you into the family. To join the SCU Alumni mailing list, complete the form on this page: Connect with Alumni | SCU | Health Sciences. You may also begin following SCU Alumni on LinkedIn or Instagram (@scuhs_alumni).

In this article

Quick Links

Which department do you need help with?

Tech Support

Access from Country, Blackboard, Can't login, CourseEval, Office 365, Moodle, Proctorio, Printing, WiFi, Zoom

Library

APA Help, Can’t find a free full-text article, Online Library System, Renewal/ Request, library hours

Registrar

Change of Address, Diploma Request, Official Transcript Request, Registration, Student Portal

Student Billing

1098-T, Change of Address, Employee Tuition Reimbursement, Tuition Payment Plans

Financial Aid

Concern & Complaint

Advising & Student Services

Name Change

How would you want to contact us?

Email

Live Chat

Text Message

Phone Call

Please fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

By submitting this form, you attest that the concern or complaint is an honest account of what transpired and agree to allow Pacific College to review and investigate the matter.

The college recognizes that confidentiality is important. The college will make every effort to respect the confidentiality and privacy of all parties involved. When looking into the matter, particularly when a grievance is filed, the school will pay attention to any due process or other rights the accused might have.

The Preferred Name Request form enables students, faculty or staff who wish to identify by a chosen name other than their legal first name the opportunity to request their first name be updated in our systems for the purpose of being seen and referred to by their preferred name. Last names can only be changed by legally changing your name through the court system. Please note that Name Change Request must be approved by the college administration and once approved, may take 7-10 business days to go into effect in our systems. Please refer to the College’s Preferred Name Policy for more information.

IT Helpdesk Hours

Monday - Friday: 8:30am - 11:30pm EST Saturday: 7:30am-3:30 EST Sunday: Closed ** Holiday hours vary
© Pacific College of Health and Science       Login | Add Announcement