Dive Brief:
- Villanova University plans to absorb Rosemont College, which will take on the former’s name after a multiyear transition period set to begin in 2027, the two Catholic institutions in Pennsylvania said Monday.
- After the merger is complete, Rosemont — less than a mile away from Villanova — will become “Villanova University, Rosemont Campus,” according to a press release. The deal requires approval from their accreditor — they have the same one — and from state and federal regulators.
- Following the transition period, Villanova will take on Rosemont’s assets and liabilities and bring on three members of Rosemont’s governing board, according to Rosemont. Tenured and tenure-track faculty will be offered contracts at Villanova and can apply for tenured status via the university’s guidelines.
Dive Insight:
Villanova University President Peter Donohue described the merger with Rosemont as a “unique and powerful opportunity for our two institutions given our shared commitment to advancing Catholic higher education, our close physical proximity and deep alumni connections.”
In a community message, Donohue also noted that Villanova and Rosemont students for years have taken classes and participated in programs at each others’ campuses.
With 777 students in fall 2023, Rosemont is dwarfed by Villanova, which enrolled 10,111 students for that period.
Student bodies have shrunk at both colleges, though Rosemont’s has done so at a faster clip. Between 2018 to 2023, fall enrollment plunged 17.8% at Rosemont compared to a 8.3% drop at Villanova.
Rosemont, founded in 1921 by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, is also the weaker of the two financially. It racked up a total operating deficit of $914,220 in fiscal 2023, more than triple the previous year’s budget gap, according to its latest financials. Villanova, meanwhile, has posted surpluses in recent years.
Rosemont’s fiscal 2023 audit also contained a going-concern warning, indicating there was “substantial doubt” about its ability to keep operating. The audit cited the college’s failure to meet the U.S. Department of Education’s benchmarks to be considered financially responsible.
However, in response to the financial issues flagged by auditors, Rosemont made several moves, including cutting executive-level positions, nixing a handful of vacant positions to reduce overall staffing and consolidating its student housing, moving to sell one of its residence halls.
The college also borrowed $7 million from its endowment to support operations and pay down a credit line.
College leaders said they believed those efforts, as well as marketing initiatives and enrollment partnerships — such as one with the Fraternal Order of Police — alleviated the going-concern doubt, auditors noted.
But merging with Villonova is meant to add to both institutions’ strengths.
“We are committed to securing the best possible options for our students, faculty and staff and believe this merger with Villanova offers the best opportunity to ensure that the Rosemont College history and legacy endures,” Rosemont President Jim Cawley said Monday in a statement.
Rosemont will continue operating as a separate entity through the transition period and maintain its academic programming during that time. According to the institutions, Rosemont students who haven’t completed their degrees by 2028 will have multiple options to do so, including transferring to Villanova’s professional studies college.
Student athletes on Rosemont’s NCAA Division III teams can move to club sports after the spring 2026 semester — given that Villanova is a Division I university. The college is looking for other D-III institutions that could provide quick and easy transfer pathways for student athletes from Rosemont, according to the institution.
The merger agreement also calls for the preservation of Rosemont’s chapel as “a place of gathering and inspiration.” To maintain Rosemont’s legacy, the institutions said an endowed scholarship will be created after the transition “supporting the mission” of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.
This isn’t Villanova’s only recent expansion. In 2024, the university bought the 112-acre Pennsylvania campus of Cabrini University following the Catholic institution’s decision to close. Per the agreement, they renamed the site Villanova University Cabrini Campus.
Several Catholic liberal arts colleges have struggled in recent years along with their secular peers. Facing enrollment and financial challenges, some have sought mergers.
This year, Gannon University and Ursuline College, for example, announced a formal merger agreement. And Iowa’s St. Ambrose University is working to acquire Mount Mercy University as part of a plan announced last year.
