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.
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.
Campus life
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).
Major1
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).
Major: Teacher educationClear all

1,221 schools · Sorted by Compass Score (Catholic first)

  • Not yet rated

    Norwich University

    Northfield, VT · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,274 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    CUNY City College

    New York, NY · Public · 4-year · 15,012 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Maryville University of Saint Louis

    Saint Louis, MO · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 9,883 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Lesley University

    Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,134 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    William Jewell College

    Liberty, MO · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 886 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Cornell College

    Mount Vernon, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,084 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Coe College

    Cedar Rapids, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,278 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Cedar Crest College

    Allentown, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,248 students
    All-femaleAll-female: the school enrolls women only.Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Seattle Pacific University

    Seattle, WA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,659 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Huntington University

    Huntington, IN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,504 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Wayne State University

    Detroit, MI · Public · 4-year · 23,553 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Anderson University

    Anderson, SC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 4,325 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Queens University of Charlotte

    Charlotte, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,846 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Trinity Christian College

    Palos Heights, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 883 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    LeTourneau University

    Longview, TX · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,389 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Oakland City University

    Oakland City, IN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 650 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Wisconsin Lutheran College

    Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,094 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Western New England University

    Springfield, MA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,574 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Seton Hill University

    Greensburg, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,984 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

    Goshen College

    Goshen, IN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 824 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Lewis University

    Romeoville, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 6,636 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

    McDaniel College

    Westminster, MD · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,882 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Sweet Briar College

    Sweet Briar, VA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 464 students
    All-femaleAll-female: the school enrolls women only.Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Ouachita Baptist University

    Arkadelphia, AR · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,815 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Charter Oak State College

    New Britain, CT · Public · 4-year · 1,766 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair

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