Catholic School CompassTrue north for Catholic families.
Valdosta State University: Arboretum at Palms Quad, Parking East of Ashley Hall
Photo: Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

College · Catholic life on campus

Valdosta State University

  • LocationValdosta, GA
  • Type and sizePublic · 4-year · 10,151 students
Official website

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

The VSU Catholic Newman Center, run through St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Valdosta, serves Valdosta State students with a named chaplain, weekday and weekend Masses at the parish, weekly confession, and student gatherings on Tuesdays and Sundays. The Newman's own pages list a Bible study, and the Newman Center has its own published address.

Mass, confession, and adoration

Confirm with the parish

Mass 7

  • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday9:00 AMSt. John the Evangelist Catholic Church
  • Wednesday9:45 AMSt. John the Evangelist Catholic Church · School Mass; not held on a Wednesday morning when a Holy Day falls on another day.
  • Saturday5:00 PMSt. John the Evangelist Catholic Church
  • Sunday7:30 AMSt. John the Evangelist Catholic Church
  • Sunday9:00 AMSt. John the Evangelist Catholic Church · The Newman page separately mentions a 9:30 AM Mass; see gaps.
  • Sunday12:00 PMSt. John the Evangelist Catholic Church
Show 1 more mass times
  • Sunday2:00 PMSt. John the Evangelist Catholic Church · Spanish-language Mass.

Confession 2

  • Wednesday5:00 PMSt. John the Evangelist Catholic Church · 5:00-5:45 PM; a second Wednesday time of 4:00-5:45 PM is also listed; see gaps.
  • Saturday4:00 PMSt. John the Evangelist Catholic Church · 4:00-4:45 PM; none on Holy Saturday.

Adoration 1

  • Friday4:00 PMSt. John the Evangelist Catholic Church (main church) · First Friday of the month, 4:00-11:30 PM, part of 24-hour adoration.

Times come only from official parish, chaplaincy, or school pages, and can change with the season. Last verified Oct. 12, 2026.

Sources for these times (1)
  1. VSU Catholic Newman Center | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Churchstjohnevang.org/vsu-catholic-newman-center · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “Daily Mass Schedule M Tu Th F 9:00 AM”
    Mass is published on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 9:00 AM, and on Wednesday at 9:45 AM.
    “Daily Mass Schedule M Tu Th F 9:00 AM”
    Mass is published on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 9:00 AM, and on Wednesday at 9:45 AM.
    “Saturday: 5:00 PM English English EN Sunday: 7:30 AM English English EN 9:00 AM English English EN 12:00 PM English English EN 2:00 PM Spanish”
    Saturday Mass is at 5:00 PM and Sunday Masses are at 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM (Spanish).
    “Saturday: 5:00 PM English English EN Sunday: 7:30 AM English English EN 9:00 AM English English EN 12:00 PM English English EN 2:00 PM Spanish”
    Saturday Mass is at 5:00 PM and Sunday Masses are at 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM (Spanish).
    “Saturday: 5:00 PM English English EN Sunday: 7:30 AM English English EN 9:00 AM English English EN 12:00 PM English English EN 2:00 PM Spanish”
    Saturday Mass is at 5:00 PM and Sunday Masses are at 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM (Spanish).
    “Saturday: 5:00 PM English English EN Sunday: 7:30 AM English English EN 9:00 AM English English EN 12:00 PM English English EN 2:00 PM Spanish”
    Saturday Mass is at 5:00 PM and Sunday Masses are at 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM (Spanish).
    “Saturday: 5:00 PM English English EN Sunday: 7:30 AM English English EN 9:00 AM English English EN 12:00 PM English English EN 2:00 PM Spanish”
    Saturday Mass is at 5:00 PM and Sunday Masses are at 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM (Spanish).
    “Wednesday 5:00 PM to 5:45 PM Saturday 4:00 PM to 4:45 PM No confession on Holy Saturday”
    Confession is scheduled Wednesday 5:00-5:45 PM and Saturday 4:00-4:45 PM.
    “Wednesday 5:00 PM to 5:45 PM Saturday 4:00 PM to 4:45 PM No confession on Holy Saturday”
    Confession is scheduled Wednesday 5:00-5:45 PM and Saturday 4:00-4:45 PM.
    “1st Friday 4:00 PM to 11:30 PM 24 Hour Adoration (Main Church)”
    Adoration is held on the first Friday from 4:00 PM to 11:30 PM in the main church.

