Western New England University


Western New England University is a private university in Springfield, Massachusetts. Academic programs are provided through its College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Engineering, School of Law, and College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
In recognition of its master's and doctoral programs, the institution officially changed its name from Western New England College to Western New England University on July 1, 2011. This marked the return of "university" to the school's name, exactly 60 years after separating from Northeastern University. It had long been classified as a university.

History

The Springfield Division of Northeastern College, known as Springfield-Northeastern, was established in 1919. Evening classes, held in the YMCA building on Chestnut Street in Springfield for students studying part-time, were offered in law, business, and accounting. In 1922, the school's
first 13 students were awarded the degree of Bachelor of Commercial Science. The first seven law graduates were recognized in 1923.
In 1951 the Springfield Division of Northeastern University became Western New England College. The college was chartered on July 17, 1951. On April 26, 1956, for the current Wilbraham Road campus were purchased. In that same year the first day program was started; it was in engineering, with 53 students enrolled. The first building, originally known as East Building and later renamed Emerson Hall in recognition of the college's first trustee chairman, opened in 1959.
The college's charter was expanded in 1959 to permit the college to grant the bachelor's degree in any field of business administration, science, engineering, education, and law, and certain master's degrees. The charter was expanded in 2005 to include the LL.M. in Estate Planning and Elder Law, and again in 2008 with the inclusion of the Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis.
The School of Arts and Sciences was established in 1967, and the college received accreditation as a general purpose institution in 1972.
The 1960s through the 1990s saw the college's academic programs expanding, its student body growing, and the addition of a number of buildings, including the D’Amour Library, the Blake Law Center, the St. Germain Campus Center, the Alumni Healthful Living Center, and the LaRiviere Living and Learning Center. In 2001, the Evergreen Village townhouses opened for seniors. The Kevin S. Delbridge Welcome Center, which houses the admissions offices, opened in 2002. In 2003, Commonwealth Hall and the Golden Bear Stadium opened. The George Trelease Memorial Baseball Park was completed in 2004. In 2006, the $1.9 million expansion to the D’Amour Library was completed. In 2008 and 2009, respectively, the college expanded and renovated the Blake Law Center and built Southwood Hall. In 2010, the $40 million Center for the Sciences and Pharmacy was completed. Herman Hall underwent an $8 million renovation in 2012.
The university's campus serves as home to undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, pharmaceutical, and law students from throughout the United States and abroad. Undergraduate and graduate programs are offered in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, Pharmacy, and at the School of Law. In 2010, the College of Pharmacy was established, and the institution was granted a change to its charter that permits it to offer the degree of Doctor of Pharmacy. Western New England University has 45,000 alumni around the world.
On July 1, 2011, Western New England College officially became Western New England University. The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education approved the name change in March 2011. The Schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, and Pharmacy became the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, and Pharmacy. The School of Law retained its name.

Affiliations

Western New England University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. Business programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, engineering programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and social work programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. The School of Law is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Teacher education programs have been approved by the Massachusetts Board of Education and are part of the Interstate Certification Compact. Western New England University is also a member of the Association of American Colleges, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Massachusetts.

Rankings

In 2025, U.S. News & World Report ranked Western New England University tied for No. 283 out of 436 National Universities, tied for No. 113 out of 286 Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs at schools where a doctorate is not offered, and tied for No. 386 out of 433 Top Performers on Social Mobility.
Western New England University has consistently dropped in its rankings over the past few years. On the Best National Universities List, it was ranked #234 for 2023, #236 for 2024, #273 for 2025, and #283 for 2026.

Undergraduate admissions

In 2024, Western New England University accepted 88% of undergraduate applicants, with admission standards considered challenging, applicant competition considered very low, and with those enrolled having an average 3.49 high school GPA. The college does not require, but will consider, submission of standardized test scores, Western New University being a test optional school. Those enrolled that submitted test scores had an average 1190 SAT score or an average 26 ACT score.

Student life

For the 2021–2022 academic year, enrollment at Western New England University was 3,674 students. Full-time undergraduate enrollment totaled 2,522 students; approximately 58 percent are male students and 42 percent female. Law enrollment was 395 students, and part-time undergraduate, graduate studies and adult learners, pharmacy, and occupational therapy enrollment totaled 731.

Athletics

WNEU athletics teams participate in 14 sports programs, competing in the Conference of New England of NCAA Division III. Western New England's teams include men's and women's basketball, cross country, lacrosse, ice hockey, outdoor track and field, soccer, tennis, and wrestling.
Men's sports include baseball and football while women's sports include field hockey, softball, swimming, and volleyball.

Notable persons

Alumni

Western New England University has 43,000 alumni. The Western New England University School of Law has more than 7,000 alumni, while the MBA and MSA programs have nearly 6,000 alumni. The general University alumni magazine used to be called The Communicator. The School of Law alumni magazine is called Perspectives. A new magazine launched in 2019 called WNE: The Magazine of Western New England University.

Notable alumni