Sacred Heart University, distinguished by the personal attention it provides its students, is a thriving, dynamic university known for its commitment to academic excellence and community service.

Founded in 1963 by the Most Rev. Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of Bridgeport, the University was the first Catholic university in the United States to be led and staffed by lay people. Located between New York City and Boston, the University's main campus is situated in beautiful suburban Fairfield, Connecticut, with branch campuses in Derby, Lisbon and Stamford, Connecticut, and in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, as well as a new campus in Dingle, Ireland. The second-largest Catholic university in New England, the University currently has 3,100 full-time undergraduate students and a total enrollment of over 6,000.

Facts at a Glance

• 12-1 student to faculty ratio
• Over 11 faculty authors published books last year
• Philosophy of Active and Engaged Learning

Strong Liberal Arts University with over 50 undergraduate academic programs in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education and Health Professions, Business and University College

• 32 Division I athletic teams (Northeast Conference, Colonial Athletic Association and Atlantic Hockey)
• Over 80 different clubs and organizations
• Very active Career Development office with over 600 internship opportunities, over 75 companies

      participating in our on-campus recruitment day and extensive resume writing and interview

      preparation workshops leading to a placement rate of 95%

• Dell Latitude laptops are included with tuition for all full-time students with a two-year refresher;

      students will keep the two-year old laptop upon graduation.

• Sacred Heart University is a wireless campus

Admissions Requirements:

• Solid B average with four years of a college prep curriculum
• Average SAT scores range between 500-650 for both verbal and math
• Class rank in the top 40% of the graduating class

Application Deadlines:

• Early Decision (binding): October 1 (students receive decisions by October 15) December 1 (decisions by December 15)
• Regular Decision is rolling with a March 1 priority deadline for housing and financial assistance

Financial Aid:

• CSS Profile, file after September 15 (http://www.collegeboard.com/ SHU's code is 3780)
• FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), file after January 1

     (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ SHU's code is 001403)

Scholarships:       

• Merit Scholarships: students who have two of the three following criteria will be eligible for $3,000-$7,000 renewable annually: 3.2 gpa, 1100 SAT, top 20% of their graduating class
• Presidential Scholarship: Valedictorians and Salutatorians with a 3.6 gpa and 1200 SAT will receive a $10,000 scholarship renewable annually
• Students interested in participating in both marching band and concert band will receive $1,500
• Athletic scholarships are available and are awarded at the coach's discretion
• GE Grant: twenty-four academically talented, minority students will receive a $12,000 scholarship

College of Arts and Sciences                                       College of Business

Art                                                                                  Accounting

Biology                                                                            Business Administration

Chemistry                                                                        Economics

Computer Science                                                           Finance

Communications & Technology                                        International Business

Criminal Justice                                                                Paralegal Studies & Legal Administration

English                                                                             Sport Management

Environmental Science

History                                                                            College of Education and Health Professions

Mathematics                                                                    Athletic Training

Media Studies                                                                 Exercise Science

Minors in Modern Foreign Language                                Nursing 4-Year Program

Philosophy                                                                       Nursing Completion Program

Political Science                                                               Occupational Therapy

Psychology                                                                      Physical Therapy

Religious Studies

Social Work                                                                    University College

Sociology                                                                        General Studies

Spanish                                                                           Leadership Studies

What is Active and Engaged Learning?  The key to Sacred Heart's mission is a focus on real-world learning situations that add fire to students' future goals.  "Learning is about living - it's about experiencing."  This means concrete, real-life study as often as possible.  For example, Business Management majors analyze the impact of community development for local towns, Accounting students pass the IRS exam to do volunteer tax preparation for the elderly, Biology majors tag horseshoe crabs in Long Island Sound to monitor their progress.  Students leave with a high degree of confidence because they have gained experience.  Taking its mission further, Sacred Heart literally plans its campus around the active and engaged learning it espouses.  We are a liberal arts college in the Catholic intellectual tradition and that means we work from the person first.

Do Teaching Assistants or Professors teach the classes?  All of our classes are taught by full time faculty members with 81% of them holding the terminal degree in their field.  Sacred Heart has truly dedicated faculty and staff that aim to inspire and motivate students at every opportunity. 

Are Study Abroad Opportunities available?  Opportunities are available for students to study abroad in over 30 different countries.  Some of the great locations include Australia, Costa Rica, England, France, Hong Kong, Singapore, Spain, Mexico, Peru and Russia.  Sacred Heart also has two sponsored programs of its own in Italy and Ireland.