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.
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%.
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).
State: CaliforniaClear all

457 schools · Sorted by Best match (Catholic first)

  • Not yet rated

    San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia

    Visalia, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 2,369 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Bethesda University

    Anaheim, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 271 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Fremont University

    Cerritos, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 161 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Los Angeles Mission College

    Sylmar, CA · Public · 4-year · 10,425 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Fresno City College

    Fresno, CA · Public · 4-year · 25,285 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Los Angeles Pacific University

    San Dimas, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,829 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Bakersfield College

    Bakersfield, CA · Public · 4-year · 30,410 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    University of the People

    Pasadena, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 42,867 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    DeVry University-California

    Ontario, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 2,119 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Ashford University

    San Diego, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 32,604 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Integrity College of Health

    Pasadena, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 158 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    East Los Angeles College

    Monterey Park, CA · Public · 2-year · 30,321 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    American River College

    Sacramento, CA · Public · 2-year · 29,908 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Mt San Antonio College

    Walnut, CA · Public · 2-year · 28,742 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Long Beach City College

    Long Beach, CA · Public · 2-year · 24,425 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Pasadena City College

    Pasadena, CA · Public · 2-year · 23,592 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    El Camino Community College District

    Torrance, CA · Public · 2-year · 21,599 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Cerritos College

    Norwalk, CA · Public · 2-year · 21,046 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Chaffey College

    Rancho Cucamonga, CA · Public · 2-year · 20,632 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Riverside City College

    Riverside, CA · Public · 2-year · 20,437 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Sacramento City College

    Sacramento, CA · Public · 2-year · 19,031 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Palomar College

    San Marcos, CA · Public · 2-year · 18,815 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Fullerton College

    Fullerton, CA · Public · 2-year · 18,569 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Southwestern College

    Chula Vista, CA · Public · 2-year · 18,469 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Saddleback College

    Mission Viejo, CA · Public · 2-year · 18,370 students
    Catholic life not yet researched

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