Chestnut Hill College

Nestled on a picturesque 45-acre campus in northwestern Philadelphia, overlooking the Wissahickon Creek, Chestnut Hill College offers a transformative liberal arts education rooted in its Catholic heritage. Founded in 1924 as Mount Saint Joseph College by the Sisters of St. Joseph, it was renamed Chestnut Hill College in 1938. The institution has always been dedicated to providing students with a comprehensive background in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, preparing them not just for careers, but for life's broader challenges, fostering intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and social growth.

Over the decades, Chestnut Hill College has demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt and expand its educational offerings to meet the needs of a diverse student body. What began as a four-year liberal arts college exclusively for women evolved significantly. In 1972, the School of Continuing Studies was established, opening undergraduate opportunities to mature women and men, with flexible evening and weekend classes. The coeducational School of Graduate Studies followed in 1980, offering master's degrees, and further expanded its reach with a doctoral program in 1997.

A pivotal moment in the college's history occurred in 2001, when it announced plans to admit men to its traditional-age, full-time undergraduate program, which began in fall 2003. This transition marked the 78-year-old College for Women becoming the School of Undergraduate Studies, leading to a dramatic 80% increase in enrollment by fall 2005, with total enrollment exceeding 2,000 students in the 2010s. Beyond its physical campus, Chestnut Hill College actively collaborates with other institutions through its membership in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education (SEPCHE) and the Association of Colleges of Sisters of St. Joseph (ACSSJ), providing enriching educational and study-abroad experiences for its students.