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).
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).
Other collegesState: CaliforniaClear all

444 schools · Sorted by Best match (Catholic first)

  • Not yet rated

    Soka University of America

    Aliso Viejo, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 476 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
  • 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
  • Not yet rated

    Pitzer College

    Claremont, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,204 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    Occidental College

    Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,854 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    San Francisco Conservatory of Music

    San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 403 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    Art Center College of Design

    Pasadena, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,382 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    Southern California Institute of Architecture

    Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 457 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    Gnomon

    North Hollywood, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 555 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    Pepperdine University

    Malibu, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 9,545 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    Dominican University of California

    San Rafael, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,026 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    California Institute of the Arts

    Valencia, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,353 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    Westmont College

    Santa Barbara, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,310 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    California College of the Arts

    San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,333 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Homestead Schools

    Torrance, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 178 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Point Loma Nazarene University

    San Diego, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 4,494 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Lincoln University

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

    Otis College of Art and Design

    Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,284 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Humphreys University-Stockton and Modesto Campuses

    Stockton, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 575 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    University of Redlands

    Redlands, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,192 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Pacific Union College

    Angwin, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 938 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    California Career College

    Canoga Park, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 195 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Pacific College

    Costa Mesa, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 297 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    California State University Maritime Academy

    Vallejo, CA · Public · 4-year · 805 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Azusa Pacific University

    Azusa, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 6,487 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    West Coast University-Orange County

    Anaheim, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 4,481 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong

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