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University of New Haven is a private, top-tier, comprehensive institution, located in West Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1920, the University of New Haven began as a the New Haven YMCA Junior College, a division of Northeastern University, and shared the buildings, labs, and even faculty members of Yale University for nearly forty years before moving to its West Haven campus in 1960. As early as 1926, the school was granted a state charter, making it “New Haven College”, and by 1970 the college had achieved university status and adopted its current name. In 2014 the University of New Haven moved to its Orange Campus, which features 82 acres, situated on a suburban hillside community a few minutes away from the city of New Haven and Connecticut’s shoreline and beaches.
Academic Programs
The University of New Haven is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and has been so since 1966. The University of New Haven defines itself as a “student-centered comprehensive university with an emphasis on excellence in liberal arts and professional education.” The University’s mission is to prepare students to “lead purposeful and fulfilling lives in a global society by providing the highest-quality education through experiential, collaborative and discovery-based learning.”The University of New Haven consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, and the Tagliatela College of Engineering. More than 80 programs of study are offered through the University of New Haven, including more than 50 undergraduate majors, over 30 master’s-level programs, and a doctorate in Criminal Justice. Named a “college of distinction” by The Princeton Review, the Tagliatela College of Engineering’s undergraduate engineering program in particular has been singled out by the U.S. News & World Report for its excellence. The University of New Haven also offers more than 500 study abroad programs worldwide, including at its satellite campus in Tuscany, Italy.
Student Life
The University of New Haven has a total enrollment figure of nearly 7,000, including more than 5,000 undergraduates. The male/female ratio is split nearly in half and just under one-quarter of students self-identify as belonging to an underrepresented group; noted for its military-friendliness, more than 250 students at the university hold military veteran status. The majority of students live on-campus in university owned housing – more than a dozen resident halls are owned by the University of New Haven and first-year students have the option to participate in a Living Learning Community, which helps to connect students of similar majors or interests.The University of New Haven recognizes more than 150 student-led clubs and organizations, which cater to a wide range of interests. The University’s weekly, student-run newspaper, The Charger Bulletin, is offered in both hard-copy form and online and keeps students up-to-date. The University’s campus radio station, WNHU 88.7 FM, is student and community member-run and has won a number of “Best College Radio Station” awards in local media readers’ polls. University students remain active in the local community through club outreach programs, the University’s Alternative Spring Break Program, the President’s Public Service Fellowship program, and several other initiatives.