Catholic churches nearby

Map of Valdosta State University, its Catholic center and nearby Catholic churches0.25 miVSU Catholic Newman Center: 0.1 miValdosta State University (campus)N0.1 mi
CampusCatholic centerOpen a street map ›

No Catholic churches are mapped in OpenStreetMap within 3 miles. The map may be incomplete; check the local diocese’s parish directory.

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.

BCatholic life on campus: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100 on what official sources document. Grades need sources for at least 60% of the checklist.

Catholic life on campus

84 of 100 points on what we could document.

  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Catholic campus ministry serving this campus (Catholic center, campus ministry, or chaplaincy)Yes
    Sources (1)
    1. VSU Catholic Newman Center | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Churchstjohnevang.org/vsu-catholic-newman-center · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Contact our chaplain, Fr. Robert Phillips, for more information: FrRobert@stjohnevang.org.”
      Fr. Robert Phillips is the chaplain of the VSU Catholic Newman Center.
      “Dinner and fellowship at 7pm at Newman. Join us for game night, movie night, Eucharistic Adoration, Bible study, talks, etc.”
      The Newman's Tuesday gathering includes dinner, fellowship, Eucharistic adoration, a Bible study and talks.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Dedicated Catholic center or chapel on or next to campusYes (The ministry's dedicated Newman Center is about 0.11 mile from the campus (computed from its published address).)
    Sources (1)
    1. VSU Catholic Newman Center | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Churchstjohnevang.org/vsu-catholic-newman-center · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Contact our chaplain, Fr. Robert Phillips, for more information: FrRobert@stjohnevang.org.”
      Fr. Robert Phillips is the chaplain of the VSU Catholic Newman Center.
      “Physical Address: 1524 N. Oak Street, Valdosta, GA 31602 Mailing Address: 800 Gornto Road, Valdosta, GA 31602”
      The Newman Center's physical address is 1524 N. Oak Street, Valdosta.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Priest chaplain assigned to campus ministryFull-time priest chaplain (The Newman page presents Fr. Robert Phillips as the chaplain. See gaps.)
    Sources (1)
    1. VSU Catholic Newman Center | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Churchstjohnevang.org/vsu-catholic-newman-center · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Contact our chaplain, Fr. Robert Phillips, for more information: FrRobert@stjohnevang.org.”
      Fr. Robert Phillips is the chaplain of the VSU Catholic Newman Center.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Weekday Mass at the campus ministryEvery weekday (5 or more weekdays) (Masses on Monday through Friday are at St. John the Evangelist, which runs the Newman ministry.)
    Sources (1)
    1. VSU Catholic Newman Center | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Churchstjohnevang.org/vsu-catholic-newman-center · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Daily Mass Schedule M Tu Th F 9:00 AM”
      Mass is published on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 9:00 AM, and on Wednesday at 9:45 AM.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Sunday Mass at the campus ministry or a campus chapelTwo or more weekend Masses (Saturday 5:00 PM and Sunday Masses at St. John the Evangelist, which runs the Newman ministry.)
    Sources (1)
    1. VSU Catholic Newman Center | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Churchstjohnevang.org/vsu-catholic-newman-center · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Join us for 9:30am Mass at St. John the Evangelist! Dinner and fellowship at the Newman Center at 6pm.”
      The Newman directs students to the Sunday Mass at St. John the Evangelist, followed by dinner at the Newman Center.
      “Saturday: 5:00 PM English English EN Sunday: 7:30 AM English English EN 9:00 AM English English EN 12:00 PM English English EN 2:00 PM Spanish”
      Saturday Mass is at 5:00 PM and Sunday Masses are at 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM (Spanish).
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Scheduled confession at the campus ministryWeekly or more often (Confession is scheduled on Wednesday and Saturday at St. John the Evangelist, which runs the Newman ministry.)
    Sources (1)
    1. VSU Catholic Newman Center | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Churchstjohnevang.org/vsu-catholic-newman-center · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Wednesday 5:00 PM to 5:45 PM Saturday 4:00 PM to 4:45 PM No confession on Holy Saturday”
      Confession is scheduled Wednesday 5:00-5:45 PM and Saturday 4:00-4:45 PM.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Catholic student groups and missionary outreach (e.g., FOCUS, Saint Paul's Outreach, Knights of Columbus, Bible studies)One (The only Catholic student group named is a Bible study that meets at the Tuesday gathering.)
    Sources (1)
    1. VSU Catholic Newman Center | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Churchstjohnevang.org/vsu-catholic-newman-center · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Dinner and fellowship at 7pm at Newman. Join us for game night, movie night, Eucharistic Adoration, Bible study, talks, etc.”
      The Newman's Tuesday gathering includes dinner, fellowship, Eucharistic adoration, a Bible study and talks.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Formation programs (retreats, OCIA/RCIA, service, small groups)One kind (One kind is listed: small groups (Bible study).)
    Sources (1)
    1. VSU Catholic Newman Center | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Churchstjohnevang.org/vsu-catholic-newman-center · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Dinner and fellowship at 7pm at Newman. Join us for game night, movie night, Eucharistic Adoration, Bible study, talks, etc.”
      The Newman's Tuesday gathering includes dinner, fellowship, Eucharistic adoration, a Bible study and talks.
  • No: the school does not offer this, so it earns no points.
    Catholic church within walking distance (computed from OpenStreetMap)None mapped within 3 milesComputed from OpenStreetMap church locations.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Published weekly schedule of Mass, confession, and adoration12 to 19 times a week (13 weekly times documented: 10 Mass, 2 confession, 1 adoration.)Computed from the verified Mass, confession, and adoration times listed on this page (each day a time is offered counts once).

