University of Bridgeport

University of Bridgeport

Former name	Junior College of Connecticut (1927–1947)
Type	Private university
Established	1927; 97 years ago (1927)
Parent institution	Goodwin University
Accreditation	NECHE
Academic affiliations	Space-grant NEASC CIC
Endowment	$34.133 million[1]
President	Danielle Wilken
Academic staff	147 full-time
Undergraduates	3,152[1]
Postgraduates	2,282
Location	Bridgeport, Connecticut , U.S. 41°09′53″N 73°11′27″W / 41.1648°N 73.1907°W / 41.1648; -73.1907
Campus	Midsize City, 86 acres (350,000 m2)[1]
Colors	Purple & white
Nickname	Purple Knights
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division II CACC
Mascot	Purple Knight
Website	www.bridgeport.edu

The University of Bridgeport (UB or UBPT) is a nonprofit private university in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.^[2] In 2021, the university was purchased by Goodwin University; it retained its own name, brand, and board of trustees.^[3]

Founded originally as the Junior College of Connecticut, it is the only university in Bridgeport and one of the largest in Connecticut. The university offers more than 60 degree programs to over 5,000 students at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. This includes the only Chinese medicine program in Connecticut, one of two, along with University of Connecticut, medical laboratory sciences programs in Connecticut, and one of the few chiropractic schools on the East Coast.^[4] The university hosted a program in naturopathic medicine until it was discontinued in 2019.^[5]

E. Everett Cortright, Alfred Fones, and former Raybestos President Sumner Simpson opened the Junior College of Connecticut, the first of its kind in the Northeastern United States. The school purchased the former P. T. Barnum estate and neighboring property adjacent to Seaside Park and became a four-year institution in 1947, when it was renamed the University of Bridgeport.^[6]