Holy Names University is a private Catholic university that sits nestled in the Oakland Hills in the middle of the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area.
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.
