Partnership Between Albertus Magnus College and Fairfield University Extends Educational Access in Connecticut
Albertus is First School to Partner with Fairfield to Offer Students of the New Fairfield Bellarmine Associate’s Degree Program an Additional Pathway to Continue Their Education Toward a Bachelor’s Degree
New Haven, Conn., September 12, 2023 – Albertus Magnus College and Fairfield University have announced a partnership to expand educational pathways for students enrolled in Fairfield’s new two-year associate's degree program, Fairfield Bellarmine.
The Fairfield Bellarmine program offers two-year associate’s degrees to students from the Greater Bridgeport region, as a foundation for their pursuit of a bachelor's degree, or as a pathway to enter the workforce. The program currently offers four majors sponsored by Fairfield’s four undergraduate schools: Business (Dolan School); Computer Science (School of Engineering & Computing); Health Studies (Egan School); and Liberal Studies (College of Arts & Sciences).
Fairfield offers Bellarmine students a pathway to continue their studies for another two years toward completion of a bachelor’s degree. This new partnership with Albertus Magnus will provide a meaningful and seamless opportunity for Fairfield Bellarmine graduates to do the same. Scholarship opportunities will be available for students interested in completing BA or BS degrees at Albertus Magnus.
“Fairfield is very excited to be collaborating with Albertus Magnus—our first pathway partner. Upon completion of their two-year associate’s degree at Fairfield Bellarmine, we know that providing students with a variety of options and programs is important,” said Fairfield Bellarmine Executive Director Rev. Kevin O’Brien, S.J. “While we look forward to students enrolling in Fairfield’s four-year degree programs, it is important to develop partnerships with other schools like Albertus Magnus whose mission and values align with Fairfield’s.
“Albertus Magnus College is thrilled to partner with Fairfield University to provide Bellarmine students with access to completing a four-year degree at a Catholic, liberal arts-based institution,” said Albertus Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty, Rosa E. Rivera-Hainaj, Ph.D. “The Fairfield-Albertus partnership strengthens the College’s commitment to providing access to excellent higher education and career and professional development to underserved and underrepresented students in our region, contributing to the betterment of their families and their communities.”
While Albertus Magnus College is the first to partner with Fairfield University to extend educational access to all communities, Fairfield Bellarmine administrators are working to establish agreements with other institutions to offer Bellarmine graduates additional opportunities to continue their studies without interruption and earn a bachelor’s degree within four years. Transfer agreements with partner schools will ensure that credits earned at Fairfield Bellarmine will be accepted into a comparable degree program.
The first cohort of Fairfield Bellarmine students was welcomed at the newly renovated 460 Mill Hill Ave. campus in Bridgeport, Conn., on Sept. 5, for the start of fall classes in the 2023-24 academic year.
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 ten 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.