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

Strengths

  • Masses are published on weekdays and on Saturday and Sunday at St. John the Evangelist, which runs the Newman ministry.
    Sources (1)
    1. VSU Catholic Newman Center | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Churchstjohnevang.org/vsu-catholic-newman-center · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Daily Mass Schedule M Tu Th F 9:00 AM”
      Mass is published on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 9:00 AM, and on Wednesday at 9:45 AM.
      “Saturday: 5:00 PM English English EN Sunday: 7:30 AM English English EN 9:00 AM English English EN 12:00 PM English English EN 2:00 PM Spanish”
      Saturday Mass is at 5:00 PM and Sunday Masses are at 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM (Spanish).
  • Confession is scheduled weekly on Wednesday and Saturday.
    Sources (1)
    1. VSU Catholic Newman Center | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Churchstjohnevang.org/vsu-catholic-newman-center · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Wednesday 5:00 PM to 5:45 PM Saturday 4:00 PM to 4:45 PM No confession on Holy Saturday”
      Confession is scheduled Wednesday 5:00-5:45 PM and Saturday 4:00-4:45 PM.
  • A named chaplain and a contact email are published for the Newman Center.
    Sources (1)
    1. VSU Catholic Newman Center | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Churchstjohnevang.org/vsu-catholic-newman-center · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Contact our chaplain, Fr. Robert Phillips, for more information: FrRobert@stjohnevang.org.”
      Fr. Robert Phillips is the chaplain of the VSU Catholic Newman Center.

Concerns

  • The Sunday Mass students are directed to is held at the parish church, not at the Newman Center.
    Sources (1)
    1. VSU Catholic Newman Center | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Churchstjohnevang.org/vsu-catholic-newman-center · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Join us for 9:30am Mass at St. John the Evangelist! Dinner and fellowship at the Newman Center at 6pm.”
      The Newman directs students to the Sunday Mass at St. John the Evangelist, followed by dinner at the Newman Center.

Know something we missed? Suggest a correction.

