Chiropractic Colleges in Crisis

Financial pressure, enrollment declines and institutional challenges are emerging at several U.S. chiropractic colleges. Life Chiropractic College West in Hayward, Calif., is currently on probation with both of its institutional and programmatic accreditors, while Life University in Marietta, Ga., is dealing with declining enrollment, a projected budget shortfall and significant cost-cutting measures.

Their struggles may be the most talked about but appear to be part of a larger story: Recent financial filings suggest several other U.S. chiropractic institutions are also experiencing deficits, declining revenue or other signs of financial pressure.^1-3 And with recent USDE requirements threatening to hamstring federal student financing for DC degree programs, chiropractic education is facing questions for which it has no immediate answers.⁴

Life West: Dual Probation and More Woes

Life Chiropractic College West is currently accredited on probation by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). WSCUC imposed the sanction following a Special Visit, with the commission's action dated Feb. 13, 2026. WSCUC describes probation as a status reflecting serious issues of noncompliance with one or more accreditation standards.¹

The matter remains active. WSCUC's current institutional record lists an additional Executive Committee action requesting another Special Visit in August 2026. The college remains listed as "Accredited - Probation," with that Special Visit scheduled for fall 2026.¹

Life West's Doctor of Chiropractic program is also on probation with the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE). In its accreditation actions announced Aug. 4, 2026, following its July 10-11 meeting, CCE continued accreditation of the program but imposed an eight-area probation. CCE identified noncompliance involving integrity, student admissions, curriculum and competencies, curricular content and delivery, assessment of learning outcomes and curricular effectiveness, and quality patient care. The council required additional reporting and a focused site visit.²

CCE's August action establishes progress reports for Dec. 1, 2026, and Feb. 1, 2027, followed by a focused site visit in spring 2027.²

The two accreditation actions are separate. WSCUC provides institutional accreditation, while CCE provides programmatic accreditation for the DC degree.

Life West is also operating under interim presidential leadership. CCE's Aug. 4, 2026, accreditation action identifies Marilyn Al-Hassan, EdD, as interim president, in addition to her roles as executive vice president, chief strategy officer and academic officer.²

Making matters worse, Life West is also defending a lawsuit filed by six former students in Alameda County Superior Court. The plaintiffs allege sexual assault and harassment by a former instructor and contend that the college failed to respond appropriately to complaints. The allegations are contained in the lawsuit and have not been adjudicated.⁵

Life University: Declining Enrollment, Financial Concerns

Life University is confronting a different set of challenges, centered primarily on enrollment and finances.

In June 2026, the university informed its community that it would eliminate more than 30 positions, including 14 faculty positions, and discontinue its 401(k) matching program. The measures were intended to address a projected $5 million budget shortfall, with then-university president Brian McAulay stating that the changes were expected to save approximately $4.4 million.³

The reductions followed a period of declining enrollment. According to data reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Life University's total enrollment fell 11% between fall 2024 and fall 2025 to 2,289 students, while enrollment in its College of Chiropractic declined by nearly 16%.³

The university's financial troubles (for specifics see the next section of this article) are also reflected in its bond rating. Moody's downgraded Life University's rating in March 2026 and assigned it a “negative outlook.” The rating action cited enrollment declines and operating pressures among the factors affecting the university's financial position.⁶

Life University's DC program had also been on CCE probation because its four-year weighted average licensing-examination success rate had fallen below the 80% threshold established by CCE Policy 56.⁷ However, that probation was removed in January 2026.

In a January 23 statement, Life University said CCE had determined that the Doctor of Chiropractic program met the applicable Policy 56 requirements. The university reported that students achieved a 93.3% first-time pass rate on the November 2025 NBCE Part IV examination and that the program's overall 2025 NBCE pass rate was 86.5%.⁸

Life University has stated that the DC program remained accredited throughout the probation period and that the sanction had no effect on graduates' eligibility for licensure.⁸

The university is also navigating a still-unsettled permanent presidential succession. Rob Scott stepped down as president effective March 31, 2025, and Brian McAulay became interim president the following day.⁹ In August 2026, McAulay concluded his service as interim president, and the university appointed Lee Skinkle, PhD, as interim president.¹⁰ Skinkle joined Life University in 2025, serving as provost and chief academic officer.¹⁰

At the time of this writing, it was anticipated that the university would name a permanent president shortly.

Financial Pressure Is Showing Up Elsewhere in Chiropractic Education

The financial picture is not uniform across U.S. chiropractic education, but the most recent available IRS filings show several institutions with clear negative swings or continuing operating deficits. Because fiscal years and filing dates differ, the comparisons below use the latest filing available for each institution and identify the year when possible.

