Sacred Heart University

Sacred Heart University ranked 202nd in the 2027 U.S. News rankings, reflecting an improvement after sitting lower on the list in prior years. Admission is moderately selective compared to other private institutions in its category. For the entering class of 2025, the university admitted 65.4% of its applicants, an acceptance rate that is higher than 23% of peer schools in a comparison group of similarly ranked private universities. This indicates that Sacred Heart admits a somewhat tighter share of applicants than most of its direct peers. When it comes to drawing admitted students, Sacred Heart converts a modest fraction into enrolled undergraduates, recording a yield rate of 17.5%. Nonetheless, this yield figure remains higher than 67% of peer schools in the same group, indicating relatively solid drawing power within its peer bracket. For families planning an application list, these numbers show that admission is generally attainable for qualified candidates, though the university continues to compete actively with comparable private colleges to finalize its incoming class.

Sacred Heart University's admission test policy is not considered, meaning it is test-blind and scores are not used even if submitted. Because standardized test results like the SAT or ACT play no role in admissions decisions, prospective applicants do not need to submit test scores or reach particular testing benchmarks to be admitted. Admissions officers evaluate candidates based on their high school academic performance, course rigor, grades, and broader secondary school records rather than standardized assessments. Back in 2011, standardized testing was widely utilized by incoming classes, when 96% of students submitted SAT scores. Today, however, applicants must demonstrate their academic readiness through regular coursework and classroom achievements instead of standardized exams. For families planning an application, this non-testing policy means that strong grades in demanding preparatory courses, alongside comprehensive application materials, serve as the primary evidence of academic capability during the admissions selection process.

Academic offerings at Sacred Heart University show pronounced concentration at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In 2025, the three largest undergraduate programs accounted for 36.2% of all bachelor's degrees awarded. The largest undergraduate major was Registered Nursing, graduating 285 students, followed by general business administration and experimental psychology. Although the undergraduate nursing program is large, the university's highest-ranked academic programs are in graduate health fields. In U.S. News rankings, the graduate physician assistant program ranked 58th in 2025, while occupational therapy ranked 59th and physical therapy ranked 72nd in 2026. At the master's level, enrollments are heavily clustered in computer and information sciences as well as business statistics. Earnings outcomes vary notably across undergraduate majors. According to 2023 earnings data measured one year after graduation, registered nursing graduates earned median earnings of $95,600, leading all reported undergraduate disciplines. For applicants, this means academic strengths and career outcomes are especially prominent in healthcare and professional disciplines.

Sacred Heart University enrolled 11,022 students in 2025 across undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree programs. The demographic makeup diverges markedly between academic levels. White students represent the largest racial group on campus, and female students constitute a solid majority of both undergraduates and graduate students. International presence is concentrated almost entirely at the advanced level, where graduate international students numbered 1,375, making up 36% of graduate enrollment, compared to only dozens of international undergraduates. Asian students account for a small fraction across all divisions; among incoming first-year undergraduates, Asian students represented 1.6% of the entering cohort, with similar small shares in continuing and graduate cohorts. For prospective applicants, the data show a largely domestic undergraduate population with noticeable international representation primarily within graduate degree tracks.

The student age distribution at Sacred Heart University highlights two separate academic communities. In 2025, undergraduate education centered almost entirely on traditional college-age individuals, with students aged 18 to 19 making up 44.9% of the undergraduate population and those aged 20 to 21 accounting for 42.8%. Only a minor share of undergraduates was older than 21. By comparison, graduate enrollment spans broader age ranges. Students aged 22 to 24 formed the largest graduate segment at 40.7%, followed by individuals aged 25 to 29 at 20.2%. This profile creates an undergraduate campus experience geared toward young adults progressing directly through college, while graduate programs serve early-career adults and continuing professionals.

International enrollment at Sacred Heart University follows two drastically different paths at the undergraduate and graduate tiers. In 2025, international students represented only 1.2% of the undergraduate student body, a proportion that has remained flat since 2016. Consequently, international students accounted for just over one percent of bachelor's degree recipients, with nearly zero presence in top undergraduate majors like nursing and psychology. In contrast, graduate international enrollment expanded substantially, rising to 36% of all graduate students in 2025. That year, international students earned 58.4% of all master's degrees awarded by the university. These master's graduates were heavily clustered in technical disciplines; for example, international students made up 98.6% of graduates in general computer and information sciences, alongside similarly high shares in business statistics and medical informatics. Prospective international applicants will therefore encounter a very small international community at the undergraduate level, contrasted with large international cohorts in select graduate degree tracks.

Applicants exploring Sacred Heart University can consider several other institutions situated nearby in Connecticut and New York. Located just 4.4 kilometers away in the same town, Fairfield University is a national university ranked 109th. Approximately 17.6 kilometers to the east in New Haven sits Yale University, ranked 4th nationally. To the northeast, Quinnipiac University is a national university ranked 156th, located 22.7 kilometers from campus. Across Long Island Sound, Stony Brook University offers a public research university setting 22.1 kilometers away and holds the 59th position nationally. These nearby colleges provide students with a range of institutional sizes, settings, and degree programs within commuting distance.

Campus safety records at Sacred Heart University indicate that reported incidents are predominantly driven by internal substance policy violations. The university's crime rate per 1,000 students stood at 13.4 in 2025, decreasing from earlier years. From 2023 through 2025, institutional disciplinary referrals constituted the vast majority of documented campus incidents, led by 1,434 alcohol disciplinary referrals and 149 drug disciplinary referrals. In comparison, reports of criminal offenses during that three-year span occurred with far less frequency, including 31 stalking incidents, alongside smaller totals of rape, dating violence, and sexual harassment. These figures demonstrate that campus security and residence staff primarily handle alcohol infractions rather than widespread violent crime. For families evaluating campus life, understanding that non-arrest alcohol referrals make up the overwhelming share of reported incidents offers helpful context when reviewing institutional safety figures.