Dongguk Royal University

What Dongguk Royal University does

Dongguk University Los Angeles (DULA), also referred to as Dongguk Royal University, is a private graduate school in Los Angeles, California, founded in 1981 and operating under the academic and Buddhist-heritage umbrella of parent institution Dongguk University Korea. The school is narrowly specialized in East Asian medicine, offering three academic tracks — the Master of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (MAcHM), the Doctor of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (DAcHM), and a Doctoral Completion Track — with the MAcHM program holding a 7-year ACAHM reaccreditation granted in August 2024. The student body is supported by an integrated teaching clinic (Whole Health Clinic) that delivers patient acupuncture services while providing hands-on clinical training, and by a continuing-education unit (CEU) infrastructure that includes an international Korea Externship+CEU40 program tied to the parent university's Seoul campus and Ilsan Hospital.

The business model is tuition-led: graduate program tuition and CEU fees are the primary revenue stream, supplemented by clinic service revenue from the Whole Health Clinic and ancillary program fees from the Korea Externship. Go-to-market is sales-led, relying on quarterly on-campus open houses, community wellness events (LAPD Health Fair, LAFD Wellness Days), alumni testimonials, and a digital presence across website, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. The institution monetizes its parent-university affiliation as a differentiated product feature — the Korea Externship and cultural immersion components are not easily replicable by competitors without similar Korean Buddhist-university partnerships. Distribution is concentrated at the single 440 Shatto Place, Los Angeles campus, with a 2nd hybrid classroom added in 2026 to support remote/hybrid delivery and an International Applicants admissions track suggesting intent to broaden geographic reach of the student pipeline.

The underlying technology stack is conventional educational technology (Populi SIS, Canvas LMS, Unified Practice clinic booking), with no proprietary AI or platform assets disclosed at the DULA level. Recent strategic activity has centered on regulatory maintenance (ACAHM reaccreditation), governance consolidation (President Dr. Stephan Seo appointed Acting Dean in 2024), and partnership expansion (MOU with Chen Bing Taichi Academy, CEU and hiring partnerships with Herb Walks and Holistic Healing Center). Customer concentration is structurally low — the institution serves a long tail of individual students, patients, and alumni practitioners distributed across at least five U.S. states — but total addressable revenue is constrained by the niche acupuncture licensure market in which DULA operates.

Name

Dongguk Royal University

Legal name

Dongguk University Los Angeles

Website

https://dula.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Dongguk University Los Angeles is a private graduate school in Los Angeles offering Master's and Doctoral programs in acupuncture and herbal medicine. It serves prospective and licensed East Asian medicine practitioners through accredited academic programs, a teaching clinic, and Korea-based externship opportunities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education — Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Allied Health & Rehabilitation Sciences Schools (PT/OT/SLP, etc.) (EDAHAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Holistic & Integrative Wellness Education (Ayurveda, Traditional Practices) (EDAAAHAH), Thematic & Discipline-Specific Study Abroad Programs (e.g., STEM, Business, Arts) (EDAIAAAC), Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE) (EDAAALAD)

Keywords

• Acupuncture education
• Herbal medicine programs
• Graduate health education
• East Asian medicine
• Continuing education units

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue generated from graduate-level academic programs including Master's (MAcHM) and Doctoral (DAcHM) programs in Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine, as well as continuing education units (CEUs).
2. Clinic Services: Revenue from the Whole Health Clinic providing acupuncture treatment services to patients, operating as both a teaching clinic and revenue-generating operation.
3. Korea Externship Program: Revenue from the Korea Externship+CEU40 program, a study abroad opportunity for students to experience clinical training in South Korea.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dongguk University Los Angeles operates as a private graduate school delivering Master's (MAcHM) and Doctoral (DAcHM) programs in acupuncture and East Asian herbal medicine, complemented by a teaching Whole Health Clinic that provides patient acupuncture services. The institution also offers continuing education units (CEUs), a Doctoral Completion Track, an international applicants program, and a Korea Externship+CEU40 study-abroad experience hosted at its parent campus in Seoul.

Product overview

Dongguk University Los Angeles (DULA) is a Graduate School of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine offering a unified suite of educational and clinical services in East Asian Medicine. The institution operates three academic programs: the Master's Program (MAcHM), Doctoral Program (DAcHM), and Doctoral Completion Track, all focused on acupuncture and herbal medicine education. These academic programs are supported by the Whole Health Clinic, which provides hands-on clinical training for students while delivering patient care services. DULA also offers continuing education through its CEU Opportunities program and international engagement via the Korea Externship/CEU Program, which provides students clinical experience at Dongguk University's main campus in Seoul.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful passage rate on California Acupuncture Licensure Examination
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Chen Bing Taichi Academy HeadquartersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2024MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) signed for academic and cultural exchange in traditional Chinese martial arts and medicine, enhancing the Dongbul Immersion Trip program.
• Herb Walks (Ojai)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCEU (Continuing Education Unit) provider offering exclusive discounts for DULA alumni including removal of CEU processing fee and special rates on herbal medicine workshops and Ojai Herbal Symposium.
• Holistic Healing Center (Ventura, CA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner clinic hiring DULA alumni for acupuncture practitioner positions in Ventura, California location.
• Dongguk University KoreacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain campus affiliation enabling student exchange programs, Korea Externship opportunities, and cultural immersion experiences including temple stays and hospital visits.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bastyr University: Larger integrative health university offering naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, and wellness programs. Broader portfolio than DULA but directly competes for students interested in complementary and integrative medicine careers.
• National University of Health Sciences: Illinois-based integrative health university offering an acupuncture program alongside chiropractic and naturopathic medicine. Comparable in integrative-medicine positioning and professional licensure focus.
• Southern California University of Health Sciences: Multi-program health sciences university (chiropractic, AOM, PA) in Whittier, CA. Comparable in California-based health-professions education and clinic-based training, with a wider specialty footprint.

Direct peers

• Pacific College of Health and Science: One of the largest U.S. acupuncture and East Asian medicine schools, offering Master's and Doctoral programs with teaching clinics across multiple campuses (San Diego, New York, Chicago). Directly comparable to DULA in modality, credentialing, and clinical training model.
• Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Los Angeles-based TCM university offering Master's and Doctoral AOM programs with a teaching clinic. Direct LA-market peer competing for the same applicant pool as DULA.
• Five Branches University: California-based acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine school with campuses in Santa Cruz and San Jose. Directly comparable in program structure, ACAHM accreditation, and teaching clinic model.
• Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine: Santa Monica-based ACAHM-accredited institution offering MAcHM and DAOM programs with a teaching clinic. Closest geographic and curricular peer to DULA within the Los Angeles acupuncture school market.
• American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) at CIIS: San Francisco-based ACAHM-accredited TCM program now housed within California Institute of Integral Studies. Comparable in offering DAOM/MAcHM programs and integrating Eastern medicine with broader wellness education.

Regional players

• Midwest College of Oriental Medicine: Chicago-area ACAHM-accredited acupuncture and Oriental medicine school. Comparable in program structure and clinical training approach but competes in a different regional market than DULA.
• Maryland University of Integrative Health: Maryland-based graduate school offering acupuncture and Oriental medicine programs with online/hybrid tracks. Comparable in graduate AOM offering and teaching-clinic model but serves a different U.S. region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@dula_dongguk
• Facebookfacebook.com/donggukuniversitylosangeles
• Instagraminstagram.com/dula_dongguk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dongguk-university-los-angeles

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Dongguk Royal University