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

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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.
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.
MajorComing soon
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.Clear
State: District of ColumbiaClear all

18 schools · Sorted by Best match (Catholic first)

  • Compass Score

    Georgetown University

    Washington, DC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 20,392 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.FaithStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass Score

    Trinity Washington University

    Washington, DC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,865 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.All-femaleAll-female: the school enrolls women only.FaithLimitedAcademicsFair

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

    George Washington University

    Washington, DC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 25,568 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

    Howard University

    Washington, DC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 13,416 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

    American University

    Washington, DC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 13,019 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    The Catholic University of America

    Washington, DC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 5,171 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

    Gallaudet University

    Washington, DC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,364 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    University of the District of Columbia

    Washington, DC · Public · 4-year · 3,855 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    University of the Potomac-Washington DC Campus

    Washington, DC · Private for-profit · 4-year · 593 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Strayer University-District of Columbia

    Washington, DC · Private for-profit · 4-year · 353 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Strayer University-Global Region

    Washington, DC · Private for-profit · 4-year · 12,782 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    The Chicago School at Washington DC

    Washington, DC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 615 students
    Graduate onlyGraduate only: offers graduate or professional programs and no undergraduate degrees.Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Wesley Theological Seminary

    Washington, DC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 450 students
    Seminary / theologySeminary or theology school: listed for the priestly or theological programs it offers.Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Career Technical Institute

    Washington, DC · Private for-profit · 2-year · 383 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Saint Michael College of Allied Health

    Washington, DC · Private for-profit · 2-year · 123 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Institute of World Politics

    Washington, DC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 119 students
    Graduate onlyGraduate only: offers graduate or professional programs and no undergraduate degrees.Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies

    Washington, DC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 73 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.Seminary / theologySeminary or theology school: listed for the priestly or theological programs it offers.Faith scorecard not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family

    Washington, DC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 63 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.Seminary / theologySeminary or theology school: listed for the priestly or theological programs it offers.Faith scorecard not yet researched

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