Sacred Heart University was founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, second bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, to provide an institution of higher education that would serve the people of the diocese and region, regardless of sex, race, creed or religion. In October 1962, Bishop Curtis announced both the plan to open a college the following September and its name, “Sacred Heart.” The choice of the name had a dual origin: it was the name of the bishop’s first pastorate in Bloomfield, NJ, and was a pledge from the bishop attesting to the value of such an institution.
Signs of the University’s growth and vibrancy are evident. Enrollment has risen from the original class of fewer than 200 undergraduate students to more than 10,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. This year, we welcome our largest freshman class ever. Over the years, Sacred Heart has grown to become the second-largest Catholic university in New England and, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, one of the fastest-growing Catholic Universities in the country.
The University has enhanced the undergraduate student experience in many notable ways. In 1990, it accepted, for the first time, students who wanted the residential experience. Now approximately 91% of first-year students and 50% of all undergraduates reside in University housing.
New degree programs and majors in relevant disciplines are regularly added to our curriculum, and the University now offers more than 200 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, online and certificate programs in Fairfield and satellites in Stamford and Ireland. The University consists of five colleges and four schools: College of Arts & Sciences, School of Communication, Media & the Arts, School of Social Work, School of the Performing Arts; the AACSB-accredited Jack Welch College of Business & Technology, School of Computer Science & Engineering; College of Health Professions; Susan L. Davis, R.N., & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and the Isabelle Farrington College of Education & Human Development. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 390 Colleges: 2025 Edition, and Best Business Schools: 2024 Edition. Sacred Heart also is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU.
The University offers Division I athletics with 33 varsity teams. The William H. Pitt Athletic & Convocation Center is available exclusively to DI athletes for training. The state-of-the-art Valentine Health & Recreation Center is open to all students and includes a suspended track, bowling lanes, a climbing wall, a golf simulator and much more.
The campus currently comprises more than 300 acres of land, including the 18-hole Great River Golf Course and SHU’s West Campus located in the former global headquarters of General Electric. West Campus houses the Isabelle Farrington College of Education & Human Development, and the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology, including the School of Computer Science & Engineering and the School of Social Work. West Campus is an innovative space featuring an IDEA Lab for engineering students, the NeXRealtiy Lab, an AI Lab, Cybersecurity Lab, Finance Lab, Problem-Based Learning Lab and Student Incubator Space where business students can work with local business people on projects.
The University also operates the SHU Community Theatre, located in downtown Fairfield. It offers a unique blend of film, world-class concerts and performances, lectures, youth programs and academic endeavors. The Theatre provides SHU students with an exciting variety of engaging learning opportunities in every aspect of live performance, production and theater management.
An ever-widening outreach to the community balances the University’s commitment to academic excellence. Students, faculty and staff members volunteer in excess of 120,000 hours of community engagement each year.