SHU Facts

Mission & History 

• Founded in 1963 as a Catholic University by the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport
• The first Catholic University in America to be led and staffed by lay people
• Contemporary in spirit and thinking and rooted in the liberal arts and Catholic intellectual traditions, with a mission to educate the whole person while preparing students to lead and serve in the world today

National Recognition 

• The Princeton Review: The Best 391 Colleges 2026, Best Business Schools 2025
• U.S. News & World Report: Among the Best National Universities, Best Undergraduate Business School, Best Undergraduate Nursing Program, Best Undergraduate Psychology Program, Best Undergraduate Computer Science Program, Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs, Best Online Bachelor’s Programs, Best Online Master’s in Nursing Program, Best Part-Time MBA, Best Graduate Nursing Program, Best Graduate Social Work Program, Best College for Veterans, Best Value School, Top Performer on Social Mobility
• Colleges of Distinction 2025-26: Recognized in the following categories: Catholic, Connecticut, business, education, nursing and military support
• Poets&Quants: Named one of the best undergraduate business schools in 2025

Students & Alumni

• Over 9,000 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students
• For the 2025-2026 school year, undergraduate and graduate students hail from 45 states, District of Columbia, plus two U.S. territories and 45 countries
• There are 61,634 living Sacred Heart University alumni
• There are 1,194 married alumni couples
• There are 1,700 alumni that have had siblings graduate from SHU
• SHU alumni hail from 72 countries and 50 states

Academic Excellence 

• More than 200 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs, including online degree programs, in five distinct colleges and four schools
• Over 60 global education opportunities in more than 30 countries around the world, including a SHU campus in Dingle, Ireland; Students complete coursework, clinical service hours, internships or service-learning hours globally in locations such as Guatemala and Greece
• More than 30 direct admit dual degree undergraduate to graduate programs

Class of 2028 Profile

Athletics 

• SHU Pioneers field 33 NCAA Division I athletic teams and 34 intercollegiate club sports
• Sacred Heart has won 84 Division I conference championships
• Varsity student-athletes earned an overall GPA of 3.5 for academic year 2024-2025

Student Life

• Residence halls on campus include the recently built Pioneer Village
• SHU offers a robust performing arts program in band & orchestra, theatre arts, choral and dance
• Over 100 involvement opportunities
• Fraternity and sorority life includes 16 organizations with more than 2,000 student members
• Programs and resources to support the spiritual growth of students regardless of religion affiliation

Commitment to Service

• Over 118,000 hours of community engagement completed globally
• 100+ partnerships with non-profit organizations, social service agencies, and schools in the Greater Bridgeport area
• More than 20 tutoring and mentoring programs connect SHU volunteers to the Bridgeport public school system and other area schools
• Global service-learning opportunities in locations such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Greece, Kenya and Ireland
• Award-winning campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity

Growing, Global Campus

• Park Avenue campus located in Fairfield, Connecticut, less than 60 miles from Manhattan and approximately 150 miles from Boston
• West Campus, the former General Electric world headquarters, is home to SHU's business, education, social work and STEM programs
• The Center for Healthcare Education is a world class facility for the University's nursing and health professions students
• SHU's campuses and facilities sit on more than 300 acres along the state’s southwestern coast
• The University also operates the Great River Golf Course in Milford, Discovery Science Center & Planetarium in Bridgeport and the Sacred Heart University Community Theatre in downtown Fairfield
• More than 2.5 million square feet of building space
• Satellite campus/locations in Stamford, Connecticut (physician assistant program) and Griswold, Connecticut (graduate education programs)
• International campus in Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland