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.
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: IowaClear all

54 schools · Sorted by Best match (Catholic first)

  • Compass Score

    Loras College

    Dubuque, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,213 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.FaithStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass Score

    Saint Ambrose University

    Davenport, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,703 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.FaithStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass Score

    Mount Mercy University

    Cedar Rapids, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,451 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

    Clarke University

    Dubuque, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,025 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

    Briar Cliff University

    Sioux City, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 940 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.FaithLimitedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Divine Word College

    Epworth, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 61 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.FaithStrong

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

    University of Iowa

    Iowa City, IA · Public · 4-year · 30,042 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

    Iowa State University

    Ames, IA · Public · 4-year · 30,177 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Grinnell College

    Grinnell, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,775 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
  • Not yet rated

    Emmaus Bible College

    Dubuque, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 197 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Drake University

    Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 4,504 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    St Luke's College

    Sioux City, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 196 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Luther College

    Decorah, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,463 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Simpson College

    Indianola, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,163 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Dordt University

    Sioux Center, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,929 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Central College

    Pella, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,095 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Cornell College

    Mount Vernon, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,084 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Coe College

    Cedar Rapids, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,278 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Wartburg College

    Waverly, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,472 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    University of Northern Iowa

    Cedar Falls, IA · Public · 4-year · 9,013 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Northwestern College

    Orange City, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,665 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Mercy College of Health Sciences

    Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 907 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 ratedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Buena Vista University

    Storm Lake, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,951 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Morningside University

    Sioux City, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,158 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Grand View University

    Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,796 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair

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