The Catholic center

VSU Catholic Newman Center

  • Address: 1524 N. Oak Street, Valdosta, GA 31602
  • Distance from campus: 0.1 mi (straight line from the campus point in federal IPEDS data)

View on map ↗

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

Catholic clubs and student life

4 groups and regular activities · 0 on campus, 0 off campus, 4 location not published

Clubs and groups 1

  • Newman Bible study
    Part of the Tuesday gathering
    Bible study offered within the Newman's Tuesday gathering.
    stjohnevang.org

Liturgy and prayer 1

  • First Friday eucharistic adoration
    First Friday, 4:00-11:30 PM
    24-hour adoration in the main church of St. John the Evangelist on the first Friday, continuing into the first Saturday.
    stjohnevang.org

Social life 2

  • Tuesday night gathering ("Blaze Night")
    Tuesdays, dinner at 7 PM
    Weekly dinner and fellowship with game night, movie night, Eucharistic adoration, Bible study and talks, during the academic year.
    stjohnevang.org, stjohnevang.org
  • Sunday dinner and fellowship
    Sundays at 6 PM
    Dinner and fellowship at the Newman Center after the Sunday Mass.
    stjohnevang.org

Everything listed is published by the school, its campus ministry, or the parish. Ask the campus minister what’s happening this semester.

Catholic campus ministry

Sources (1)
  1. VSU Catholic Newman Center | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Churchstjohnevang.org/vsu-catholic-newman-center · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “Contact our chaplain, Fr. Robert Phillips, for more information: FrRobert@stjohnevang.org.”
    Fr. Robert Phillips is the chaplain of the VSU Catholic Newman Center.
    “Physical Address: 1524 N. Oak Street, Valdosta, GA 31602 Mailing Address: 800 Gornto Road, Valdosta, GA 31602”
    The Newman Center's physical address is 1524 N. Oak Street, Valdosta.
    “Contact our chaplain, Fr. Robert Phillips, for more information: FrRobert@stjohnevang.org.”
    Fr. Robert Phillips is the chaplain of the VSU Catholic Newman Center.
    “Physical Address: 1524 N. Oak Street, Valdosta, GA 31602 Mailing Address: 800 Gornto Road, Valdosta, GA 31602”
    The Newman Center's physical address is 1524 N. Oak Street, Valdosta.

Reach out

Contact details for Fr. Robert Phillips (Chaplain, VSU Catholic Newman Center (the listed phone is the church office)) and 2 official social and news channels are available to signed-in users.

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Academic Excellence

DAcademic Excellence: Limited (grade D): 40 to 100 points out of 100 on what official sources document. Grades need sources for at least 60% of the checklist.
48 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.42%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.72%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,013 · ACT 19
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.17 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$7,133

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)
7,230
Total students10,151
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$10,945
Cost of attendance (per year)$20,801
Median federal debt at graduation$24,779
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
42%
First-year retention72%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$49,361
Admission rate72%
Students receiving Pell grants52%
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT1013
SAT reading & writing480–570
SAT math440–530
ACT composite16–22
Test policyRequired

Value index: 51 / 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 Savannah

The Most Reverend Stephen D. Parkes, Bishop of Savannah

Formal address: “Your Excellency”

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

Diocese determined from the county using NCES Catholic school records. Confirm with the diocese.

About this school’s data

  • IPEDS unit ID 141264
  • Carnegie classification: Doctoral/professional university
  • Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges d.b.a. Commission on Colleges and Universities (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
  • Report an error or a newer source
  • Respond as this school

Questions families ask

Is Valdosta State University a Catholic college?
No. Valdosta State University is not a Catholic college. Catholic School Compass rates the Catholic life on its campus instead. Catholic students are served by VSU Catholic Newman Center.
What is Valdosta State University’s Catholic Life Score?
75 out of 100 (grade B). It measures Catholic life on campus: campus ministry, priests, Mass and confession, student groups, and nearby parishes, together with academics.
Where is Mass celebrated at Valdosta State University?
Mass is listed at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. Days and times are on this page; please confirm with the parish or campus ministry before you go.

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