# California Southern University

California Southern University is a private for-profit online university in Chandler, Arizona. It is part of the American InterContinental University System. It offers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs. The university is owned by the for-profit company Perdoceo Education Corporation, 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 and received its initial approval to offer degree programs from the California Department of Education. 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.
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, a unit of the California Department of Consumer Affairs. 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 Perdoceo Education Corporation for $40 million and merged this acquisition into American InterContinental University as a branch campus joining the American InterContinental University System.
The university was regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) before being acquired by Perdoceo Education Corporation. CalSouthern was officially granted institutional accreditation under the American InterContinental University System by the Higher Learning Commission on July 5, 2022. The university closed its Irvine and Costa Mesa, California locations as part of the merger with American InterContinental University 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 (ACBSP). The California Southern School of Nursing's baccalaureate and master's degree programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (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 (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 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.

### 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, 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