Westcliff University, based in Irvine, has completed the acquisition of Pacific College, a private nursing school located in Costa Mesa that was established in 1993. The move creates a partnership within Orange County aimed at expanding access to nursing education across Southern California, providing a continuum of programs from vocational and registered nurse (RN) training to advanced graduate degrees, including a family nurse practitioner track.
The acquisition addresses a growing demand for nursing professionals in California, where state health officials anticipate a need for more than 61,000 additional registered nurses by 2033. This development seeks to support both institutions’ missions by combining Pacific College’s personalized learning environment with Westcliff University’s broader academic resources and emphasis on innovation, including AI-enhanced learning and workforce-aligned programs.
Pacific College will now be able to collaborate across Westcliff’s various disciplines and leverage its expanded program offerings and expertise. Westcliff’s leadership framed the acquisition as a strategic investment designed to help meet critical workforce shortages, continuing a pattern of growth through acquiring established institutions, such as its 2020 purchase of Western State College of Law.
“Pacific College has earned the trust of students, faculty and healthcare employers over the past three decades,” said Dr. Anthony Lee, president and CEO of Westcliff University, highlighting the institution’s longstanding reputation and role in healthcare education. He noted the acquisition as a response to urgent workforce challenges faced nationally and locally.
A national nursing shortage compounds the urgency, with projections indicating more than 189,000 nursing job openings across the United States through 2034. In response, Westcliff recently launched its own College of Nursing, featuring a campus in Corona that offers simulation-based clinical training. Pacific College’s strong performance in licensure exams underscores its quality, with a 95.83% NCLEX-RN pass rate for 2024-25, ranking among the highest in California.
Dr. Lee also praised Pacific College for its commitment to students and healthcare education, emphasizing the institution’s 33-year presence within the community and plans to maintain and grow its legacy under Westcliff’s broader educational framework.