Life Chiropractic College West

Life Chiropractic College West
Former name	Pacific States Chiropractic College
Motto	Express your potential.
Type	Private chiropractic school
Established	1976
Founder	George E. Anderson
President	Ron Oberstein
Academic staff	55
Doctoral students	609
Location	Hayward, California, United States
Colors	Green, light blue, and white ;
Nickname	Gladiators
Website	lifewest.edu

Life Chiropractic College West is a private chiropractic school in Hayward, California, US, known for its Doctor of Chiropractic degree program. Founded as Pacific States Chiropractic College in 1976 by George E. Anderson, the name was changed in 1981 to its current form after a merger with Life Chiropractic College (now Life University).^[1]

A 2024 report found that students in Life's doctor of chiropractic program had the tenth highest debt-to-income ratio among graduate programs in the US, at 490%.^[2]^[3]

History

Life West traces its roots back to 1976 when it was founded by chiropractor George E. Anderson as Pacific States Chiropractic College. During its first years the school was involved in multiple malfeasance cases resulting in the termination of two administrators.^[1] During the early 1980s the school was run by three interim presidents until a merger was agreed between George Anderson, George Wentland, and Sid E. Williams (founder of Life Chiropractic College) to merge Pacific States Chiropractic College with Life College. The result of this merger was the establishment of Life Chiropractic College West in 1981.^[4]

In 2024, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported on the high debt burden of students who pursued degrees in alternative medicine. For Life Chiropractic College West, the median loan was $206,392 and the median earnings were $40,310, resulting in a debt to earnings ratio of 512%. This was the tenth highest ratio in the US among graduate programs and the highest among chiropractic programs. Immediately following Life Chiropractic College West's in the debt-to-earnings ranking were the chiropractic programs at Cleveland University-Kansas City and Life University.^[2]^[3]

Accreditation

The Doctor of Chiropractic Degree Program at Life West has been accredited since 1987 by the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE).^[5]^[6]^[7]

The program is also accredited by the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners.^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b Gayman, PG; Dileo, PS (1998). "Pacific States Chiropractic College: the legacy of George Emmet Anderson, D.C.". Chiropractic History. 18 (1): 69–76. PMID 11620300.
^ ^a ^b Camhi, Tiffany (30 August 2024). "Oregon alternative medicine students face a long road to loan forgiveness". OPB. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
^ ^a ^b U.S. Department of Education. "Most Recent Data by Field of Study". U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Archived from the original on 9 September 2024.
^ Ferguson, Alana; Wiese, Glenda. "How Many Chiropractic Schools? An Analysis of Institutions That Offered the D.C. Degree" (PDF). Chiropractic History. 8 (1): 27–36. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
^ "LIFE CHIROPRACTIC COLLEGE WEST" (PDF). The Council on Chiropractic Education. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
^ "CCE Members". The Council on Chiropractic Education. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
^ Life Chiropractic College West Catalog and Student Handbook (PDF). 2014–2016. p. 9. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
^ "Board Approved Chiropractic Colleges". CA.gov. Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Retrieved 7 September 2017.