Applications Surge At Sacred Heart University

FAIRFIELD — Breaking all records for both the number and quality of its applicants, Sacred Heart University announced that is has received 4,310 applications for full-time undergraduate admission for Fall 2001, the most in its 38-year history. Applications were submitted from 18 states and six  countries. The university also reports a 15-percent increase in applications from transfer students over the last year.

For the first time in history, more applications were received from New York than any other state. Significant numbers of applications were also received from New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Last year, Sacred Heart University became the second largest Catholic University in New England based on total enrollment, surpassing Providence College.

“Simply put, we’re hot right now,” said James Barquinero, vice president for enrollment planning and student affairs. “There’s an old saying in our business that the perception of a university lags behind the reality. The reality at Scared Heart University is that we have transformed ourselves from a locally focused commuter school into a comprehensive, innovative institution of higher learning. Based on the exponential increases in applications over the last several years, I would say that the perception is finally catching up to the reality.”

“While trends show that many colleges are seeing increases in enrollment based on demographic trends, we seem to be eclipsing that trend. Since we’re actually nearing a saturation point for enrollment for the next couple years, the benchmark we use to evaluate interest in the university is our applications. The competition is more intense than ever, but our efforts over the past several years have put us in a good position to continue to attract quality students.”

A final enrollment report fore the entering fall class will be produced in late August.

Dean Guastelle noted that many students are intrigued by the university’s technological prowess. “When most people think of a Catholic University, they don’t think of technological innovation, but it is an integral part of our culture. Several years ago, we were the first Catholic university in New England and the first university in the state of Connecticut to become an IBM Think Pad ™ University which requires every student to lease and use a laptop computer. Last fall we became one of the first universities in the country to become wireless – enabling students to have access to homework, email, or the Internet at any time and from any location on campus – inside our out.”