Alliant International University is a private, for-profit benefit corporation university with its main campus in San Diego and other campuses in California, Japan, Kenya, and Mexico. The university is also known as Alliant. It offers programs in six California campuses – in San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Irvine, Sacramento, and Fresno – and four international campuses – in Mexico City, Mexico; Nairobi, Kenya, Tokyo, Japan; and Hong Kong. Its enrollment is approximately 4,000 students, of whom 95% are post-graduate.

Alliant was formed in 2001 by the combination of two older institutions: the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) and United States International University (USIU).^[1] Like the institutions that it descended from, Alliant has its home campus in San Diego, California. Until 2007, USIU also had a Europe campus in a former public school in the UK, which was used as a site for many films, including Harry Potter.^[2]

USIU is the descendant of the original Balboa School of Law founded by Leland Ghent Stanford as a private graduate institution, in 1924. The name was changed to Balboa University, and then to California Western University in 1952. Once again, in 1968, the school's name was changed to United States International University. The law school, however, retained the name of California Western School of Law.^[3]

In the early 1980s, USIU held a broadcast license to operate KUSI, a startup UHF television station television in San Diego. However, for unknown reasons, USIU decided not to launch the channel. The license was transferred to Texas businessman Mike McKinnon and it began as a commercial station in 1982. KUSI still exists as an independent station and assumed this status when the station dropped UPN on January 16, 1998.^[4]

USIU developed a network of campuses throughout the world at locations such as Guam, England, Kenya, and Mexico. Shortly after the merger with CSPP, the Kenya campus became its own independent entity known as United States International University Africa.^[5]

In February 2015, Alliant became a for-profit benefit corporation and part of the Arist Education System, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann.^[6]

Alliant International University is composed of several academic schools:

Alliant, including all of its programs, is accredited by the WASC Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities.^[12] The university's education programs are accredited by the California State Board of Education. Clinical psychology programs are accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA).^[13] Alliant's marital and family therapy programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education.^[14]

Alliant was included in GI Jobs magazine's 2013 list of Military-Friendly Schools, the third year in a row the university had been included in this listing. It was also included on the Military Times EDGE magazine's list of Best for Vets Colleges in 2010 and 2011; in 2011, Alliant was ranked #10 on the list, making it the highest-ranked non-traditional university in California.^[19]

Alliant International University, known as the Gulls, phased out its intercollegiate athletics programs in 2007.^[20] As U.S. International University, the school's softball team appeared in one Women's College World Series in 1982.^[21] The Gulls defeated Ohio State 1–0 in the team's first game. Freshman pitcher Jenny Stallard then hurled an eight-inning perfect game to stun top-seeded and eventual tournament champion, Texas A&M, 1–0 in the team's second game.^[21] However, losses to Michigan and Central Michigan ended the Gulls' season.

The Gulls played their final men's basketball season in 1990–91. Kevin Bradshaw set an NCAA Division I single-game scoring record by scoring 72 points in the Gulls' 186–140 loss to Loyola Marymount on January 5, 1991.^[22]