About Us

In 1843, the Sisters of Mercy arrived in Pittsburgh from Carlow, Ireland, with a mission to serve the poor, the sick and the uneducated. On Sept. 24, 1929, after establishing numerous schools, an orphanage and the Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, the sisters founded Carlow University under the name of Mount Mercy College. In 1969, Mount Mercy College was renamed Carlow College.

In 2004, in recognition of the outstanding faculty and commitment to innovative, diverse, and competitive programs on both the undergraduate and graduate level, Carlow was granted university status.

Carlow University announced plans to shift athletic conferences in an exploratory year that began Fall 2022. The Carlow Celtics joined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a Division III university in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) in Fall 2023.

The Celtics committed to regularly scheduled games with the River States Conference (RSC) through the 2022-23 season as they transitioned out of the conference and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The University had been a member of the NAIA since 1982, and a member of the RSC (formerly the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) since 2012.

Read more:
Carlow University Athletics to join AMCC, NCAA Division III - athletics.carlow.edu
AMCC ADDS CARLOW UNIVERSITY AS NEWEST MEMBER INSTITUTION - AMCCsports.org

Founded: 1929, by the Sisters of Mercy
Enrollment: 2,105
Nickname: Celtics
Colors: Purple and Gold
Affiliations: National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA DIII) and United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA)
Conference: Allegheny Mountain Collegiate
Director of Athletics: Lou Zadecky
President: Kathy W. Humphrey, PhD
Phone: 412-578-8826
Address: St. Joseph Athletic & Fitness Center, Suite 206
3333 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213