Students who start college at Fairfield Bellarmine's campus on Mill Hill Avenue in Bridgeport have a new place to finish it. Fairfield University announced on Nov. 13 that its two-year Bellarmine program has signed a transfer agreement with Quinnipiac University, giving Bellarmine graduates a direct route into a Quinnipiac bachelor's degree.

It is the eighth bachelor's degree pathway the program has built, and the newest Connecticut school on the list.

How the pathway works

Fairfield Bellarmine runs on what the university calls a 2+2 model. Students spend their first two years at the Bellarmine Campus in Bridgeport earning an associate's degree on one of four tracks, each sponsored by one of Fairfield's undergraduate schools: business, computer science, health studies or liberal arts. They then carry those credits into two more years at a four-year school to finish a bachelor's degree.

Under the new agreement, Bellarmine graduates with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher can apply to Quinnipiac, starting with the Class of 2027. Students who are admitted can apply their Bellarmine credits toward a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science in a range of majors, and they are eligible for financial aid at Quinnipiac. The announcement does not list the specific majors or any dedicated scholarship amounts, so students interested in a particular program should ask the Bellarmine advising office which ones line up with their track.

Eight schools on the list

With Quinnipiac added, Bellarmine graduates have bachelor's pathways to eight institutions:

  • Fairfield University
  • Quinnipiac University
  • Albertus Magnus College
  • Georgetown University
  • Loyola University New Orleans
  • Regis College
  • University of Bridgeport
  • Williams College

Quinnipiac, a private university about 90 minutes north of New York City, enrolls about 9,800 students in more than 100 degree programs, according to the announcement. For a Bellarmine student from Bridgeport, Stratford or Trumbull, it is one of the closer options on the list, along with Fairfield's own campus on North Benson Road and the University of Bridgeport.

What Bellarmine costs, and who it is for

Fairfield Bellarmine is built for students from Connecticut communities within commuting distance of Bridgeport who are going to college straight from high school. The university describes its ideal candidate as a student with a high school GPA of 2.5 or higher who demonstrates significant financial need.

Fairfield says no Bellarmine student pays more than $1,000 a year after aid, based on the results of the FAFSA or the Bellarmine aid form.

The program's own numbers explain the transfer push. Fairfield reports a 77 percent two-year graduation rate for Bellarmine, and says 92 percent of its students go on to a four-year college or university. This past summer the program welcomed 80 new students into its Class of 2028.

Getting there

The Bellarmine Campus is at 460 Mill Hill Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06610. The program is built for students who commute. Greater Bridgeport Transit publishes route maps for anyone planning a bus commute to campus.

How to apply

Bellarmine admission is rolling. Prospective students and families can tour the campus, attend an information session or schedule an interview through the Visit page on Fairfield's Bellarmine site, and the admission page lists the eligibility guidelines and the aid form. The pathway opens with Bellarmine's Class of 2027, the students now in their second year, so the first transfers to Quinnipiac under the agreement are expected after that class graduates.

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