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 nearby (selected; select to remove)A 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).

117 schools · Sorted by Compass Score (Catholic first)

  • Not yet rated

    Peirce College

    Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 872 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Community College of Philadelphia

    Philadelphia, PA · Public · 2-year · 12,224 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Community College of Allegheny County

    Pittsburgh, PA · Public · 2-year · 10,451 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Reading Area Community College

    Reading, PA · Public · 2-year · 4,788 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Luzerne County Community College

    Nanticoke, PA · Public · 2-year · 4,315 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    American College of Financial Services

    King of Prussia, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 4,204 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

    Erie, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 4,117 students
    Catholic lifeNot rated
  • Not yet rated

    Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

    Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,027 students
    Graduate onlyGraduate only: offers graduate or professional programs and no undergraduate degrees.Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Community College of Beaver County

    Monaca, PA · Public · 2-year · 1,673 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology

    Lancaster, PA · Public · 2-year · 1,453 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Salus University

    Elkins Park, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,148 students
    Graduate onlyGraduate only: offers graduate or professional programs and no undergraduate degrees.Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Harcum College

    Bryn Mawr, PA · Private nonprofit · 2-year · 936 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

    Scranton, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 649 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Johnson College

    Scranton, PA · Private nonprofit · 2-year · 627 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Gratz College

    Melrose Park, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 482 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science

    Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit · 2-year · 402 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Laurel Business Institute

    Uniontown, PA · Private for-profit · 2-year · 397 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Lincoln Technical Institute-Philadelphia

    Philadelphia, PA · Private for-profit · 2-year · 374 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Great Lakes Institute of Technology

    Erie, PA · Private for-profit · 2-year · 303 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    South Hills School of Business & Technology

    State College, PA · Private for-profit · 2-year · 242 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Trinity Anglican Seminary

    Ambridge, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 227 students
    Seminary / theologySeminary or theology school: listed for the priestly or theological programs it offers.Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Penn Commercial Business/Technical School

    Washington, PA · Private for-profit · 2-year · 223 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

    Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 223 students
    Seminary / theologySeminary or theology school: listed for the priestly or theological programs it offers.Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Fortis Institute-Scranton

    Scranton, PA · Private for-profit · 2-year · 205 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Vet Tech Institute

    Pittsburgh, PA · Private for-profit · 2-year · 199 students
    Catholic life not yet researched

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