Marymount California University on Palos Verdes Peninsula To Permanently Close

RANCHO PALOS VERDES — After more than 50 years in operation, Marymount California University, a small Catholic school in Rancho Palos Verdes, announced April 22, it will close at the end of this summer.

The university, in a statement, said the decision to close stems largely from financial struggles driven by declining enrollment, increasing operating costs and the COVID-19 pandemic.

This comes after the university merged with Saint Leo University in Florida in a move that was to be an opportunity to expand each of the schools’ offerings. However the merger fell through in recent months after the regulatory approval process hit a snag.

The final slate of courses will end this summer, and the school will permanently close on Aug. 31, officials said.

Marymount California University began as a two-year junior college called Marymount Palos Verdes College in 1968, when it was founded by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary.