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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Best match lists Catholic colleges first, by Compass Score. The other sorts order every school by that one 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.
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).
Net price up to $20,000State: TexasChurch nearbyClear all

43 schools · Sorted by Best match (Catholic first)

  • Compass Score

    University of St. Thomas

    Houston, TX · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,813 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 (grade B).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.FaithExcellentAcademicsFair

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

    Texas Tech University

    Lubbock, TX · Public · 4-year · 40,773 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 lifeExcellentAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    West Texas A & M University

    Canyon, TX · Public · 4-year · 8,997 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    Angelo State University

    San Angelo, TX · Public · 4-year · 11,250 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 lifeExcellentAcademicsLimited
  • Catholic Life Score

    The University of Texas at El Paso

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

    The University of Texas at Arlington

    Arlington, TX · Public · 4-year · 43,992 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsLimited
  • Catholic Life Score

    Texas Southern University

    Houston, TX · Public · 4-year · 8,469 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    The University of Texas at Austin

    Austin, TX · Public · 4-year · 53,082 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    University of Houston

    Houston, TX · Public · 4-year · 46,676 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Our Lady of the Lake University

    San Antonio, TX · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,096 students
    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.FaithNot ratedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Texas State University

    San Marcos, TX · Public · 4-year · 38,722 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    University of North Texas

    Denton, TX · Public · 4-year · 47,507 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

    Edinburg, TX · Public · 4-year · 31,931 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    McMurry University

    Abilene, TX · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,549 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Southwest University at El Paso

    El Paso, TX · Private for-profit · 4-year · 1,817 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    East Texas A&M University

    Commerce, TX · Public · 4-year · 12,013 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Huston-Tillotson University

    Austin, TX · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,029 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Southwestern Christian College

    Terrell, TX · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 128 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    University of Houston-Downtown

    Houston, TX · Public · 4-year · 14,105 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Sul Ross State University

    Alpine, TX · Public · 4-year · 1,942 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Odessa College

    Odessa, TX · Public · 4-year · 8,708 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Del Mar College

    Corpus Christi, TX · Public · 4-year · 9,720 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    South Texas College

    McAllen, TX · Public · 4-year · 26,440 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    St. Philip's College

    San Antonio, TX · Public · 4-year · 14,281 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Palo Alto College

    San Antonio, TX · Public · 4-year · 10,908 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited

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