Calif. Northstate University seeks judicial relief, says Dept. of Consumer affairs violations hurting student recruitment

As a result of violations cited by the California Department of Consumer Affairs Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE), Elk Grove-based California Northstate University has stated that its recruitment efforts have been negatively affected. That assertion is part of a writ of mandates sought by the for-profit medical school in court filings.

Those filings, dated December 20 and 24, 2019 (Case no 34-2019-800003285), were recorded at Sacramento Superior Court. The writs are requesting "to remove all Citation relating to California Northstate University from its website," arguing that citations issued to the school are "substantially defective in its misapplication of Resondents's own regulations and statutes under which it operates."

In July 2019 CNU was fined $6,501. The fine was for advertising programs, a Bachelor of Science-to-Doctor of Medicine (BS-MD) program and a Bachelor of Science-to-Doctor of Pharmacy (BS-PharmD) not approved by the BPPE.

The writ notes CNU has filed an administrative hearing, but that date has is not scheduled. As a result, the citation remains posted on the BPPE website and that it has caused concern for students and parents, "diminishing the number of students who are enrolling in the program." 

CNU's attorney Paul Wagstaffe argues that the two programs are "pathways." They assert students can earn dual degrees based on students' "academic excellence, and a heavily loaded, specific curriculum for each degree program" and they do not "receive a singular BS_PharmD degree or BS-MD degree."  

The complaint notes that as a result of the violations issued, the student application cancellation rate has tripled. In August 2018, the rate was 5.6-percent, and by August 2019, it was 17.8-percent.

Along with the degree program violations, CNU was cited for inadequately recording graduation performance rates.

A hearing on the matter is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on February 7 in Department 21 of the Sacramento Superior Court.   

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