As Villanova’s students, faculty and staff returned from Spring Break for the second half of the semester, University President Father Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D. released an email Wednesday morning sharing major updates to come over the final weeks of the 2024-25 academic year and beyond.
The most immediate impact for students comes in the form of a tuition hike and financial aid budget increase for the 2026 fiscal year. This comes as the University attempts to hit its goal of meeting 100% of demonstrated undergraduate financial need, as was specified in the “Rooted, Restless” Strategic Plan released in 2019.
“Over the past ten years, Villanova has increased undergraduate financial assistance at a rate that exceeds the annual tuition increase, and the undergraduate financial assistance budget has increased by 62 percent,” Father Peter wrote. “Like most colleges and universities across the country, Villanova is heavily dependent on tuition revenue to support operational expenses and is impacted by general inflation and labor market conditions. Annual increases, which consider all these factors, enable the University to continue providing an exceptional academic experience, comprehensive student support services, and additional need-based financial assistance while ensuring continued prudent financial stewardship.”
While tuition increases cause frustration amongst some of the general student body, on-campus organizations like Student Government Association are looking to the future in terms of using a possible budget increase to benefit all students and the Villanova community as a whole.
“Over the years, SGA has worked to help bring meaningful improvements to student life in areas like dining, residence halls and campus facilities, investments that directly enhance our Villanova experience,” Aleko Zeppos, Vice President of SGA, said in a statement on behalf of the organization. “As tuition changes, we remain committed to ensuring that every dollar contributes to making our university an even better place to learn, grow and thrive. Our goal is to keep putting the ‘V’ in Value, ensuring that Villanova continues to be a place where students feel supported and set up for success both inside and outside the classroom.”
Students, both recently graduated from Villanova and currently attending, have seen multiple hikes in terms of tuition cost. Since 2014, the cost for undergraduate tuition has risen by more than $24,000, from $45,966 in 2014 to $69,846 for this current year – on par with higher application rates, high-profile coverage due to the two men’s basketball championships in 2016 and 2018 and in turn, more selective admissions into Villanova. However, as Villanova plans to reopen the recently acquired Cabrini campus in the Fall of 2026, larger admissions classes are to be expected.
“We’re anticipating, since we’ll have more space, that we will likely be bringing in a larger class,” Executive Director of Undergraduate Admission Matthew Harris said to The Villanovan in an October interview. “We want to make sure that as we do that we’re not losing the character of Villanova in terms of the type of students. That is the type of students who are really committed to Villanova, and committed to our mission, and are intellectually strong and ready to come and be successful on campus.”
Father Peter as well went into detail on Cabrini in his email, as allocation of space for both students and different faculty departments across Cabrini’s campus have been proposed and decided upon by University administration, including the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, graduate programs in the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the Department of Education and Counseling, the Ethics Program and partially, the Department of Communication.
“I am grateful for the engagement of these departments, and we are committed to supporting their outstanding outcomes in teaching and learning, scholarship and community engagement in this next chapter,” Father Peter wrote. “I would like to express my gratitude to everyone involved in the planning for the Cabrini campus. With each passing month, I am energized by the immense possibilities it provides for our campus community.”
Outside of the email, discussions are still in the works on a variety of Cabrini-related subjects, including events for Special Olympics and NOVADance being held on the Cabrini campus in future years.
The email also included a number of name changes, mostly including Cabrini’s buildings being renamed to honor both Mother Cabrini and Saint Augustine, but also a few for Villanova’s main campus. These include Old Falvey being renamed to Kyle Hall, New Falvey being renamed Moriarty Hall (not to be confused with the soon-to-be demolished residence hall) and Aldwyn One being renamed to Kennedy Hall. The full list can be found here, as attached in the updates email.
Additionally, Father Peter touched on a number of student successes over the past 365 days, including junior Rita Sogati’s being awarded the Frederick Douglass-Daniel O’Connell Global Internship. He also touched on the recent developments when it comes to higher education under the Trump administration, notably the targeting of universities under threat of losing federal funding, should the university not comply with Trump’s strict anti-DEI policies.
“We remain rooted in our Augustinian Catholic mission and believe in the value and worth that each individual brings to our community,” Father Peter wrote. “We will continue to make decisions with the goal of caring for and furthering the entire Villanova community.”
This is a time of grave uncertainty for universities nation-wide, evidenced by Columbia University recently losing $400 million in federal funding over “the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.” Villanova recently announced it would be complying with federal guidance and policies, with updates from the administration to come on details.
