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Notre Dame de Namur University has welcomed students for 169 years.
Catholic San Francisco
April 2, 2020
Notre Dame de Namur University announced April 2, 2020 that in cooperation with its “suspending admissions for summer and fall 2020” it will focus “on helping as many current students as possible to finish degrees at NDNU by spring 2021.” For students who cannot graduate by then the school said it is “working actively to create transfer pathways to other institutions.”
Low enrollment, a too small endowment and rising costs are chief among reasons the Belmont school faces a possible closing it has said.
Six colleges have, so far, “agreed to accept all NDNU students in good standing, with offers that include generous financial aid awards, credit for all non-remedial courses taken, and streamlined admissions,” the school said.
The universities that have partnered to date to accept NDNU students are:
Dominican University of California, San Rafael; Holy Names University, Oakland; Humphreys University with campuses in Stockton and Modesto; Menlo College, Atherton; Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles; Saint Mary’s College of California, Moraga.
“We’ve worked hard to ensure that all of our students in good academic standing who are eligible to graduate by spring 2021 have the option to finish their degrees at Notre Dame, or transfer to excellent universities in California,” said Greg White, NDNU vice president for academic affairs. “The benefits offered by these institutions will make our students’ transition as smooth and affordable as possible.”
NDNU has made public in recent months that its enrollment is at its lowest in 30 years and combined with spiraling costs to educate students its mission to provide “quality higher education to students who would not otherwise be able to access these opportunities” is at risk.
In response to closing the school, NDNU said on its website: “No final decision has been made about the future of NDNU. Closing could be in our future but we are not closing now and we intend to stay open at least long enough to serve our students who are close to graduating. We hope to find a way to remain open in the future, but we cannot make that guarantee.”
According to the NDNU website the school has a current enrollment of 1,492 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs with tuition of $36,596.
Notre Dame de Namur University is a Catholic, not-for-profit, coeducational institution serving students from diverse backgrounds. Established in 1851 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, NDNU is the third-oldest college in California and the first authorized to grant the baccalaureate degree to women. For more information, visit www.ndnu.edu.