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 outcomes1
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: WashingtonSmall classesClear all

22 schools · Sorted by Best match (Catholic first)

  • Compass Score

    Seattle University

    Seattle, WA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 7,182 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

    Saint Martin's University

    Lacey, WA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,505 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
  • Not yet rated

    Whitman College

    Walla Walla, WA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,544 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    Gonzaga University

    Spokane, WA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 7,306 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.FaithNot ratedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    University of Puget Sound

    Tacoma, WA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,914 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Northwest University

    Kirkland, WA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 999 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Whitworth University

    Spokane, WA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,345 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Pacific Lutheran University

    Tacoma, WA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,737 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    DigiPen Institute of Technology

    Redmond, WA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 1,100 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Heritage University

    Toppenish, WA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 835 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Whatcom Community College

    Bellingham, WA · Public · 4-year · 3,490 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Clark College

    Vancouver, WA · Public · 4-year · 7,149 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Green River College

    Auburn, WA · Public · 4-year · 7,361 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Edmonds College

    Lynnwood, WA · Public · 4-year · 6,028 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Spokane Falls Community College

    Spokane, WA · Public · 4-year · 3,903 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    City University of Seattle

    Seattle, WA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,970 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Antioch University-Seattle

    Seattle, WA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 800 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Bastyr University

    Kenmore, WA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 760 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Whitworth University-Adult Degree Programs

    Spokane, WA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 170 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Seattle Film Institute

    Seattle, WA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 81 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building

    Port Hadlock, WA · Private nonprofit · 2-year · 43 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Great Northern University

    Spokane, WA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 36 students
    Catholic life not yet researched

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