Catholic School CompassTrue north for Catholic families.

Every accredited U.S. college

Catholic life at other colleges

Public and private colleges that are not Catholic, rated on Catholic life on campus: campus ministry, Mass and confession, chaplains, and student groups.

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Compass Score lists Catholic colleges first, then the other schools by the same score. The other sorts order every school by a different measure.
Ratings
Compass ScoreCompass Score: 75% faith and 25% Academic Excellence, for every school that has both. Choose the lowest grade to show.
Faith or Catholic lifeFaith: the average of the four faith pillars. Other colleges are graded on Catholic life on campus instead.
Academic ExcellenceAcademic Excellence: a score from federal data on graduation, retention, test scores, faculty ratio, and spending. It never uses rankings or surveys.
Only schools marked Compass Recommended: a Faith or Catholic life score of 80 or higher, and a Compass Score of 80 or higher where academics are rated.
Only Honor Roll schools: Catholic schools with a Faith score of 85 or higher, and campus ministries at other colleges with a Catholic life score of 85 or higher.
Only the eight Ivy League universities. None of them is Catholic; their pages rate Catholic life on campus.
Researched only: hides schools whose faith or Catholic life has not been checked against official sources.
Faith pillars
Sacramental lifeHow readily students can attend Mass, go to confession, pray before the Blessed Sacrament, and find a priest.
Theology and core curriculumWhat every undergraduate must study in theology and philosophy, and how the core draws on the Catholic intellectual tradition.
Campus culture and residence lifeThe reach of campus ministry, retreats and student faith groups, and the residence-hall policies many families ask about.
Service and Catholic social teachingService programs, how Catholic social teaching enters the curriculum, and both pro-life and justice work tied to the mission.
Location
Distance (miles)
A broad region of the country, as the guide groups the states. Territories are listed separately.
School1
Catholic or otherAll: every college. Catholic: Catholic colleges with the full faith scorecard. Other: colleges rated on Catholic life on campus, not the full faith scorecard.
Public or privatePublic: run by a state or local government. Private: nonprofit or for-profit, including Catholic colleges.
Level4-year: bachelor's degree programs. 2-year: associate degree programs.
Total enrollment: small is under 2,000 students, medium 2,000 to 9,999, large 10,000 to 24,999, and very large 25,000 or more.
Net price: what a typical student pays per year after grants and scholarships, from the federal College Scorecard.
Coed: men and women together. Single-sex: all-male or all-female.
Schools founded or run by a religious order, such as the Jesuits or Dominicans, from the guide's order data.
Campus life1
College sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.
Where the campus is, from federal data: in a city, a suburb, a town, or a rural area.
Mass every weekday on or next to campus, checked against the college's own schedule.
A Catholic parish church within a mile of campus.
The college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).
The college offers study abroad (federal data).
Admissions and outcomes
How many applicants are admitted (federal data). Most: 65% or more. Selective: 25% to 64%. Highly selective: under 25%.
Your SAT or ACT, to sort colleges Target, Likely and Reach. Signed in, it is kept on your account (private to you); otherwise only in this browser.
Reach, Target or LikelyA rough guide from admitted students' scores and admission rates, not a prediction. Target: your score is in the college's middle range. Likely: above it, or the college admits most applicants. Reach: below it, or the college admits fewer than 1 in 5.
Small classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
Strong outcomes: 75% or more of students graduate (federal data).
Major
Colleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.
Clear all
CatholicOnly Catholic colleges, which get the full four-pillar faith scorecard.RecommendedOnly schools marked Compass Recommended: a Faith or Catholic life score of 80 or higher, and a Compass Score of 80 or higher where academics are rated.Honor RollOnly Honor Roll schools: Catholic schools with a Faith score of 85 or higher, and campus ministries at other colleges with a Catholic life score of 85 or higher.FaithOnly schools with a Faith score of 85 or higher (grade A). At other colleges, this is their Catholic life score.AcademicsOnly schools with an Academic Excellence score of 85 or higher (grade A), from federal data.Ivy LeagueOnly the eight Ivy League universities. None of them is Catholic; their pages rate Catholic life on campus.Clear
Division I sportsCollege sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.Daily MassMass every weekday on or next to campus, checked against the college's own schedule.Church nearbyA Catholic parish church within a mile of campus.ROTCThe college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).Study abroadThe college offers study abroad (federal data).NursingColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.EngineeringColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.Under $20kNet price under $20,000 a year: what a typical student pays after grants and scholarships (federal data).Small classesSmall classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
Other collegesStudy abroadClear all

1,702 schools · Sorted by Compass Score (Catholic first)

  • Catholic Life Score

    Clark Atlanta University

    Atlanta, GA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 4,135 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    University of Colorado Colorado Springs

    Colorado Springs, CO · Public · 4-year · 11,213 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    University of Michigan-Flint

    Flint, MI · Public · 4-year · 6,130 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    University of Mary Hardin-Baylor

    Belton, TX · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,520 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsLimited
  • Catholic Life Score

    Cornell University

    Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 26,264 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsExcellent
  • Catholic Life Score

    University of North Carolina Wilmington

    Wilmington, NC · Public · 4-year · 17,987 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsStrong
  • Catholic Life Score

    Southeastern Louisiana University

    Hammond, LA · Public · 4-year · 13,861 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsLimited
  • Catholic Life Score

    The University of Tennessee-Martin

    Martin, TN · Public · 4-year · 6,941 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    Marist University

    Poughkeepsie, NY · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 6,452 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsStrong
  • Catholic Life Score

    Morehead State University

    Morehead, KY · Public · 4-year · 8,618 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    University of New England

    Biddeford, ME · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 6,473 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsStrong
  • Catholic Life Score

    Christopher Newport University

    Newport News, VA · Public · 4-year · 4,503 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsStrong
  • Catholic Life Score

    Lindenwood University

    Saint Charles, MO · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 7,288 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    Austin Peay State University

    Clarksville, TN · Public · 4-year · 9,945 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsLimited
  • Catholic Life Score

    Western Washington University

    Bellingham, WA · Public · 4-year · 14,651 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    New Jersey Institute of Technology

    Newark, NJ · Public · 4-year · 13,007 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsStrong
  • Catholic Life Score

    Kean University

    Union, NJ · Public · 4-year · 13,352 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    SUNY College at Geneseo

    Geneseo, NY · Public · 4-year · 3,928 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsStrong
  • Catholic Life Score

    Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

    Kutztown, PA · Public · 4-year · 7,416 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    Northeastern State University

    Tahlequah, OK · Public · 4-year · 6,466 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsLimited
  • Catholic Life Score

    Hofstra University

    Hempstead, NY · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 10,393 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsStrong
  • Catholic Life Score

    Citadel Military College of South Carolina

    Charleston, SC · Public · 4-year · 3,727 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsStrong
  • Catholic Life Score

    The University of Texas at El Paso

    El Paso, TX · Public · 4-year · 24,351 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsLimited
  • Catholic Life Score

    Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania

    Bloomsburg, PA · Public · 4-year · 11,088 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    State University of New York at Oswego

    Oswego, NY · Public · 4-year · 6,756 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair

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