Catholic School CompassTrue north for Catholic families.

Every accredited U.S. college

Catholic life at other colleges

Public and private colleges that are not Catholic, rated on Catholic life on campus: campus ministry, Mass and confession, chaplains, and student groups.

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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.
School1
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.Ivy LeagueOnly the eight Ivy League universities. None of them is Catholic; their pages rate Catholic life on campus.Clear
Other collegesState: IowaClear all

47 schools · Sorted by Best match (Catholic first)

  • 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

    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
  • Not yet rated

    University of Dubuque

    Dubuque, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,795 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Maharishi International University

    Fairfield, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,666 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Graceland University-Lamoni

    Lamoni, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,195 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    William Penn University

    Oskaloosa, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,536 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Upper Iowa University

    Fayette, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,102 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Waldorf University

    Forest City, IA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 2,657 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Des Moines Area Community College

    Ankeny, IA · Public · 2-year · 24,418 students
    Catholic life not yet researched

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