Catholic School CompassTrue north for Catholic families.
California State University-Monterey Bay: CSU Monterey Bay 2003
Photo: DirectorG at en.wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

College · Catholic life on campus

California State University-Monterey Bay

  • LocationSeaside, CA
  • Type and sizePublic · 4-year · 6,742 students
Official website

California State University-Monterey Bay is not a Catholic college. This rating measures Catholic life on campus: campus ministry, priests, Mass and confession, student groups, and nearby parishes.

The Diocese of Monterey's campus ministry lists California State University Monterey Bay among the campuses it serves, and names a Newman Catholic Center at 285 Meder Street in Santa Cruz for the campus. Official pages found no Mass, confession, or Catholic student group located on or next to the Seaside campus.

Catholic churches nearby

Map of California State University-Monterey Bay, its Catholic center and nearby Catholic churches1 mi2 mi3 miSaint Jude Catholic Church: 1.9 mi1California State University-Monterey Bay (campus)N1 mi
CampusCatholic church (numbered below)Open a street map ›
  1. Saint Jude Catholic Church — 1.9 mi · 303 Hillcrest Avenue, Marina

Within 3 miles, as mapped by OpenStreetMap contributors. The map may be incomplete. Confirm with the parish or diocese.

Catholic life scorecard

Each line is one thing we looked for. A check means yes, a half means partly, a dash means no. “Not enough information” means official sources did not say.

N/ACatholic life on campus: Not enough information. Official sources do not cover enough of this to grade it yet.

Catholic life on campus

Not enough information: official sources cover less than 60% of this area.

  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Catholic campus ministry serving this campus (Catholic center, campus ministry, or chaplaincy)Yes (The diocese's campus ministry page names California State University Monterey Bay among the campuses it serves.)
    Sources (1)
    1. Campus Ministry | Diocese of Montereydioceseofmonterey.org/campus-ministry · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Campus Ministry provides the Catholic presence on the Cal Poly, Cuesta, Cabrillo College, University of California at Santa Cruz, and California State University of Monterey Bay campuses.”
      The Diocese of Monterey's Campus Ministry provides the Catholic presence at California State University Monterey Bay.
      “Calif. State University of Monterey Bay: Director: Fr. Justin Bianchi Newman Catholic Center 285 Meder Street Santa Cruz, CA 95060”
      The diocese lists a director, Fr. Justin Bianchi, and a Newman Catholic Center at 285 Meder Street, Santa Cruz, for California State University Monterey Bay.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Dedicated Catholic center or chapel on or next to campusNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Priest chaplain assigned to campus ministryPart-time or shared priest (The diocese lists Fr. Justin Bianchi as director for the campus, and Fr. Dat Nguyen as chaplain of the Santa Cruz center.)
    Sources (2)
    1. Campus Ministry | Diocese of Montereydioceseofmonterey.org/campus-ministry · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Calif. State University of Monterey Bay: Director: Fr. Justin Bianchi Newman Catholic Center 285 Meder Street Santa Cruz, CA 95060”
      The diocese lists a director, Fr. Justin Bianchi, and a Newman Catholic Center at 285 Meder Street, Santa Cruz, for California State University Monterey Bay.
    2. Newman Catholic Center - Santa Cruz | Diocese of Montereydioceseofmonterey.org/newman-catholic-center-santa-cruz · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Contact: Fr. Dat Nguyen, Chaplain”
      Fr. Dat Nguyen is the chaplain of the Newman Catholic Center - Santa Cruz, which the diocese lists for this campus. The center's email is ucscnewmancenter@gmail.com and its call/text line is 684-2121.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Weekday Mass at the campus ministryNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Sunday Mass at the campus ministry or a campus chapelNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Scheduled confession at the campus ministryNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Catholic student groups and missionary outreach (e.g., FOCUS, Saint Paul's Outreach, Knights of Columbus, Bible studies)Not enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Formation programs (retreats, OCIA/RCIA, service, small groups)Not enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Catholic church within walking distance (computed from OpenStreetMap)Within 3 milesComputed from OpenStreetMap church locations.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Published weekly schedule of Mass, confession, and adorationNot enough information: no verified Mass times are recorded.

Grades come from the documented indicators under the published rubric. “Not enough information” does not mean the school lacks it.

