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 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).
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: IowaClear all

27 schools · Sorted by Best match (Catholic first)

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

    Iowa State University

    Ames, IA · Public · 4-year · 30,177 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Grinnell College

    Grinnell, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,775 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    Emmaus Bible College

    Dubuque, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 197 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    St. Luke's College

    Sioux City, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 196 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

    University of Northern Iowa

    Cedar Falls, IA · Public · 4-year · 9,013 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Buena Vista University

    Storm Lake, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,951 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Maharishi International University

    Fairfield, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,666 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Graceland University-Lamoni

    Lamoni, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,195 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Waldorf University

    Forest City, IA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 2,657 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Des Moines Area Community College

    Ankeny, IA · Public · 2-year · 24,418 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Kirkwood Community College

    Cedar Rapids, IA · Public · 2-year · 12,660 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Eastern Iowa Community College District

    Davenport, IA · Public · 2-year · 7,128 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Iowa Western Community College

    Council Bluffs, IA · Public · 2-year · 5,503 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Western Iowa Tech Community College

    Sioux City, IA · Public · 2-year · 5,071 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Iowa Central Community College

    Fort Dodge, IA · Public · 2-year · 4,909 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Hawkeye Community College

    Waterloo, IA · Public · 2-year · 4,796 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Northeast Iowa Community College

    Calmar, IA · Public · 2-year · 4,378 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Indian Hills Community College

    Ottumwa, IA · Public · 2-year · 3,236 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Southeastern Community College

    West Burlington, IA · Public · 2-year · 2,562 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    North Iowa Area Community College

    Mason City, IA · Public · 2-year · 2,471 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Iowa Lakes Community College

    Estherville, IA · Public · 2-year · 2,024 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Marshalltown Community College

    Marshalltown, IA · Public · 2-year · 1,870 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Northwest Iowa Community College

    Sheldon, IA · Public · 2-year · 1,792 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Southwestern Community College

    Creston, IA · Public · 2-year · 1,633 students
    Catholic life not yet researched

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