Doctoral/ProfessionalPrivate nonprofit

Sacred Heart University

Fairfield, Connecticut·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·New England·sacredheart.edu
6-yr Graduation
73%
Total enrollment
11,022
peer median 7,138
Avg net price
$45,459
+$6.3k vs Doctoral/Professional
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
16,495
16,495 candidates competed
Admitted
10,781
65.4% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,885
17.5% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
73%
4-year graduation
68%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
73%
Full-time retention
83%

Pell equity

12.0pp gap
Pell recipients
63%
Non-Pell
75%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 12.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 117 Title IV programs, 37 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 80 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
117
Passing
37
31.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

117programs
  • Passing37 · 31.6%
  • No Data80 · 68.4%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
4
Safe
33
No data
80

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

37
Communication and Media Studies
Master's Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+14.0%
$66,974 vs $58,761
Physiology Pathology and Related Sciences
Master's Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+14.8%
$61,642 vs $53,672
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+19.6%
$71,882 vs $60,112
Public Relations Advertising and Applied Communication
Master's Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+22.0%
$71,686 vs $58,761
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+27.9%
$59,036 vs $46,158
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
+28.5%
$59,601 vs $46,391
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+34.1%
$80,626 vs $60,112
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+43.0%
$85,946 vs $60,112

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

30
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
113%
$97,500 debt · $85,946 earn
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
104%
$151,369 debt · $145,964 earn
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
96%
$68,633 debt · $71,882 earn
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
76%
$61,000 debt · $80,626 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
49%
$27,000 debt · $55,399 earn
Psychology Other
Master's Degree · Psychology
49%
$38,210 debt · $78,644 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
49%
$27,000 debt · $55,710 earn
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
46%
$26,975 debt · $58,384 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

New England Commission of Higher Education

Accredited since 1969Next review Dec 2033

Programmatic accreditations · 11

Action history · 13

  1. Apr 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist
  2. Feb 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  3. Nov 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education
  4. Feb 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  5. May 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$37,374
$30–48k$38,526
$48–75k$43,128
$75–110k$47,177
$110k+$47,318

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$45,459
+$6,252vs Doctoral/Professional median $39,207
Federal loans
56.8%
In-state tuition
$48,460
Out-of-state
$48,460

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 1,385 students received $8.1M in Pell grants, alongside $85.7M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,385
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$8.1M
$8,142,472 total
Direct Loans
$85.7M
8,864 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$11.1M
2,565 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$14.8M
3,794 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$21.1M
1,262 loan awards
Parent PLUS$32.1M
969 loan awards
Grad PLUS$6.6M
274 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 2,161 borrowers who entered repayment, 21 (0.9%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.9%
-1.4pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
2,161
Defaulted
21
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
3.3%
2017
3.9%
2018
2.1%
2019
0.9%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Sacred Heart

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs95
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

3,591 total completions
01Health Professions
1,09730.5%
02Business
94126.2%
03Computer Sciences
57316.0%
04Biological Sciences
2115.9%
05Communication
1584.4%
06Education
1534.3%
07Psychology
1454.0%
08Public Admin
1263.5%
09Security/Protective
1193.3%
10Social Sciences
681.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
11,022
12-mo unduplicated
12,695
Undergraduate
7,549
Graduate
5,146

Gender split

Men
37%4,713
Women
63%7,982

Race / ethnicity composition

White
76.5%
Hispanic
13.0%
Black
3.5%
Two or more
2.4%
Unknown
1.8%
Asian
1.7%
Non-resident
1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.0%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
1,052
535 M · 517 W
Women athletes
49.1%
Athletic aid
$14.3M
Total student aid
Budget
$41.0M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$7.1M
$7.3M
Recruiting expense
$201K
$161K
Head-coach salaries
$88K
$70K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 19

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
173 M · 242 W
$1.6M
Football
166 M ·
$4.8M
Lacrosse
57 M · 33 W
$2.1M
Soccer
36 M · 39 W
$2.0M
Wrestling
48 M · 27 W
$895K
Ice Hockey
30 M · 33 W
$3.6M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.77
19 offenses · 10,721 students

3-year trend

2.152 yrs ago1.431 yr ago1.77Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
53
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
53
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
2

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
10
Burglary
5
Fondling
3
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

19total
  • On campus18
  • Non-campus1

Includes 11 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

4
Domestic violence
6
Dating violence
16
Stalking
26 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs030
Liquor0413

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
15.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
356

Sacred Heart vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Sacred Heart selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectSacred Heart University
73%11,022$45,459Doctoral/Professional
Quinnipiac University
76%72.2%9,424$39,207Doctoral/Professional
Fairfield University
84%33.3%6,864$46,274Doctoral/Professional
University of Hartford
57%95.7%6,015$29,558Doctoral/Professional
University of Bridgeport
41%83.0%3,838$24,786Doctoral/Professional
Northeastern University Professional Programs
7,411Doctoral/Professional
Peer group median73%77.6%7,138$39,207

Frequently asked questions about Sacred Heart University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Sacred Heart.

What is the graduation rate at Sacred Heart University?

Sacred Heart University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 73% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Sacred Heart University?

Sacred Heart University reports a total enrollment of 11,022 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Sacred Heart University?

The average net price at Sacred Heart University is $45,459 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Sacred Heart University?

Sacred Heart University's yield rate is 17.5%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Sacred Heart University located?

Sacred Heart University is located in Fairfield, Connecticut 06825-1000.

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