Sacred Heart University

Private · Moderately Selective · CT

Photo: Tomaskoeck (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationCT · Northeast

SettingSuburban

Undergrads7,087

Student:faculty15:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate68.3%

6-yr grad rate73.5%

Drop-out rate16.9%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$50k

Out-of-state tuition$50k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity25.2%

Gender diversity63.8%

International1.1%

IdentityRoman Catholic

Overview

Private Catholic university in Fairfield, Connecticut, founded in 1963 and distinctive from its start for being led by lay administrators and faculty rather than clergy, a departure from the more traditional model of Catholic higher education. Sacred Heart has grown rapidly over recent decades from a small commuter college into a larger, more residential university, and its Fairfield County location puts it within reach of New York City for internships and weekend access alike.

Academics

Health professions, nursing, business, and communication are Sacred Heart's most established programs, each having grown substantially as the university expanded. The university has invested heavily in facilities and program breadth in recent years, adding newer schools and degrees alongside its climbing enrollment. Class sizes remain moderate for a university of its current size, and the pace of Sacred Heart's institutional growth is itself a notable feature — it has expanded faster than most peer Catholic universities in the Northeast.

Campus & student life

The Fairfield campus sits about an hour from New York City, close enough for weekend trips without the city dominating daily campus life. Division I athletics, including a growing football program, have become a bigger part of campus identity as the university has expanded, and campus-life offerings have grown alongside enrollment. The Catholic identity is present but not heavily prescriptive, shaping campus ministry options more than academic requirements outside a modest core curriculum.

Getting in

Admission is credential-based with a holistic component, and Sacred Heart has become noticeably more competitive as its reputation and applicant pool have grown over the past decade. Health-profession and nursing applicants are common, drawn by the university's expanding facilities and programs in those fields specifically.

sacredheart.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate65.4%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionDec 1

Early decisionNov 15

AdmissionRolling

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying