History

Oikos University was founded by Dr. Jongin Kim who is a great scholar, pastor and community
leader with the vision of serving the immigrant community in Northern California in 2004. From
the very beginning, Oikos’ educational mission fostered two distinctive goals. It launched
theological and musical programs in order to equip leaders for immigrant churches. In this
respect, Oikos’ mission is similar to that of other theological schools in the area. However, Oikos
University has pursued another crucial goal: to help immigrants to acquire English language
proficiency, professional skills, and academic credentials, so that they may be qualified for
certain jobs in the mainstream community. Hence, in addition to programs in theology and
music, Oikos University has added business programs and ESL.

Oikos University had operated in downtown Oakland in the past. However, foreseeing a growth
in enrollment, Oikos University has moved its campus to the current location near the Bay Area
and Oakland Airport: 7901 Oakport St. Suite 3,000 Oakland, CA 94621. To achieve its mission
of equipping men and women to serve the church, local community and the world, Oikos
University currently offers degree programs in the area of theology, music and business
administration. In 2019-2020 academic years, Oikos University has served a total of nearly
hundred students through our programs.

Oikos University has been operated as a degree granting institution. As such, we comply with
California BPPE standards and regulations. Oikos University is also granted initial accreditation
with TRACS in April 2016. The community of scholars and students of Oikos University is
committed to our mission and continues to demonstrate its educational effectiveness as a
strong, respectable institution of higher education with a distinctive Christian character, serving
the local communities in Northern California and beyond.