University of Western StatesDoctor of Chiropractic program in Portland, Oregon

Other names. University of Western States was formerly named Western States Chiropractic College. It goes by UWS. All of these names refer to the same accredited program. Sources: history.uws.edu, checked October 20, 2026; uws.edu, checked October 20, 2026.

In its own words. UWS describes its program as “A rigorous, whole-person approach to chiropractic education dating back to 1904.” (University of Western States’s own page, checked October 20, 2026). That is the program’s description, not ours.

University of Western States at a glance

Each cell says where the figure comes from and when it was checked. Where a program publishes nothing for a row, the row says so.

University of Western States tuition and cost

University of Western States’s published tuition, in its own words and unit: $12,632 per term, program flat rate (academic year: 2026–27). Whole-program tuition total: Not published. Source: uws.edu tuition and fees, checked October 20, 2026 (as published on our cost guide).

That figure is tuition as the program labels it. Fees, books, equipment, housing and living costs are separate unless the program says otherwise, and the program’s own cost-of-attendance page is where it publishes them. To see every program’s figure in its own unit, side by side, read what chiropractic school costs.

Federal debt. The U.S. Department of Education reports a median of $201,184 in cumulative federal loan debt at completion for University of Western States’s Doctor of Chiropractic graduates, from a cohort of 202. It leaves out private loans, family money and undergraduate debt, so the total a graduate carries can be higher.

Federal earnings. The same dataset reports median earnings of $69,126 four years after completion. Four years is early in a career that often moves toward practice ownership, and the figure is not adjusted for where graduates practice, so it describes the first years and not a whole career.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field of study data (CIP 51.0101), retrieved September 1, 2026 (as published on our Findings page). The method, and how to reproduce it, is on the Findings page.

University of Western States prerequisites and admissions

UWS publishes three options: a bachelor’s degree; 90 semester (135 quarter) credits with a 3.0 GPA; or 90 credits with 2.75 to 2.99 and 24 semester credits of life and physical science. It lists anatomy and physiology (6 semester credits) and general chemistry (3 semester credits), recommended on the first two options and required on the third. University of Western States’s requirements page, checked October 20, 2026.

You apply directly, through UWS’s own online application; its pages do not mention ChiroCAS. (University of Western States application page, checked October 20, 2026) UWS lists two entry terms, fall and winter. (University of Western States start terms, checked October 20, 2026)

Prerequisites differ from program to program, and some print amounts in units that differ from the next program’s. The prerequisites guide links every program’s own list.

Licensure in Oregon

Oregon licenses chiropractors through the Oregon Board of Chiropractic Examiners, an independent state board, and it is unusual in requiring state-specific examinations beyond the national boards: the Oregon Obstetrics, Gynecology and Genitourinary examination and the Minor Surgery and Proctology examination, both administered by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners. The board publishes its own licensure requirements and application materials, and it is the only authority on them.

This paragraph is taken from our chiropractic schools in Oregon page, where the board’s requirements are quoted in full. Board: Oregon Board of Chiropractic Examiners, checked September 22, 2026. You can be licensed in a different state from the one you study in; the board where you intend to practice is the only authority on what it requires.

Chiropractors and students from University of Western States on the ChiroTrack podcast

No recording is listed here yet. ChiroTrack’s interview series ran from 2020 to 2024, and a guest is named on a page about their school only after they have said yes to it. That consent round has not gone out yet, so this list is empty for every program, not only this one.

If you trained at University of Western States and practice now, you can join the register of chiropractors who make room for students.

Questions people ask about University of Western States

How much does University of Western States cost?

University of Western States’s published tuition, in its own words and unit: $12,632 per term, program flat rate (academic year: 2026–27). Source: uws.edu tuition and fees, checked October 20, 2026. Fees, books and living costs are separate unless the program says otherwise.

How long is the program at University of Western States?

University of Western States publishes the Doctor of Chiropractic as a 3-year program of 12 quarters and 238.5 quarter credits, 36 months in all, 15 of them in direct patient care. Source: uws.edu Doctor of Chiropractic, checked September 22, 2026.

What are the prerequisites for University of Western States?

UWS admits you with a bachelor’s degree, with 90 semester credits and a 3.0 GPA, or with 90 credits at 2.75 to 2.99 plus 24 science credits. Source: University of Western States’s requirements page, checked October 20, 2026.

Is University of Western States accredited?

Yes. University of Western States holds accreditation from the Council on Chiropractic Education, continued in January 2025 with no sanction. Source: CCE news and announcements, checked September 22, 2026.

Where is University of Western States?

University of Western States is at 8000 NE Tillamook St., Portland, Oregon.

Sources and dates. Facts were read from University of Western States’s own pages on the dates shown beside each one. Tuition, accreditation actions and program length that ChiroTrack had already published are reused with their original source and date. Federal figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard, retrieved September 1, 2026. Programs change their pages; confirm with the program before you rely on anything here.