WELCOME TO YOUR SOPHOMORE YEAR!
The Fall of 2026 will mark the beginning of a new era for Villanova University with the official opening of the Cabrini Campus—and as a sophomore, you will be a part of it all!
This guide is designed to give you a preview of all that awaits you in your second year at Villanova, and to introduce you to all that awaits every Villanovan—from incoming students to alumni—as the Cabrini Campus becomes a reality. When you return to Villanova to begin the Spring semester, you’ll have the opportunity to visit Cabrini during tours and open houses, and to begin to imagine yourself in its residence halls, classrooms, recreational facilities and dining halls.
While this is an exciting occasion for all Villanovans, we know that new opportunities can also bring uncertainty. We encourage you to talk with your friends and family members as you begin to think about where you’ll live, what experiences you’ll pursue and how you’ll make the most of your sophomore year. If you have questions or concerns, we’re here to help! Stop in any Student Life office, or connect with us at studentlife@villanova.edu
FAST FACTS ABOUT THE VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY CABRINI CAMPUS
• The Cabrini Campus is located on 112 wooded acres, just under two miles from the Villanova Campus.
• The Cabrini Campus was formerly its own university with all facets of university life. Villanova has been updating and renovating the campus since Summer 2024.
• Approximately 900 students—mostly sophomores—will be housed in seven spacious residential buildings designed for living in community. See page 5 for room types and amenities!
• Villanovans will take classes on both the Cabrini and Villanova campuses, regardless of where they live. Specialized Living and Leadership Communities will be available to students who are interested in an immersive learning experience at the Cabrini Campus.
• A robust transportation system will ensure easy and direct travel for students between the two campuses, with shuttles arriving every 5-10 minutes during peak hours.
• Sophomores who reside on the Cabrini Campus are eligible to park on the Cabrini Campus. Approximately 400 parking permits will be available for a fee on a first-come, first served basis.
• Innovative dining options, a 100,000-square-foot recreation center and a vibrant student facility are among the amenities available at the Cabrini Campus for all students.
1.
Student center
2.
Student center, meeting spaces, offices
3. Bellesini Hall
Classrooms, media lab and dining facilities
4. Xavier Hall
Residence hall featuring “clustered” rooms
5. Thomas Hall
Residence hall featuring traditional rooms
6. Nicholas
Residence hall featuring traditional rooms
7. Josephine Hall
Offices, event space
EXPLORE THE CABRINI CAMPUS
13. Bruckmann Memorial Chapel
14. Antoinette Iadarola Center
11.
Residence hall featuring suite-style rooms
Residence hall featuring traditional and suite-style rooms
12. Lecceto Hall
Apartment-style residences
Academic building featuring research and teaching spaces
15. Dixon Center Recreation center
16. Nerney Pavilion
Recreation center
Residence hall; home of Living and Leadership Communities
8. Tagaste Hall
Study spaces, TechZone
Cascia Hall
Ortiz Hall
Hall
9. Montefalco Hall
10. Francesca Hall
Angelo Hall
YOUR SOPHOMORE YEAR
Sophomore year is a time of exploration and involvement, of change and growth. You’ve found your footing as a college student, in the classroom and out, integrating concepts learned in seminar rooms and lecture halls with real-world experiences in clubs, on the field, in residence halls and beyond Villanova’s physical footprints.
Beginning in Fall 2026, students will travel between the Villanova and Cabrini campuses for classes and other activities utilizing a premier shuttle system. For example, the Ethics classes that most sophomores take will be held on the Cabrini Campus, regardless of where students live. As you continue exploring your academic pursuits, you will find your home at both the Villanova and Cabrini campuses.
Iadarola Center, Cabrini Campus
ACADEMICS
Undergraduates from all class years, and several graduate programs, will regularly be in class on the Cabrini Campus, which boasts outstanding classrooms, technology and labs that naturally suit the academic departments that will call it home:
• The Ethics Program, which will offer core coursework to undergraduates in their sophomore year and to those pursuing an Ethics minor;
• Psychological and Brain Sciences, which will utilize Cabrini’s distinctive research and teaching spaces, including a state-of-the-art vivarium;
• Education and Counseling, which will educate primary and secondary school teachers and counselors in newly renovated, specially designed classrooms; and
• Graduate-level Nursing programs, utilizing dedicated nursing classroom and simulation spaces to complement those in Driscoll Hall on the Villanova Campus.
In addition, select Communication classes will utilize media labs and other specialized facilities on the Cabrini Campus, including TV and podcast studios.
STUDY SPACES
With the opening of Tagaste Hall on the Cabrini Campus and the completion of Falvey Library at Vic Maggitti Hall on the Villanova Campus in 2027, students will have expanded options for study spaces.
