This is the last semester for students to be enrolled in Cabrini University, before Villanova assumes ownership.
Due to a decline in enrollment and financial challenges, Cabrini University decided to permanently close after the 2024 Spring semester. Instead of letting the 66-year-old University’s legacy end, they decided to join Villanova as a partner institution. Villanova vows to keep Cabrini’s mission.
Sakim Howard, a junior at Cabrini University, describes the experience of transferring his senior year: “I feel like it’s a headache,”.
Students found out about the devastating news last June over an email, stating that Villanova will continue to honor Cabrini’s legacy. When the email was sent, students had to quickly make the decision if they wanted to stay for Cabrini’s last year or transfer immediately.
Students expressed sadness over this drastic change in their life. A first-year student at Cabrini University, Gabbie, had this to say about having to transfer: “It’s really sad. This is where I wanted to go for the next four years and now no one’s here and I have to find somewhere else to go.”
For students that are not graduates of 2024, they are forced to transfer schools. Cabrini University has partnered with four different institutions to help make the transfer smoother for students. Ursinus College, Holy Family University, Gwynedd Mercy University, and Eastern University will accept all previous credits earned at Cabrini, continuing to teach Cabrini’s curriculum, and matching Cabrini’s tuition, as well as financial aid help.
Students that want to move with Cabrini and go to Villanova, Villanova will waive the fees to apply and enable quick decisions for appliers. The Center of Student Success at Cabrini will help and support students applying for schools that are not involved in the partner institutions, creating transfer plans for each student.
Lanie, a freshman at Cabrini, explained how the school is helping all the students transferring. “If you’re really not going to one of the partner schools, they kind of just like put you out on your own so you have to do it all yourself, but if you are, they just do everything for you basically.”
One student that transferred to St. Joe’s after she heard the news, described the email as, “a punch in the gut,.” Kerrianne King, a junior now, described how it felt to transfer to a different school: “There were so many Cabrini kids that transferred. They were all in the same boat because the atmosphere at St. Joe’s and Cabrini was totally different.”
Cabrini’s campus is mostly empty this year because, like King, most students transferred once they heard the news. For the students remaining, this will be their last year.
“I was really excited to come here at first and now it’s just kind of ruined my first year of college experience because there’s maybe like 40 people on campus,” said Lanie.
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