California Baptist University (Cal Baptist or CBU) is a private Baptist Christian university in Riverside, California, United States. Founded in 1950 as California Baptist College, it is affiliated with the California Southern Baptist Convention, an organization affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. CBU is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission.
Founded in 1950 as California Baptist College in El Monte, California by the Los Angeles Southern Baptist Association, the new college enrolled 120 students during its first year under the leadership of the first president, P. Boyd Smith. In 1953, the college moved under the wing of the California Southern Baptist Convention, the same year that the first edition of the Angelos, the college yearbook, was published. In 1954, the college received its charter from the state of California.
Soon the college outgrew its facilities, and in 1955 it moved its campus to the then-rural city of Riverside, California. The school's new 75.6-acre campus was already equipped with constructed buildings that could be used for offices, classrooms, and living areas. What is now known as the Annie Gabriel Library, was the first to be built in 1921. In 1927, the original administration building was constructed whereas the W.E. James Building was built in 1934. The building which now houses the ceramics studio and boiler was constructed in 1938. In 1958, the college named its second president, Loyed Simmons.
In September 1998, California Baptist College officially became California Baptist University.
The School of Music was established in 2002, and the Bonnie G. Metcalf School of Education followed in 2003. The same year, the university complex, known as the Yeager Center, was opened, housing classrooms, administration offices, the cafeteria, computer labs, and professors' offices.
In the fall of 2010, CBU added a College of Health Science, and enrollment exceeded 4,700 students.
On September 8, 2015, CBU offered its first doctoral degree, a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) through the School of Nursing.
The CBU Events Center opened in November 2017. The following year, the CBU Dennis and Carol Troesh Engineering Building was opened.
The CBU Soccer Stadium was completed and dedicated in 2022.
In fall 2025, CBU achieved record enrollment of 12,516 students.
On August 30, 2011, California Baptist University expelled incoming nursing student Domaine Javier for being a transgender woman. CBU claimed she had concealed her identity when applying to the school. Before attending classes, Javier revealed her identity on MTV's True Life, after which CBU expelled her. As a result, Javier's attorneys filed a lawsuit against the school on grounds of discrimination, citing California's Unruh Civil Rights Act. Javier also brought suit against the university for breach of contract. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gloria Connor Trask ruled on July 11, 2014, that as a transgender person, Javier's application violated the university's moral code and the school was within its rights to expel her. Trask, however, ruled that the university should not have prohibited Javier from entering university businesses and services which were open to the public. Because of California Baptist's decision to bar Javier from their campus businesses, Judge Trask ordered the school to pay her $4,000 in statutory damages in addition to attorney's fees.
The Annie Gabriel Library is named in honor of Annie Gabriel, whose gifts enabled the initial development of the collection.
In 2004, CBU was recognized in a November 2004 article in the American School and University magazine, which recognizes education design excellence, for the construction of the Yeager Center, by Kroh/Broeske Architects in Riverside. The university also won honors from the city of Riverside. The Mission Revival architectural style is a hallmark of CBU's campus.
The California Baptist University athletic teams are called the Lancers. The university is a member of the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) for most of its sports since the 2018âÂÂ19 academic year; while the men's water polo team competes in the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA); and the women's water polo team competes in the Golden Coast Conference (GCC). The Lancers previously competed in the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) of the NCAA Division II ranks from 2011âÂÂ12 to 2017âÂÂ18; and in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1987âÂÂ88 to 2010âÂÂ11.
CBU will conclude its primary membership with the Western Athletic Conference on June 30, 2026, and will begin its new era of athletics with The Big West Conference on July 1, 2026.
Academics at the university are organized into several colleges and schools:
The university is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission.
In addition, some of CBU's colleges, schools, and programs are accredited by or hold membership in organizations related to their specific disciplines. These accreditations and memberships include:
The university is a member of the American Association of Higher Education, the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, the International Association of Baptist Colleges and Universities, the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, and the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges.
CBU is affiliated with LECOM, the largest medical school in the United States, offering qualified students early acceptance to their medical, dental, and pharmacy schools.