Albertus Magnus College, Bridgeport Promise Sign Agreement
Expand Financial Support of Local Scholars Through College Success, Career Preparation
(Left) Bridgeport Promise Executive Director, Faith Villegas, and (Right) Vice President for Enrollment Management, Brian Fernandes
New Haven, Conn., November 12, 2025 – Albertus Magnus College and Bridgeport Promise are pleased to announce a new partnership to enhance opportunities for local scholars to achieve their academic goals. The three-year, renewable agreement establishes post-secondary educational opportunities — building upon Albertus’ century-old tradition of transforming lives through access, opportunity, and social mobility.
Albertus will award qualified students minimally $25,000 per academic year in aid, renewable for three years and subject to academic guidelines. On-campus employment will also be available, if desired.
“As we celebrate a century of academic excellence, the Albertus Magnus College community continues to take great pride organically cultivating a student population of varied backgrounds and providing access to higher education,” said Vice President for Enrollment Management Brian Fernandes. “This collaboration is a true testament to Albertus’ liberal arts, values-based education where experiential learning takes students from the classroom to career-readiness.”
“This partnership with Albertus provides a major pathway to success for our scholars,” said Bridgeport Promise Executive Director, Faith Villegas. “While on this journey, Bridgeport talent can flourish and provide a positive impact both locally and globally therefore redefining the narrative of what a success is in our communities.”
At Albertus, five in ten undergraduates are first generation college students and more than 90-percent of undergraduates receive financial aid in the form of scholarships, loans, grants, or work-study assistance.
About Albertus Magnus College
About Albertus Magnus College: Founded in 1925, Albertus is a coeducational Catholic College in the Dominican tradition. Albertus' values- and liberal arts-based education is recognized by external rankings such as US News & World Report, Money, and The New York Times, and has been named a Top 10 Military Friendly School. For nine consecutive years, at least 95% of Albertus graduates have attained employment or gone on to graduate studies within six months of completing their degrees. The College has an enrollment of approximately 1,300 students across its traditional undergraduate, accelerated adult undergraduate, and graduate program levels. Proud to enroll a student body where nearly half of its undergraduate students receive Federal Pell Grants and are first-generation college goers, Albertus is known for its innovative curricular offerings, recently launching new Bachelor's degree programs in Nursing, including BSN and Connecticut's first LPN-to-BSN; General Health Sciences; Interdisciplinary Studies; and Public Health. Among its graduate offerings is the State of Connecticut's only Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling program, and it is just one of three schools to offer a Master of Science in Human Services. In 2025-26, Albertus is celebrating its historic 100th Anniversary and completing implementation of the Albertus 2025: Lighting the Way to a Second Century strategic plan, with a bold vision to "be a destination liberal arts-based college, distinguished in its interdisciplinary and experiential approach to education, rooted in Dominican values, that prepares students for lifelong civic engagement and success." To learn more, please visit albertus.edu.