Strengths

  • The diocese's campus ministry names a campus director and a Newman Catholic Center serving this campus.
    Sources (1)
    1. Campus Ministry | Diocese of Montereydioceseofmonterey.org/campus-ministry · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Campus Ministry provides the Catholic presence on the Cal Poly, Cuesta, Cabrillo College, University of California at Santa Cruz, and California State University of Monterey Bay campuses.”
      The Diocese of Monterey's Campus Ministry provides the Catholic presence at California State University Monterey Bay.
      “Calif. State University of Monterey Bay: Director: Fr. Justin Bianchi Newman Catholic Center 285 Meder Street Santa Cruz, CA 95060”
      The diocese lists a director, Fr. Justin Bianchi, and a Newman Catholic Center at 285 Meder Street, Santa Cruz, for California State University Monterey Bay.

Concerns

  • The listed Newman center is at 285 Meder Street in Santa Cruz, not on or next to the Seaside campus.
    Sources (1)
    1. Campus Ministry | Diocese of Montereydioceseofmonterey.org/campus-ministry · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Calif. State University of Monterey Bay: Director: Fr. Justin Bianchi Newman Catholic Center 285 Meder Street Santa Cruz, CA 95060”
      The diocese lists a director, Fr. Justin Bianchi, and a Newman Catholic Center at 285 Meder Street, Santa Cruz, for California State University Monterey Bay.
  • The diocese lists one campus ministry serving five campuses; the priest assignments are shared.
    Sources (1)
    1. Campus Ministry | Diocese of Montereydioceseofmonterey.org/campus-ministry · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Campus Ministry provides the Catholic presence on the Cal Poly, Cuesta, Cabrillo College, University of California at Santa Cruz, and California State University of Monterey Bay campuses.”
      The Diocese of Monterey's Campus Ministry provides the Catholic presence at California State University Monterey Bay.

Know something we missed? Suggest a correction.

The Catholic center

Newman Catholic Center - Santa Cruz

  • Address: 285 Meder Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
  • Distance from campus: 26.4 mi (straight line from the campus point in federal IPEDS data)

View on map ↗

Source: dioceseofmonterey.org, verified Oct. 12, 2026, dioceseofmonterey.org, verified Oct. 12, 2026

Catholic campus ministry

Sources (2)
  1. Campus Ministry | Diocese of Montereydioceseofmonterey.org/campus-ministry · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “Campus Ministry provides the Catholic presence on the Cal Poly, Cuesta, Cabrillo College, University of California at Santa Cruz, and California State University of Monterey Bay campuses.”
    The Diocese of Monterey's Campus Ministry provides the Catholic presence at California State University Monterey Bay.
    “Calif. State University of Monterey Bay: Director: Fr. Justin Bianchi Newman Catholic Center 285 Meder Street Santa Cruz, CA 95060”
    The diocese lists a director, Fr. Justin Bianchi, and a Newman Catholic Center at 285 Meder Street, Santa Cruz, for California State University Monterey Bay.
    “Calif. State University of Monterey Bay: Director: Fr. Justin Bianchi Newman Catholic Center 285 Meder Street Santa Cruz, CA 95060”
    The diocese lists a director, Fr. Justin Bianchi, and a Newman Catholic Center at 285 Meder Street, Santa Cruz, for California State University Monterey Bay.
  2. Newman Catholic Center - Santa Cruz | Diocese of Montereydioceseofmonterey.org/newman-catholic-center-santa-cruz · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “Contact: Fr. Dat Nguyen, Chaplain”
    Fr. Dat Nguyen is the chaplain of the Newman Catholic Center - Santa Cruz, which the diocese lists for this campus. The center's email is ucscnewmancenter@gmail.com and its call/text line is 684-2121.

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Academic Excellence

CAcademic Excellence: Mixed (grade C): 55 to 100 points out of 100 on what official sources document. Grades need sources for at least 60% of the checklist.
60 of 100
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.59%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.80%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.Not reported
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.24 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$11,704

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

Cost and value

Federal data, shown separately. Cost, debt, and earnings are never part of any grade.

Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
5,909
Total students6,742
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$13,663
Cost of attendance (per year)$26,987
Median federal debt at graduation$12,750
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
59%
First-year retention80%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$59,247
Admission rate97%
Students receiving Pell grants43%

Value index: 72 / 100 (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Local Church

Diocese of Monterey

The Most Reverend Ramon Bejarano, Bishop of Monterey

Formal address: “Your Excellency”

Source: usccb.org, verified Oct. 7, 2026.

Diocese determined from the county, using the diocese’s county list (Wikipedia). Confirm with the diocese.

About this school’s data

Questions families ask

Is California State University-Monterey Bay a Catholic college?
No. California State University-Monterey Bay is not a Catholic college. Catholic School Compass rates the Catholic life on its campus instead. Catholic students are served by Newman Catholic Center - Santa Cruz (Diocese of Monterey Campus Ministry).

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