Catholic School CompassTrue north for Catholic families.

Every accredited U.S. college

Catholic life at other colleges

Public and private colleges that are not Catholic, rated on Catholic life on campus: campus ministry, Mass and confession, chaplains, and student groups.

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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 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).
Other collegesState: North CarolinaMajor: NursingClear all

36 schools · Sorted by Best match (Catholic first)

  • Catholic Life Score

    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    Chapel Hill, NC · Public · 4-year · 32,234 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

    Duke University

    Durham, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 17,112 students
    RecommendedCompass Recommended: a Catholic life score of 80 or higher. A college with an Academic Excellence score must also reach 80 on its Compass Score.Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Catholic Life Score

    University of North Carolina at Charlotte

    Charlotte, NC · Public · 4-year · 30,298 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

    Elon University

    Elon, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 7,207 students
    RecommendedCompass Recommended: a Catholic life score of 80 or higher. A college with an Academic Excellence score must also reach 80 on its Compass Score.Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Catholic Life Score

    High Point University

    High Point, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 6,052 students
    RecommendedCompass Recommended: a Catholic life score of 80 or higher. A college with an Academic Excellence score must also reach 80 on its Compass Score.Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Catholic Life Score

    East Carolina University

    Greenville, NC · Public · 4-year · 26,785 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    University of North Carolina Wilmington

    Wilmington, NC · Public · 4-year · 17,987 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsStrong
  • Catholic Life Score

    Western Carolina University

    Cullowhee, NC · Public · 4-year · 11,628 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    Campbell University

    Buies Creek, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 5,115 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Carolinas College of Health Sciences

    Charlotte, NC · Public · 4-year · 410 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    Cabarrus College of Health Sciences

    Concord, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 753 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Appalachian State University

    Boone, NC · Public · 4-year · 21,253 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

    Mars Hill University

    Mars Hill, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,049 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    University of North Carolina at Greensboro

    Greensboro, NC · Public · 4-year · 17,743 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Catawba College

    Salisbury, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,241 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Lenoir-Rhyne University

    Hickory, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,230 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Methodist University

    Fayetteville, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,768 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte

    Charlotte, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,128 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Pfeiffer University

    Misenheimer, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 954 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    North Carolina A & T State University

    Greensboro, NC · Public · 4-year · 13,885 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsFair
  • 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

    Wingate University

    Wingate, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,322 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    William Peace University

    Raleigh, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 730 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair

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