Catholic School CompassTrue north for Catholic families.

Every accredited U.S. college

Colleges

Catholic colleges receive the full four-pillar faith scorecard. All other colleges are rated on Catholic life on campus: campus ministry, Mass and confession, and student groups. Four-year colleges also get an Academic Excellence score from federal data.

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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.
Location1
Distance (miles)
A broad region of the country, as the guide groups the states. Territories are listed separately.
School
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).
State: CaliforniaStudy abroadClear all

172 schools · Sorted by Compass Score (Catholic first)

  • Not yet rated

    Academy of Art University

    San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 6,320 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    California State University-San Marcos

    San Marcos, CA · Public · 4-year · 15,431 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    California State University-Los Angeles

    Los Angeles, CA · Public · 4-year · 25,080 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Simpson University

    Redding, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 907 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    California State University-Northridge

    Northridge, CA · Public · 4-year · 37,760 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science

    Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 763 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    California State University-Dominguez Hills

    Carson, CA · Public · 4-year · 15,181 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Hope International University

    Fullerton, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,140 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Foothill College

    Los Altos Hills, CA · Public · 4-year · 12,931 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    National University

    San Diego, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 19,924 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Rio Hondo College

    Whittier, CA · Public · 4-year · 17,193 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Providence Christian College

    Pasadena, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 147 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Touro University Worldwide

    Los Alamitos, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,357 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Shasta College

    Redding, CA · Public · 4-year · 8,081 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Antelope Valley Community College District

    Lancaster, CA · Public · 4-year · 12,937 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Cypress College

    Cypress, CA · Public · 4-year · 13,992 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Skyline College

    San Bruno, CA · Public · 4-year · 9,428 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Santa Monica College

    Santa Monica, CA · Public · 4-year · 23,164 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Modesto Junior College

    Modesto, CA · Public · 4-year · 17,152 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    The Chicago School at Los Angeles

    Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,392 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Moorpark College

    Moorpark, CA · Public · 4-year · 14,091 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Crafton Hills College

    Yucaipa, CA · Public · 4-year · 6,097 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    San Diego Mesa College

    San Diego, CA · Public · 4-year · 19,243 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Los Angeles Valley College

    Valley Glen, CA · Public · 4-year · 15,733 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Fresno City College

    Fresno, CA · Public · 4-year · 25,285 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited

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