St. Joseph University in Connecticut Has Men Living on Campus for the First Time

The University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut, was founded in 1932 by the Sisters of Mercy of Connecticut. Since its founding, full-time undergraduate programs were restricted to women. However, co-educational graduate programs and adult learning programs have existed at the university for many years.

Facing declining enrollments, in 2016 Rhona Free, president of the University of St. Joseph, formed a task force to examine whether the college should admit men to all undergraduate programs. In June 2017, the decision was made to admit men in the fall of 2018. At that time, President Free stated that “today’s women want an active, engaging college environment that mirrors the real world.” She added that “only two percent of female high school seniors say they would consider attending a women’s college. Admitting men will open our doors to 98 percent more women who would otherwise not even consider our high quality, distinctive educational experience here at USJ.”

This fall, the university became fully co-educational. The Class of 2022 will have about 100 male students, which is double what the university expected. The ratio of male to female undergraduate students on campus is about 1 to 9.