Majority-minority Rosemont College to merge with Villanova University

Rosemont College, a diverse 104-year-old Catholic institution outside of Philadelphia, has announced plans to merge with Villanova University after years of financial struggles and declining enrollment. 

The two schools announced the news in a joint statement on March 31, calling the move a “true partnership.”

“This merger agreement represents a unique and powerful opportunity for our two institutions given our shared commitment to advancing Catholic higher education, our close physical proximity and deep alumni connections," said Fr Peter M. Donohue, an Augustinian who has served as Villanova’s president since 2006.

“We are committed to securing the best possible options for our students, faculty and staff and believe this merger with Villanova offers the best opportunity to ensure that the Rosemont College history and legacy endures,” added Rosemont president Jim Cawley.

The schools have said the transition phase will begin in 2027, until which time Rosemont will continue to operate as normal. Students scheduled to graduate after 2028 will have “multiple options,” including the opportunity to complete their degree at Villanova.

The merger is one of several similar moves in recent years for U.S. Catholic colleges and universities serving diverse populations, including the closures of Holy Names University in Oakland, California; Cardinal Stritch University in Wisconsin; and the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. 

Rosemont, which serves a majority-minority undergraduate community, has a Black student population of well over 20%. The properties of nearby Cabrini University, a similarly diverse institution, were purchased by Villanova in 2024 following the school’s shuttering due to financial woes.

Rosemont was founded as a women’s college by the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus in 1921 and became notably diverse in the mid to late-20th century. The school went co-ed under financial duress in 2009 and has borrowed $7 million from its endowment since 2020, more than 40% of the original total. This came during five straight years of operating losses dating back to 2018, as enrollment fell roughly 18%. 

In 2022, the school received a non-compliance warning from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education due to its financial instability, being given a July 2023 deadline to right the ship. The warning status was removed in November of that year.

Throughout Rosemont's financial struggle, the school was noted as a top school nationally for social mobility, with more than 60% of its undergraduates receiving grants for financial aid and graduating to become higher earners.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Rosemont had discussions in 2024 with Alvernia University—a Franciscan institution in Reading, Pennsylvania—about a possible partnership, though Cawley declined to confirm the discussions or whether a merger was on the table. He did, however, note that the school was seeking to attract more students who could afford to pay full tuition.

Rosemont currently serves roughly 750 students on 58 acres of land that will eventually become Villanova University, Rosemont Campus.

“Rosemont is proud to announce this next chapter, which will build on our decadeslong relationship with Villanova and preserve Rosemont’s mission,” said Maria Feeley, chair of Rosemont’s board of trustees. 

The two schools say the terms of the merger are subject to approval from the MSCHE, as well as government regulators.

Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.

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