PROMOTING CATHOLIC EDUCATION
OUR AGREEMENT WITH CABRINI UNIVERSITY
After more than six decades of providing education inspired by Mother Cabrini and the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Cabrini University, a fellow Catholic institution in the Greater Philadelphia area, will graduate its final class in May 2024.
While this is a profound loss to our local and religious communities, Villanova has been working with Cabrini leadership on a plan to transition Cabrini University’s operations to a close—one that would also preserve Cabrini’s legacy and mission, honoring our shared commitment to advancing Catholic higher education.
The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus—who founded Cabrini University—intended the land on which Cabrini was built to be used to advance Catholic education in the spirit of Mother Cabrini’s commitment to an “education of the heart.” Villanova was founded upon the ideals of truth, unity, and love. While unique in our identities and histories, Cabrini and Villanova share a common faith and mission to offer a whole person, Catholic education.
In June 2023, it was announced that Villanova and Cabrini were considering an agreement, formed in mutual respect, between the two Catholic institutions. After completing the necessary due diligence, Villanova and Cabrini, along with the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, reached a final agreement, which was announced in November 2023. This agreement states that Villanova will assume ownership of the Cabrini campus at the conclusion of the 2023-24 academic year, maintain the Cabrini name for the campus and preserve Cabrini’s overarching legacy and mission.
Completion of the transaction is contingent on a number of regulatory and other approvals, which are expected to be received over the next 12 months. Villanova will also take time over the coming year to ascertain the best way to incorporate and utilize the Cabrini Campus for the benefit of students, faculty, staff and alumni.
Through this website, additional information will be provided as it becomes available.