“A small Catholic liberal arts college in suburban Philadelphia, rooted in the Sisters of St. Joseph tradition of unity and reconciliation.”
Chestnut Hill College is a small Catholic liberal arts college founded in 1924 by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chestnut Hill, originally as Mount Saint Joseph College — a four-year college for women. Renamed Chestnut Hill College in 1938, it spent its first 78 years as a women's college before announcing in 2001 that it would admit men into its undergraduate School of Undergraduate Studies; the first coeducational class arrived in fall 2003. Graduate programs went coed earlier, in 1980. The college's motto, Fides, Caritas, Scientia (Faith, Charity, Knowledge), reflects a heritage of values-oriented education shaped by the Sisters' charism of unity and reconciliation. The campus sits on 75 wooded acres at the northwestern edge of Philadelphia, in the leafy, walkable Chestnut Hill neighborhood overlooking the Wissahickon Valley — a true suburban setting just 25 minutes by SEPTA regional rail to Center City. A 2006 acquisition of the SugarLoaf estate nearly doubled the historic campus footprint. Residential by character, with traditional brick and stone halls (Fitzsimmons, Fontbonne, Fournier) housing roughly half of all undergraduates, the college's small size produces unusually close faculty-student relationships and a tight-knit Griffins community that competes in NCAA Division II within the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). Academically, Chestnut Hill is best known for its signature programs in Education (early childhood, secondary), Nursing (BSN and accelerated BSN), Music, Business Administration, Psychology, and Human Services — fields aligned with the Sisters' service-oriented mission. The college also offers graduate work through a Doctor of Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) program. With about 1,000–1,100 students total and roughly 700 undergraduates, the experience is intimate, advising-rich, and pre-professional, attractive to international students who want a personal Catholic LAC environment within commuting distance of a major U.S. city.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceRolling Admission (Fall)
Domestic undergraduate applications reviewed on a rolling basis through the start of the fall term.
International — Fall
Completed international applications and supporting documents required by June 1 for fall enrollment.
International — Spring
Completed international applications and supporting documents required by December 1 for spring enrollment.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$39,870 – $40,335
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
The traditional 4-year residential undergraduate division, coed since 2003. Houses 60+ majors and minors organized into interdisciplinary academic centers spanning humanities, sciences, education, business, and the arts.
Offers a traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and an Accelerated BSN for second-degree students, with clinical placements across Philadelphia's major hospital systems.
Adult and continuing education division offering bachelor's completion programs and certificates in business, human services, and applied technology — historically a core part of the college since 1972.
Graduate programs in psychology, education, counseling, and administration, anchored by the Doctor of Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) program — one of the college's most selective offerings.
4 years
Traditional 4-year nursing program with clinical rotations across Philadelphia health systems. Graduates sit for the NCLEX-RN and enter a regional nursing market with chronic shortage and strong starting wages.
5 years
APA-aligned practitioner-focused doctorate in clinical psychology, the college's signature graduate program. The on-campus Psychological Services Clinic provides supervised clinical training to doctoral students.
4 years
Conservatory-style instruction in performance, composition, and music education within a small liberal arts setting. The college's longstanding music tradition stems from its founding-era emphasis on the fine arts.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $39,870
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
