University of New Haven

Private · Moderately Selective · CT

Photo: Zrosen88 (CC BY-SA 3.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationCT · Northeast

SettingSuburban

Undergrads4,841

Student:faculty17:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate55.8%

6-yr grad rate63.1%

Drop-out rate23.5%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$47k

Out-of-state tuition$47k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity48%

Gender diversity60.4%

International3.7%

Identity—

Overview

A private university in West Haven, Connecticut, on the state's shoreline, best known nationally for criminal justice and forensic science. Its Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, named for the renowned forensic scientist who taught there, gives the school a career-oriented, professional-degree identity that sets it apart from a classic liberal-arts college.

Academics

Forensic science, criminal justice, and fire science programs draw students from well outside New England, supported by dedicated labs and simulated crime-scene facilities tied to the Lee name. Engineering, cybersecurity, and business have grown into other flagship strengths, taught with a hands-on, applied approach and modest class sizes that keep faculty running labs and simulations rather than large lectures.

Campus & student life

The West Haven campus sits a short drive from New Haven and gives students beach access along with a larger city's amenities nearby. Most underclassmen live on campus, and athletics compete at the Division II level. The criminal justice and forensic science identity shapes much of campus culture, since many students arrive already committed to a specific pre-professional track.

Getting in

Applications favor students who can point to a clear professional interest, especially in criminal justice, forensic science, or engineering, where direction matters as much as raw academic stats. The Lee College's reputation pulls in applicants from outside the region who might not otherwise consider a school of this size.

After graduation

Graduates place into federal and state law enforcement, forensic labs, and criminal-justice-adjacent government work at a rate unusual for the university's size, helped by the Lee name and its instructor network in that field. Cybersecurity and engineering graduates tend to move into employers along the Connecticut-to-New York corridor.

Worth knowing

The Henry C. Lee College is the reason many students choose the school in the first place, and its forensic labs and mock crime-scene facilities are built specifically around that specialty rather than serving as an add-on to a general curriculum.

newhaven.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate60.4%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1060–1265

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionDec 15

Early decisionDec 1

AdmissionRolling

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying