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 outcomes1
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).
Small classesMajor: Criminal justiceClear all

286 schools · Sorted by Compass Score (Catholic first)

  • Not yet rated

    South University-Richmond

    Glen Allen, VA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 417 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Tennessee Wesleyan University

    Athens, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,074 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Fayette- Eberly

    Lemont Furnace, PA · Public · 4-year · 419 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Delta State University

    Cleveland, MS · Public · 4-year · 2,716 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Pennsylvania State University-Penn State DuBois

    DuBois, PA · Public · 4-year · 353 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Gardner-Webb University

    Boiling Springs, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,125 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Lees-McRae College

    Banner Elk, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 839 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Montreat College

    Montreat, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 932 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Pennsylvania State University-Penn State New Kensington

    New Kensington, PA · Public · 4-year · 456 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Shenango

    Sharon, PA · Public · 4-year · 332 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    University of Alaska Anchorage

    Anchorage, AK · Public · 4-year · 10,796 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Bluffton University

    Bluffton, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 678 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Minot State University

    Minot, ND · Public · 4-year · 2,741 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    King University

    Bristol, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,295 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    South University-West Palm Beach

    Royal Palm Beach, FL · Private for-profit · 4-year · 468 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    York University

    York, NE · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 585 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Reinhardt University

    Waleska, GA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,170 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Guilford College

    Greensboro, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,208 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Caribbean University-Bayamon

    Bayamon, PR · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 929 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Charleston Southern University

    Charleston, SC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,545 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Baker College

    Owosso, MI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,898 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Wilmington College

    Wilmington, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 964 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Belhaven University

    Jackson, MS · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,616 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Lincoln University

    Lincoln University, PA · Public · 4-year · 1,848 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Emmanuel University

    Franklin Springs, GA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 896 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited

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