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 life1
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: OhioROTCClear all

37 schools · Sorted by Best match (Catholic first)

  • Compass Score

    Franciscan University of Steubenville

    Steubenville, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,750 students
    Honor RollCatholic School Compass Honor Roll: a Faith score of 85 or higher (grade A), with all four faith pillars rated and none below 70 (grade B).CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithExcellentAcademicsStrong
  • Compass Score

    University of Dayton

    Dayton, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 11,304 students
    RecommendedCompass Recommended: a Faith score of 80 or higher, at least three of the four pillars rated, and none below C (55). A school with an Academic Excellence score must also reach 80 on its Compass Score.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass Score

    Xavier University

    Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 6,000 students
    RecommendedCompass Recommended: a Faith score of 80 or higher, at least three of the four pillars rated, and none below C (55). A school with an Academic Excellence score must also reach 80 on its Compass Score.CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass Score

    John Carroll University

    University Heights, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,773 students
    CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithFairAcademicsStrong
  • Compass Score

    Ohio Dominican University

    Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,258 students
    CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithFairAcademicsLimited
  • Compass Score

    Ursuline College

    Pepper Pike, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 923 students
    CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithFairAcademicsFair
  • Compass Score

    Mount St. Joseph University

    Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,083 students
    CatholicCatholic college: federal data lists a Roman Catholic affiliation (or it has been verified as Catholic), so it gets the full four-pillar faith scorecard.FaithFairAcademicsFair

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

    Ohio State University

    Columbus, OH · Public · 4-year · 60,046 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

    Miami University-Oxford

    Oxford, OH · Public · 4-year · 18,618 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 lifeExcellentAcademicsStrong
  • Catholic Life Score

    Bowling Green State University

    Bowling Green, OH · Public · 4-year · 17,027 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

    University of Akron Main Campus

    Akron, OH · Public · 4-year · 13,518 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

    University of Toledo

    Toledo, OH · Public · 4-year · 14,939 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

    Youngstown State University

    Youngstown, OH · Public · 4-year · 11,040 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 lifeExcellentAcademicsLimited
  • Catholic Life Score

    Wright State University

    Dayton, OH · Public · 4-year · 9,884 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 lifeExcellentAcademicsLimited
  • Catholic Life Score

    Baldwin Wallace University

    Berea, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,308 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

    Ohio University

    Athens, OH · Public · 4-year · 24,937 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 lifeStrongAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    The University of Findlay

    Findlay, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 5,057 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    Kent State University at Kent

    Kent, OH · Public · 4-year · 26,106 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    Cleveland State University

    Cleveland, OH · Public · 4-year · 14,117 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Case Western Reserve University

    Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 12,266 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    Denison University

    Granville, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,405 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    Ohio Northern University

    Ada, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,042 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Cedarville University

    Cedarville, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 5,374 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    University of Cincinnati

    Cincinnati, OH · Public · 4-year · 43,338 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Otterbein University

    Westerville, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,357 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong

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