
Touro University California is a private university founded in 1997 and located on Mare Island in Vallejo, California. It developed as a health-professions institution rather than a traditional undergraduate college, a distinction that still shapes its programs and campus life.
The university began with osteopathic medical education and moved to the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard in 1999. It subsequently expanded into pharmacy, public health, physician assistant studies, nursing, and education. Its historic naval-base setting is part of the institution's identity, but applicants should distinguish this Vallejo university from other schools and campuses in the broader Touro system.
Touro University California organizes its academics around the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Pharmacy, and the College of Education and Health Sciences. Its emphasis is on graduate and professional preparation, although nursing pathways also serve students seeking an undergraduate credential.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine awards the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. The College of Pharmacy offers the Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Within the College of Education and Health Sciences, prospective students can explore programs in fields including physician assistant studies, public health, nursing, and education. Some pathways combine disciplines; applicants should check the credential, length, clinical requirements, and licensure implications of the particular program they want rather than assume one college-wide policy applies to all of them.
For students comparing universities, the range here is specialized: Touro University California is not organized around a broad catalog of conventional first-year undergraduate majors. Its official program pages and academic catalog are the appropriate places to confirm which degrees are accepting applications for a given entry term.
Touro University California's campus is on Mare Island in Vallejo, in the northern San Francisco Bay Area. The setting is a former naval shipyard separated from central Vallejo by the Mare Island Strait, not a downtown San Francisco campus.
Vallejo offers road connections to other Bay Area communities and ferry service from the city to San Francisco. Students should assess travel from their actual residence to Mare Island rather than treating access to Vallejo as the end of the commute. That consideration matters especially for clinical placements, early classes, and evening activities, which may occur away from campus or outside standard commuting hours.
Touro University California describes its educational mission in terms of professional education, service, and addressing community health needs. Its programs place particular emphasis on preparing health-care and education professionals, with clinical training and community engagement playing a role in many courses of study.
The university is part of the Touro educational network, which has a Jewish heritage. That affiliation is relevant to institutional identity and scheduling, but it does not mean applicants must share a particular faith. Prospective students who need to plan around religious observances should review the current academic calendar and their program's attendance policies.
A mission statement expresses an institution's priorities; it is not, by itself, evidence of a particular student outcome. Applicants can test how those priorities appear in practice by examining required placements, community-based work, and the support available in their intended program.
Name of the institution
Touro University CaliforniaLevel of institution
Four or more yearsControl of institution
PrivateSetting type
City: MidsizeInstitutional Category
Degree - granting, graduate with no undergraduate degreesInstitution size category
1,000 - 4,999Touro University California is institutionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission, an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation confirms that the school meets quality standards and is required for students to receive federal financial aid.
Associate's degree
Master's degree
Post-master's certificate
Doctor's degree - professional practiceData last updated on November 2, 2026
Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026
Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.