Iadarola Center, Cabrini Campus
Tagaste Hall, Cabrini Campus
Falvey Library at Vic Maggitti Hall, Villanova Campus
Lecceto
SOPHOMORE YEAR HOUSING OPTIONS
Apartment-style living with a full kitchen, living room, bedrooms (for 1 or 2 students) and private bathroom
Suite-style living with 2 double bedrooms, a common area and a shared in-suite bathroom
• 2 double rooms connected by a bathroom, or
• 6-person suites with single and double bedrooms, a common area and a shared in-suite bathroom
residence hall rooms for 2 students, clustered in groups of 4 rooms with a shared bathroom
of single, double and triple rooms on smaller wings, with shared bathrooms on each wing (home to the Living and Leadership Communities)
residence hall living with double rooms and shared bathrooms on each wing or hallway
SCAN HERE FOR PHOTOS, MODELS AND INFORMATION ABOUT HOUSING ON THE VILLANOVA AND CABRINI CAMPUSES
LIVING ON CAMPUS
Beginning in the 2026-27 academic year, approximately 900 sophomores will live on the Cabrini Campus, and approximately 900 sophomores will live on the Villanova Campus. Various housing options are available on both campuses. Buildings on the Cabrini Campus tend to have larger rooms and spacious lounges, and most include community kitchens for residents to share.
HOUSING SELECTION PROCESS
In early 2026, you’ll begin the housing selection process for the 2026-27 academic year.
EARLY 2026
• Receive information about completing your housing agreement.
• Attend an open house at Cabrini Campus, beginning in January (dates and times will be announced soon!).
• Complete your housing agreement, and identify your preferred roommates, if applicable.
LATE MARCH 2026
• Receive your randomly generated housing selection time.
• Review your housing options, knowing that options may vary depending on the housing selection time you receive.
• Make your housing selection at the assigned date and time. The person with the earliest selection time in your group will secure housing for the entire roommate group.
You will know where you are living before you register for academic courses and will be able to design your course schedule to allow adequate travel time from one campus to the other.
Student meal plans will work at all University-run dining options on both campuses. Cabrini Dining includes eateries in Cascia Hall and Bellesini Hall. See pages 8-9 for additional information about dining.
Sheehan and Sullivan Halls, Villanova Campus
Lecceto Hall, Cabrini Campus
LIVING AND LEADERSHIP COMMUNITIES AT CABRINI
You may also choose to join one of three Living and Leadership Communities that will be offered at Cabrini. These communities are designed to help sophomores expand their circle of friends and peers, explore different styles of leadership and academic interests, connect with mentors and take part in high-impact programming that deepens their sense of purpose. The themes of the communities are:
• Advancing Women Leaders in STEM
• Sophomore Service-Learning Community (SSLC)
• The Space Between: Personal and Professional Development for Students in CLAS
Up to 70 students will be admitted to Living and Leadership Communities, and will live together in Josephine Hall on the Cabrini Campus. Students in the communities may select their roommate of choice, regardless of whether the roommate is part of one of the communities or not.
DINING
Dining Services brings you fresh, nutritious and sustainable dining options. Every month, choose from a menu that could include special dining events, themed meals, farmer’s markets, cooking classes, pop-up stations, outdoor dining opportunities and complimentary snacks at various locations.
Meal plans will be active across both campuses; check out the options available to sophomores at diningservices.villanova.edu.
DINING OPTIONS AT CABRINI
In addition to classrooms, Bellesini Hall will offer customizable, made-to-order options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Stations include:
• Corner Grill: classic grill favorites
• La Cocina: Tex-Mex and Latin American inspired cuisine
• Pacific Rim: bold, Asian-inspired flavors
We’re also introducing Table 1842, a reservation-based, restaurant-style experience at Bellesini Hall that features elevated menus, chef-led cooking demos, etiquette dinners and other special events designed to foster connection through food.
All of Cabrini’s dining establishments will feature options from Nourish Allergy Kitchen, a dedicated allergen-free dining program designed to support students with food allergies and dietary restrictions. Meals from Nourish will be available through convenient pickup locations across the Cabrini Campus, ensuring easy access and peace of mind for community members with dietary needs.
Bellesini Hall, Cabrini Campus
CASCIA HALL AT CABRINI
No matter where they live, Villanovans will be able to enjoy the amenities available at Cascia Hall, a vibrant, newly renovated student center designed as a gathering space for the entire community.
• Enjoy only-at-Cascia dining opportunities, including:
• Local Grounds x Holy Grounds (your favorite Holy Grounds, reimagined as a full coffeehouse experience featuring local roasters and a warm, community-focused atmosphere);
• Rooted (a fresh, customizable concept offering acai bowls, smoothies and grain and salad bowls, powered by local Pennsylvania farms and alumni-owned Pitaya Foods); and
• The Menu Maker (a rotating, student-driven dining concept where students vote on the types of menus and pop-up experiences they want to see throughout the semester).
