Holy Names University

What Holy Names University does

Holy Names University was a private, non-profit Roman Catholic co-educational university founded in 1868 by six members of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, a teaching order from Quebec, Canada. Originally established as the Convent of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart on the shores of Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, the institution relocated to a 60-acre Oakland Hills campus in 1957. For 154 years HNU offered liberal arts and professional education — including graduate nursing, the Kodály Music Program, and NCAA Division II athletics (HNU Hawks, PacWest Conference, 13 sports) — and consistently ranked in the U.S. News & World Report West Region for Campus Ethnic Diversity and as a Top Performer on Social Mobility. Its wholly-owned subsidiary Raskob Learning Institute and Day School (founded 1953, NASET-recognized) served students with mild-to-moderate learning differences across grades 3-8, plus an educational therapy clinic and diagnostic program.

HNU's business model was tuition-dependent and structurally like that of most small private U.S. universities: recurring tuition and fees from approximately 943 students in Fall 2022 (520 undergraduates, 423 graduates), supplemented by on-campus residence-hall and dining revenue, with institutional aid extended at significant scale to a diverse, first-generation-heavy student body. It operated without a modular platform or distinct product-line architecture; offerings were tightly integrated within a single accredited institution. Go-to-market was community-led, relying on educational outreach and local/regional reputation in the Bay Area rather than distributed or branded acquisition channels. Pricing was not publicly tier-disclosed, and revenue figures were not publicly reported.

The university faced terminal financial distress: $49 million in property debt triggered foreclosure, estimated deferred-maintenance and compliance costs exceeded $200 million for a 65-year-old campus, and enrollment collapsed from 943 in Fall 2022 to 449 in Spring 2023. After a failed search for a merger partner or financing, the Board of Trustees (chaired by Steven Borg) announced closure in December 2022, executed 32 layoff notices, discontinued athletics, formalized a transfer agreement with Dominican University of California (announced December 19, 2022), and officially ceased operations in May 2023. The campus was sold to BH Properties for $65 million in June 2023. Post-closure activity is limited to a legacy website administering the Logan Scholarship (through 2025-26) and the statewide Legacy Funds of HNU scholarship program for California college students.

Name

Holy Names University

Legal name

Holy Names University

Website

https://hnu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1868

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Holy Names University was a 154-year-old private, non-profit Roman Catholic university in Oakland, CA offering liberal arts and professional education to a diverse student body. It ceased academic operations in May 2023 due to $49 million property debt and steep enrollment decline, and now exists primarily as a legacy scholarship administrator.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Religious Organizations (8131), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

akta.pro primary industry

Religiously Affiliated Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAF)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Liberal arts college
• Undergraduate programs
• Graduate nursing
• Music education

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and fees: Primary revenue from student tuition payments and institutional fees. HNU extended significant institutional aid to students.
2. Residence hall revenue: On-campus housing and dining services contributed to revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Holy Names University was a private nonprofit Catholic institution that delivered higher education through undergraduate liberal arts and select graduate professional programs, including a Graduate Nursing program and the distinctive Kodály Music Program, complemented by NCAA Division II athletics for enrolled students. The university charged tuition and fees along with residence hall revenue to support its academic operations until ceasing in May 2023.

Product overview

Holy Names University was a single higher education institution that offered undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including liberal arts and professional education. The university operated as a single unified institution without a modular platform architecture. Related educational offerings included the Raskob Learning Institute and Day School (a K-8 program for students with learning differences) and the Kodály Music Program. The university ceased all academic operations in May 2023, with transfer pathways established to Dominican University of California for continuing students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HNU Hawks: The athletic program of Holy Names University, competing in NCAA Division II PacWest Conference, featuring 13 intercollegiate sports including baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball.

Products and services

• Undergraduate liberal arts programs Four-year and general undergraduate degree programs grounded in the liberal arts tradition, delivered to students enrolled at the Oakland campus; founded as part of the university's core academic mission dating to 1868.
• Graduate Nursing Programs Professional graduate-level nursing credentials offered to prospective nursing students seeking advanced practice preparation through the School of Nursing at Holy Names University.
• Kodály Music Program Specialized music education offering using the Kodály method, distinguishing the university among private colleges in the Bay Area and serving students seeking music teacher and performance training.
• NCAA Division II Athletics (HNU Hawks) Intercollegiate athletic program competing at the NCAA Division II level under the HNU Hawks brand, available to enrolled student-athletes as part of the residential campus experience.
• Residential Life (On-Campus Residence Halls) On-campus housing services available to enrolled students, generating residence hall revenue as a stated auxiliary revenue stream of the university.
• Raskob Learning Institute and Day School Subsidiary K-12 day school operated by Holy Names University, providing primary and secondary education to students under the university's nonprofit sponsorship.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Dominican University of CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2022HNU and Dominican University formalized an agreement by which academic programs at HNU would transfer seamlessly to Dominican after the spring term. Dominican serves as HNU's designated transfer institution, providing a home for continuing students and some faculty and staff.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• University of San Francisco: Jesuit Catholic university in San Francisco with comparable Bay Area Catholic identity, similar undergraduate-focused mission, and overlapping student demographics including first-generation and diverse learners.
• Dominican University of California: San Rafael-based Catholic university founded by the same Dominican Sisters congregation; HNU's designated transfer partner with closely aligned mission, Bay Area footprint, and similar small-private-Catholic positioning.
• Cardinal Stritch University: Wisconsin-based Catholic university that closed in 2023 amid financial and enrollment decline; a contemporary peer case of a small Catholic institution forced to wind down operations.
• University of Portland: Holy Cross Catholic university in Portland with a comparable mid-size private Catholic enrollment profile, undergraduate teaching focus, and residential campus model.
• Mills College: Oakland-based private college that merged with Northeastern University in 2022 after similar financial and enrollment challenges; geographically adjacent peer that faced the same small-private-institution viability questions in the Bay Area.
• Notre Dame de Namur University: Belmont, California-based Catholic university that closed in 2023 amid similar financial and enrollment pressures; essentially a twin case study of a small private Catholic institution in the Bay Area forced to wind down.
• Marylhurst University: Oregon-based Catholic (Sisters of the Holy Names) university that closed in 2018 after similar enrollment decline and financial distress; a historical precedent for the HNU closure trajectory and a sponsor-network peer.
• Saint Mary's College of California: Moraga-based Catholic De La Salle Christian Brothers university with comparable enrollment scale, Bay Area footprint, and Catholic liberal arts mission, making it a direct operating comparable for HNU's pre-closure profile.

Broad incumbents

• Santa Clara University: Larger Bay Area Jesuit Catholic university with overlapping student demographics and mission; represents the scale-up pathway HNU aspired to but could not achieve.
• Loyola Marymount University: Larger Jesuit and Marymount Catholic university in Los Angeles with similar Catholic liberal arts identity and a comparable undergraduate-focused residential model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HolyNamesUniv
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/hnuvideos
• Facebookfacebook.com/26826740699
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/holy-names-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/holynamesuniv/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Holy Names University