The student population at Sacred Heart University is 11,022 (7,204 undergraduate and 3,818 graduate students) . The number of students has increased by 2,787 (33.84%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at SHU is 65.36% which is increased by 1,999 over last 10 years. The graduate student population increased by 788 and it has been increasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 55 male students for every 100 female students, up from 48 in 2015.
- 1,311 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 7.90% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 9,544 where 11,022 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 8 year-over-year increases and 1 decrease. It peaked at 11,179 students in 2024 and was lowest at 8,235 in 2016. Overall, enrollment rose from 8,235 to 11,022 students, a net gain of 2,787 (33.8%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Sacred Heart University since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 6,249 where 7,204 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Sacred Heart University since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 3,295 where 3,818 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Sacred Heart University since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 63.52%. The percentage was 68.04% 10 years ago and SHU still has a high percentage of white students. 2.08% of enrolled students is Asian and 4.36% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 12.21% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 68.04% to 63.52%. Asian enrollment declined from 2.31% to 2.08%. Black student enrollment decreased from 4.69% to 4.36%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 7.31% to 12.21%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.5788 which indicates that moderately diverse. This increased from 0.5288 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Sacred Heart University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
1,311 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 12% of total students. The number of online students has increased 7.90% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Sacred Heart University from 2015 to 2025.