• Chat with friends in comfortable seating areas.
• Watch a Wildcats road game, play video games or challenge your friends to a game of pool or shuffleboard in a spacious lounge.
• Pick up some swag at the Cabrini Campus University Shop.
Rooted at Cascia Hall, Cabrini Campus
Cascia Hall, Cabrini Campus
RECREATION
The 100,000-square-foot Dixon Center will serve as the recreational hub of the Cabrini Campus. The building features an indoor pool, basketball courts, a dance studio, fitness centers and a suspended running track. Outdoor recreational facilities include basketball, tennis and pickleball courts, a nature trail and turf and grass playing fields.
On the Villanova Campus, all students will have access to the Davis Center, the Farley, Stanford and McGuinn fitness facilities and the Canon group exercise studio. Club and intramural teams will be assigned to spaces on either or both campuses.
EVENTS
Keep an eye on “This Week On Campus,” delivered to student inboxes every week, for a listing of events taking place on both campuses. Popular favorites (like Food Truck Friday!) will take place at each campus, with different activities planned on different days. New events will be designed to make the most of the unique indoor and outdoor facilities on the Villanova and Cabrini campuses.
Dixon Center, Cabrini Campus
Davis Center, Villanova Campus
TRANSPORTATION
A fleet of Wi-Fi-equipped buses will operate all day long along two separate routes. Rendering of shuttle
WEEKDAYS
6:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Shuttle buses will stop at pick-up locations every 5 to 10 minutes
10:30 p.m.-6:30 a.m.
Nova Van on Demand Mobility Shuttle
WEEKENDS
8 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Shuttle buses will stop at pick-up locations throughout the day
10:30 p.m.-8 a.m.
Nova Van on Demand Mobility Shuttle
A new transportation app will provide real-time bus tracking and up-to-date information about bus stops and schedules, and allow you to request a ride with the Nova Van on Demand or Mobility Shuttle. The app will also provide information about schedules and routes for current on- and off-campus shuttles, which will continue to operate from the Villanova Campus.
PARKING AT CABRINI
Sophomores who reside on the Cabrini Campus are eligible to park at the Cabrini Campus. Approximately 400 permits will be available for a fee on a first-come, first-served basis. A waiting list will be established if the demand for permits exceeds the available number of spaces.
Sophomores living on the Villanova campus are not eligible for a permit on either campus.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
The safety of students and employees at both the Villanova and Cabrini campuses is paramount, and as the University’s first responders to emergency situations— including police, fire and medical calls—the Department of Public Safety will operate round-the-clock at both locations and will facilitate transportation to the Student Health Center on the Villanova Campus upon request. In an emergency medical situation, students on either campus will be transported to a local hospital via ambulance.
Surveillance cameras and emergency phones are located on both campuses. The Nova Alert system will be used in case of emergency to immediately notify students on both campuses of emergency situations on either campus. The Nova Safe app will allow students to communicate with the Department of Public Safety dispatcher using a live chat feature. When contacted through the app, the dispatcher will be able to see the user’s location in real time.
RESOURCES
Villanova offers countless resources for students, including health services, academic and professional support, student organizations and other groups through the Division of Student Life. Some of these resources will remain on the Villanova Campus, while others will move to the Cabrini Campus or be available on both campuses. Regardless of their residence, students will have easy access to these resources, whether they’re on-site where they live or just a short drive away using the University’s round-the-clock transportation services.
MISSION AND MINISTRY
The legacy of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini and the mission of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus inspire Villanova in familiar and new ways. Cabrini Campus building names will honor the heritages of Saint Augustine and Mother Cabrini, and the campus will be the home of the Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration at Villanova University.
The Office for Mission and Ministry serves the Villanova community and celebrates the different beliefs, faith traditions and identities each member brings. Across campuses, students wishing to explore and practice their faith will find a range of options. Liturgical celebrations will be held at the Bruckmann Memorial Chapel of Saint Joseph, and Mission and Ministry staff will offer hospitality and programming from a suite in Ortiz Hall. As on the Villanova Campus, students can connect with our Augustinian Catholic mission and the spirit of Mother Cabrini through programs in service and social justice, prayer and worship, spirituality and community, education and advocacy, sustainability and care for the earth.
Learn even more about your sophomore year and the Cabrini Campus!
• Keep an eye out for information sessions on the Villanova Campus this December;
• Join us on a Cabrini Campus tour, beginning in January 2026; and
• Visit villanova.edu/cabrinicampus any time for updates and information!
St. Thomas of Villanova Church, Villanova Campus
Bruckmann Memorial Chapel, Cabrini Campus
Villanova University Cabrini Campus Villanova University
WATCH OUR VIDEO for a look at life on the Cabrini Campus!