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.

Filters

Search & sort
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.
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%.
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).
State: CaliforniaClear all

457 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

    Chapman University

    Orange, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 9,961 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $46,555Admits 65%Division III
    Mass timesSave
  • Catholic Life Score

    University of the Pacific

    Stockton, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 6,755 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsStrong
    Net price $25,447Admits 71%Division I
    Mass timesSave
  • Catholic Life Score

    California State University-East Bay

    Hayward, CA · Public · 4-year · 13,333 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsLimited
    Net price $9,320Admits 97%Division II
    Mass timesSave
  • Not yet rated

    California Institute of Technology

    Pasadena, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,463 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $16,075Admits 3%Division III
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Pomona College

    Claremont, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,664 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $19,285Admits 7%Division III
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Claremont McKenna College

    Claremont, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,384 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $28,849Admits 10%Division III
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Harvey Mudd College

    Claremont, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 949 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $35,924Admits 13%Division III
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Soka University of America

    Aliso Viejo, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 476 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $18,260Admits 43%NAIA
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Scripps College

    Claremont, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,103 students
    All-femaleAll-female: the school enrolls women only.Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $36,294Admits 38%Division III
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Pitzer College

    Claremont, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,204 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $34,191Admits 25%Division III
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Occidental College

    Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,854 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $38,263Admits 44%Division III
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    San Francisco Conservatory of Music

    San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 403 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $42,607Admits 55%
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Art Center College of Design

    Pasadena, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,382 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $48,661Admits 75%
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Southern California Institute of Architecture

    Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 457 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $43,923Admits 77%
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Gnomon

    North Hollywood, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 555 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $51,949Admits 42%
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Pepperdine University

    Malibu, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 9,545 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $58,098Admits 63%Division I
    Mass timesSave
  • Not yet rated

    Dominican University of California

    San Rafael, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,026 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $35,333Admits 84%Division II
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    California Institute of the Arts

    Valencia, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,353 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $46,080Admits 32%
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Westmont College

    Santa Barbara, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,310 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
    Net price $29,053Admits 77%Division II
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    California College of the Arts

    San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,333 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
    Net price $53,909Admits 91%
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Homestead Schools

    Torrance, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 178 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
    Net price $15,962
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Point Loma Nazarene University

    San Diego, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 4,494 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsStrong
    Net price $38,729Admits 84%Division II
    Mass timesSave
  • Not yet rated

    Lincoln University

    Oakland, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 474 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Otis College of Art and Design

    Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,284 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
    Net price $51,248Admits 82%
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Humphreys University-Stockton and Modesto Campuses

    Stockton, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 575 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
    Net price $5,524
    Save

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