Southern California University of Health Sciences at a glance
- Program: Los Angeles College of Chiropractic, Doctor of Chiropractic, 10 trimesters
- Campus: 16200 E. Amber Valley Drive, Whittier, CA
- Calendar: Trimester system (fall, winter, spring-summer)
- Chiropractic enrollment: 124 students (1,390 total post-baccalaureate university-wide)
A program with a direct line to the exam itself
Most chiropractic schools teach to the NBCE exam from the outside. SCUHS has faculty who help build it. Dr. Jesika Babajanian, DC, and Dr. Catherine Leduc Ramcharan, DC, both sit on NBCE exam-development and content-review committees, which puts current, working knowledge of how the boards are structured directly inside the classroom, even if the specific exam content itself stays confidential.
State oversight, in person
California's Board of Chiropractic Examiners has visited the Whittier campus to brief students directly on licensure requirements, scope of practice, and changes to NBCE clinical exams. That kind of direct state-board contact is not something every program offers, and it means SCUHS students hear licensure updates from the regulator itself, not secondhand.
Planning the boards around a 10-trimester calendar
SCUHS's chiropractic training runs on a fall, winter, spring-summer trimester calendar for 10 terms. Across the profession, Part I opens once students reach their second year and Part II follows in year three, with Part III due within nine months of graduation and Part IV within six. California also layers its own state licensure steps on top of the national boards, which is part of what the Board of Chiropractic Examiners covers when it visits campus. Since Part IV now runs only at the NBCE's Assessment Center in Greeley, Colorado, Whittier-based students should plan that travel into whichever trimester falls within six months of graduation.
SCUHS licensing-exam results, 2011 to 2025
SCUHS publishes a licensing-exam success table for its Doctor of Chiropractic program on the accreditation section of its program page. The current table counts all graduates who passed all parts of their licensing exams or were licensed within six months. Older editions, kept in web archives, counted graduates who passed all parts among those who attempted an exam. SCUHS revised several years between editions, so the latest figure is shown and marked.
| Graduating year | Passed all Parts, of graduates who attempted an exam | Passed all Parts or licensed, of all graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 77% (72 of 93) | — |
| 2012 | 75% (68 of 91) † | — |
| 2013 | 74% (79 of 107) † | — |
| 2014 | 77.4% (113 of 146) † | — |
| 2015 | 81.55% (84 of 103) † | — |
| 2016 | 87% (104 of 119) † | — |
| 2017 | 88% (98 of 112) † | — |
| 2018 | 81% (101 of 124) † | — |
| 2019 | 91% (87 of 96) † | — |
| 2020 | 86% (70 of 81) | — |
| 2021 | — | 81% (97 of 120) † |
| 2022 | — | 91% (128 of 140) |
| 2023 | — | 81% (122 of 150) |
| 2024 | — | 85% (165 of 193) |
| 2025 | — | 74% (135 of 182) |
Older versions of the program's National Boards Disclosure page also gave pass counts by Part for each exam session. The page does not say whether the figures are first-time only.
SCUHS NBCE pass rate by Part and exam session, number passed of number tested
| Exam session | Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2012 | 81% (42 of 52) | 74% (34 of 46) | 84% (37 of 44) | 63% (12 of 19) | 86% (43 of 50) |
| Fall 2012 | 75% (46 of 61) | 65% (34 of 52) | 79% (38 of 48) | 90% (70 of 78) | 82% (42 of 51) |
| Spring 2013 | 76% (63 of 83) | 67% (34 of 51) | 82% (42 of 51) | 75% (12 of 16) | 90% (46 of 51) |
| Fall 2013 | 72% (43 of 60) | 64% (35 of 55) | 81% (44 of 54) | 87% (78 of 90) | 87% (46 of 53) |
| Spring 2014 | 82% (49 of 60) | 60% (55 of 91) | 80% (74 of 92) | 81% (35 of 43) | 87% (80 of 92) |
| Fall 2014 | 81% (39 of 48) | 58% (31 of 53) | 66% (35 of 53) | 91% (95 of 104) | 90% (44 of 49) |
† The school's archived pages show more than one figure for this year. The most recent published figure is shown. A dash means the school's files do not show a figure for that year.
Compare other chiropractic schools
Practice with ChiroEDU
ChiroEDU's practice exams are built to feel like the real computer-based test: domain-by-domain exams for Part 1 and Part 2 with four attempts each, four mock exams for Part 3 with radiology, and PT exams with item analysis. Interested in helping classmates prep? ChiroEDU is looking for student reps at every school.
Sources: SCUHS DC program article · California board briefing coverage · SCUHS student housing. Checked September 2026. The year-by-year tables above come from the school's own published disclosures, linked here as archived copies where the current page no longer shows them: archived copy, Feb 2014 · archived copy, Jul 2014 · archived copy, Feb 2015 · archived copy, Sep 2015 · archived copy, Jun 2017 · archived copy, Aug 2019 · archived copy, Aug 2021 · archived copy, Sep 2020 · archived copy, Jul 2024 · archived copy, Sep 2024 · school page (checked Sep 2026). ChiroEDU is independent and not affiliated with Southern California University of Health Sciences or the NBCE.