Life University is one of the clearest examples of continuing pressure. Its fiscal 2023 Form 990 showed a $2.0 million deficit; the deficit widened to about $3.0 million in 2024, then narrowed to $1.35 million in 2025. Revenue also slipped from $91.95 million in 2024 to $89.11 million in 2025, while liabilities remained about $94 million.¹¹ In plain terms, the university has reported operating deficits three years in a row, even as the size of the deficit has fluctuated.

Sherman College of Chiropractic also shows a sharp reversal. After a $465,000 deficit in 2023 and a $553,000 surplus in 2024, the college reported a $2.20 million deficit in 2025. Revenue fell from $18.55 million in 2024 to $16.74 million in 2025, while expenses rose from $18.00 million to $18.94 million. Net assets fell from $28.70 million to $28.06 million.¹² For a nonfinancial reader, the simplest takeaway is that Sherman's recent improvement reversed substantially in 2025.

The University of Western States reported deficits in both 2024 and 2025. Its deficit improved from $2.48 million in 2024 to $1.13 million in 2025, but revenue also fell from $30.86 million to $29.12 million. The university's 2025 liabilities were $33.49 million, down from $37.73 million the year before.¹³ That paints a mixed picture: the operating loss became smaller, but revenue also declined, so the filing does not show a clear return to profitability.

Palmer College of Chiropractic West in San Jose, Calif., whose campus was phased out last year, with the last class graduating in March 2025,¹⁴ provides a different but very visible example. Its 2025 Form 990 reported only $594,000 in revenue against $6.57 million in expenses, a $5.97 million deficit, compared with a $2.17 million deficit in 2024 and a $345,000 surplus in 2023. The numbers therefore reflect a campus being wound down rather than a simple year-to-year operating comparison, but they nonetheless show the scale of the financial contraction associated with that closure.

These are the clearest recent examples in the filings reviewed of negative financial movement or sustained operating deficits. While they do not establish that chiropractic colleges nationwide are uniformly in financial crisis (or deny that other institutions may be experiencing similar issues for which information is not available yet), they provide evidence that several institutions are operating in an environment in which enrollment, revenue and costs can create significant financial pressure – and that some of those pressures are showing up in the reported bottom line.

Where do Life University and Life Chiropractic College West go from here? For both institutions, the coming accreditation reviews will be important. The broader financial picture suggests the profession should also be watching enrollment, operating results and institutional debt as chiropractic education navigates a challenging period.

References

1. WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). Life Chiropractic College West – Institutional Accreditation Record. Current accreditation status: Accredited on Probation; most recent commission action Feb. 13, 2026; commission action requesting Special Visit, August 2026; fall 2026 Special Visit. WSCUC institutional directory.
2. Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE). Accreditation Actions – Announcement, Aug. 4, 2026; council meeting July 10-11, 2026. Life Chiropractic College West: continued accreditation with probation for eight areas of noncompliance and required further reporting and a focused site visit. The action identifies Marilyn Al-Hassan, EdD, as interim president, executive vice president, chief strategy officer and academic officer.
3. Armesto J. “Life University makes 'difficult but necessary' cuts amid financial challenges.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 27, 2026.
4. “Confronting the Threat to Chiropractic Education.” Dynamic Chiropractic, May 2026 (web exclusive). Read Here
5. Alameda County Superior Court. Complaint filed by six former students against Life Chiropractic College West and others, 2026.
6. Moody's Ratings. Life University rating action, March 2026. Rating downgrade and negative outlook, citing enrollment and operating pressures.
7. Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE). Policy 56 and accreditation disclosure concerning Life University's Doctor of Chiropractic program probation.
8. Life University. Statement regarding removal of CCE probation from the Doctor of Chiropractic program, Jan. 23, 2026.
9. Life University. Presidential transition announcement regarding Rob Scott and Brian McAulay, 2025.
10. Life University. Executive Office. Current university leadership information, accessed August 2026. The university identifies Lee Skinkle, PhD, as interim president and provost/chief academic officer.
11. Internal Revenue Service / ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Life University Form 990 filings for fiscal years 2023, 2024 and 2025. The 2025 filing reports $89.11 million in revenue, $90.47 million in expenses, a $1.35 million deficit and $93.98 million in liabilities; the 2024 filing reports a $2.99 million deficit.
12. Internal Revenue Service / ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic Form 990 filings for fiscal years 2023, 2024 and 2025. The 2025 filing reports $16.74 million in revenue, $18.94 million in expenses, a $2.20 million deficit and $28.06 million in net assets.
13. Internal Revenue Service / ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. University of Western States Form 990 filings for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. The 2025 filing reports $29.12 million in revenue, $30.25 million in expenses, a $1.13 million deficit and $33.49 million in liabilities.
14. Internal Revenue Service / ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Palmer College of Chiropractic West Form 990 filings for fiscal years 2023, 2024 and 2025. The 2025 filing reports $593,616 in revenue, $6.57 million in expenses and a $5.97 million deficit; the filing states the campus was phased out in 2025 and the last class graduated in March 2025.