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.

Filters

Search & sort
Best match lists Catholic colleges first, by Compass Score. The other sorts order every school by that one measure.
Ratings2
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.
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.
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.
MajorComing soon
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.Clear
Academics ARecommendedClear all

73 schools · Sorted by Best match (Catholic first)

Grade filters include only schools with that grade; “Not enough information” is excluded.

  • Compass Score

    University of Notre Dame

    Notre Dame, IN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 13,174 students
    Honor RollCatholic School Compass Honor Roll: a Faith score of 85 or higher (grade A), with all four faith pillars rated and none below 70.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass Score

    Providence College

    Providence, RI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 4,635 students
    Honor RollCatholic School Compass Honor Roll: a Faith score of 85 or higher (grade A), with all four faith pillars rated and none below 70.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass Score

    Boston College

    Chestnut Hill, MA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 15,280 students
    Honor RollCatholic School Compass Honor Roll: a Faith score of 85 or higher (grade A), with all four faith pillars rated and none below 70.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass Score

    Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia

    Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 7,201 students
    Honor RollCatholic School Compass Honor Roll: a Faith score of 85 or higher (grade A), with all four faith pillars rated and none below 70.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass Score

    Georgetown University

    Washington, DC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 20,392 students
    RecommendedCompass Recommended: a Faith score of 80 or higher, at least three of the four pillars rated, and none below C (55). A school with an Academic Excellence score must also reach 80 on its Compass Score.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass Score

    Thomas Aquinas College

    Santa Paula, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 539 students
    RecommendedCompass Recommended: a Faith score of 80 or higher, at least three of the four pillars rated, and none below C (55). A school with an Academic Excellence score must also reach 80 on its Compass Score.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass Score

    Fordham University

    Bronx, NY · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 16,153 students
    Honor RollCatholic School Compass Honor Roll: a Faith score of 85 or higher (grade A), with all four faith pillars rated and none below 70.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass Score

    Santa Clara University

    Santa Clara, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 9,340 students
    RecommendedCompass Recommended: a Faith score of 80 or higher, at least three of the four pillars rated, and none below C (55). A school with an Academic Excellence score must also reach 80 on its Compass Score.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass Score

    Creighton University

    Omaha, NE · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 8,255 students
    RecommendedCompass Recommended: a Faith score of 80 or higher, at least three of the four pillars rated, and none below C (55). A school with an Academic Excellence score must also reach 80 on its Compass Score.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass Score

    University of Portland

    Portland, OR · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,457 students
    RecommendedCompass Recommended: a Faith score of 80 or higher, at least three of the four pillars rated, and none below C (55). A school with an Academic Excellence score must also reach 80 on its Compass Score.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass Score

    Marquette University

    Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 11,373 students
    RecommendedCompass Recommended: a Faith score of 80 or higher, at least three of the four pillars rated, and none below C (55). A school with an Academic Excellence score must also reach 80 on its Compass Score.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass Score

    Loyola Marymount University

    Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 10,256 students
    RecommendedCompass Recommended: a Faith score of 80 or higher, at least three of the four pillars rated, and none below C (55). A school with an Academic Excellence score must also reach 80 on its Compass Score.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass Score

    University of San Diego

    San Diego, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 9,110 students
    RecommendedCompass Recommended: a Faith score of 80 or higher, at least three of the four pillars rated, and none below C (55). A school with an Academic Excellence score must also reach 80 on its Compass Score.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass Score

    Saint Louis University

    Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 17,202 students
    RecommendedCompass Recommended: a Faith score of 80 or higher, at least three of the four pillars rated, and none below C (55). A school with an Academic Excellence score must also reach 80 on its Compass Score.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass Score

    Loyola University Maryland

    Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 5,107 students
    RecommendedCompass Recommended: a Faith score of 80 or higher, at least three of the four pillars rated, and none below C (55). A school with an Academic Excellence score must also reach 80 on its Compass Score.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithStrongAcademicsExcellent

Other colleges with strong Catholic life

Rated on Catholic life on campus, not the full faith scorecard. Their Catholic Life Scores are not comparable with the Compass Scores of Catholic colleges.

  • Catholic Life Score

    University of Pennsylvania

    Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 28,711 students
    Campus Ministry Honor RollCampus Ministry Honor Roll: a Catholic life score of 85 or higher (grade A) at a college that is not Catholic.Catholic lifeExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Catholic Life Score

    University of Virginia

    Charlottesville, VA · Public · 4-year · 25,924 students
    Campus Ministry Honor RollCampus Ministry Honor Roll: a Catholic life score of 85 or higher (grade A) at a college that is not Catholic.Catholic lifeExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Catholic Life Score

    University of Southern California

    Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 47,147 students
    Campus Ministry Honor RollCampus Ministry Honor Roll: a Catholic life score of 85 or higher (grade A) at a college that is not Catholic.Catholic lifeExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Catholic Life Score

    University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus

    Pittsburgh, PA · Public · 4-year · 34,525 students
    Campus Ministry Honor RollCampus Ministry Honor Roll: a Catholic life score of 85 or higher (grade A) at a college that is not Catholic.Catholic lifeExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Catholic Life Score

    Columbia University in the City of New York

    New York, NY · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 35,279 students
    Campus Ministry Honor RollCampus Ministry Honor Roll: a Catholic life score of 85 or higher (grade A) at a college that is not Catholic.Catholic lifeExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Catholic Life Score

    Ohio State University

    Columbus, OH · Public · 4-year · 60,046 students
    Campus Ministry Honor RollCampus Ministry Honor Roll: a Catholic life score of 85 or higher (grade A) at a college that is not Catholic.Catholic lifeExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Catholic Life Score

    University of Wisconsin-Madison

    Madison, WI · Public · 4-year · 49,605 students
    Campus Ministry Honor RollCampus Ministry Honor Roll: a Catholic life score of 85 or higher (grade A) at a college that is not Catholic.Catholic lifeExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Catholic Life Score

    Northwestern University

    Evanston, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 23,203 students
    Campus Ministry Honor RollCampus Ministry Honor Roll: a Catholic life score of 85 or higher (grade A) at a college that is not Catholic.Catholic lifeExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Catholic Life Score

    Yale University

    New Haven, CT · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 15,081 students
    Campus Ministry Honor RollCampus Ministry Honor Roll: a Catholic life score of 85 or higher (grade A) at a college that is not Catholic.Catholic lifeExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Catholic Life Score

    Pennsylvania State University

    University Park, PA · Public · 4-year · 50,399 students
    Campus Ministry Honor RollCampus Ministry Honor Roll: a Catholic life score of 85 or higher (grade A) at a college that is not Catholic.Catholic lifeExcellentAcademicsExcellent

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