Bastyr University Accreditation on Show Cause with Financial Trouble

Bastyr University's accreditation is on Show Cause, i.e. the accreditor is demanding Bastyr show cause that its accreditation should not be revoked, based on financial concerns.

Bastyr University is entirely specialized in natural health, with mostly on-campus programs in Seattle and an additional campus in San Diego and a few online programs. Its flagship program is an on-campus Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (ND) which qualifies towards licensing in the states that license the profession.

Bastyr University page at its regional accreditor, NWCCU

Accredited programs list from the specialized accreditor for naturopathic medicine programs, the CNME

In 2023, Bastyr University signed an agreement to merge with the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, but later that year the merger was cancelled. A poster on Reddit attributed the cancellation to NUNM learning after the announcement that Bastyr's financial position was poor.

Generally related: Oregon alternative medicine students face a long road to loan forgiveness (Tiffany Camhi, Oregon Public Broadcasting, August 30, 2024)

 

My wife has a cousin who did a bachelor's in nutrition at Bastyr on campus in Seattle. She described it as a warm, inclusive learning environment.