AT A GLANCE
Founded: 1868
Location: Oakland, California
Mission: Holy Names University, founded by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM), is rooted in Catholic intellectual and spiritual traditions. A rigorous and inclusive intellectual community, HNU is committed to continuous improvement and provides professional and liberal arts undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The University empowers a diverse student body to think critically and imaginatively, to understand and employ the various modes of knowledge, to communicate clearly and persuasively, to pursue leadership opportunities, and to promote the common good.
Student Body: 966 total enrollment; total student population, 629 undergraduates; 64% women, 36% men
• American Indian/Alaska Native 0.7%
• Asian: 12.7%
• Black/African American: 21.6%
• Hispanic: 35.4%
• White: 17.5%
• Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.9%
• International: 3.5%
• Race and ethnicity unknown: 7.6%
Recognition: U.S. News & World Report annually recognizes Holy Names University as one of the most diverse universities in the Western region. HNU is a vibrant community that embraces individual and collective experiences. HNU is a member of Colleges of Distinction. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges Guide” (2020) ranks HNU 17th in their new “Top Performers in Social Mobility” list of their Regional Universities West category.
Academic Information: 10:1 student-faculty ratio; the average class size is 15 students.
Athletics: 15 NCAA Division II sports, including baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross-country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball; men’s volleyball is a club sport.
Financial Aid: Almost 100% of undergraduates receive financial aid.
2019–2020 Tuition and Fees: $39,576
2019–2020 Room and Board: $13,586
Majors
• Accounting
• Biological Science
• Business
- Finance
- International Business
- Management
- Marketing
- Sports Management
• Communication Studies
• Communication Studies with an emphasis in Digital Media
• Community Health Sciences
• Criminology
• Healthcare Administration
• Healthcare Services
• Interdisciplinary Studies
• International Relations
• Kinesiology
• Liberal Studies (teaching prep)
• Nursing
- Post-licensure, RN to BSN
- Pre-licensure, Generic BSN
• Politics and History
• Psychobiology
• Psychology
• Self-Designed
• Sociology
CONCENTRATIONS
• Digital Arts
• Diversity Studies
• Latin American and Latinx Studies
• Literature
• Philosophy
• Religious Studies
• Writing for Professionals
PRE-PROFESSIONAL
- Pre-dentistry
- Pre-law
- Pre-medicine
- Pre-occupational Therapy
- Pre-pharmacy
- Pre-physical Therapy
- Pre-veterinary Medicine
SEAMLESS TO GRADUATE DEGREE
• Accelerated MBA program
HNU has been transforming lives since 1868. An academic community committed to the full development of each student, Holy Names offers a liberal arts education rooted in the Catholic tradition, empowering a diverse student body for leadership and service in a complex world.
A commitment to community service and social justice
HNU students strive for social justice to help communities thrive. Complementing learning that happens in the classroom, students serve as leaders, mentors, and activists in service learning projects, internships, and volunteer opportunities with Habitat for Humanity, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and others.
A close-knit, supportive academic environment
With a low student-faculty ratio, HNU students can always count on enjoying personal attention from their professors. In fact, students have collaborated with distinguished faculty and coauthored important research papers on topics in biology and criminology; partnered with HNU faculty to produce beautiful murals and literary journals; and built homes for residents of rural Tutwiler, Mississippi, with Habitat for Humanity. It’s this close partnership between HNU faculty and students—this cultivation of entrepreneurial spirit—that has helped recent HNU graduates go on to establish their own start-ups, community organizations, and social justice initiatives.
Why we love living in “the town”
HNU’s campus is situated in the picturesque hills above Oakland, which gives students a wide-angle view of San Francisco and the entire Bay. HNU’s location in the Bay Area means that students are close to Oakland, Berkeley, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley and the cultural, recreational, and professional opportunities that come with being in the midst of such a vibrant metropolitan area—one that boasts an average of 260 sunny days per year and more than 80 regional parks; companies like Apple, Pixar, Netflix, Facebook, Google, Levi Strauss, LinkedIn, Pandora, Twitter, YouTube, Uber, and Yelp; and more museums and theaters per square mile than almost anywhere else in the nation. The HNU campus is a safe and lively home base that puts the bright lights of the big city within each student’s reach.
Exceptional scholarships
HNU is committed to the success of its students, and that commitment takes the form of scholarships and financial aid for almost 100% of HNU students. These scholarships recognize the unique talents and potential of the University’s students and are designed to help them make the most of their time at HNU. Holy Names University remains one of the most affordable private schools in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The HNU Experience
The HNU Experience promotes students connecting with each other and faculty inside and outside the classroom, and involves signature programs such as The Connection Project—a unique approach to the first-year experience—retreats, internships, study abroad programs, service learning projects, capstone courses, student employment, community-based leadership opportunities, NCAA D-II athletics, and dynamic student-run clubs and organizations.
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