Catholic School CompassTrue north for Catholic families.

Every accredited U.S. college

Catholic colleges

Every accredited Catholic college, rated on four faith pillars (sacramental life, theology and core curriculum, campus culture, and service) from official sources, plus Academic Excellence 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.
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
Catholic collegesState: IllinoisClear all

13 schools · Sorted by Best match (Catholic first)

  • Compass Score

    Loyola University Chicago

    Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 17,397 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

    DePaul University

    Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 21,348 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

    Benedictine University

    Lisle, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,989 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

    Quincy University

    Quincy, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,280 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.FaithStrongAcademicsLimited
  • Compass Score

    Dominican University

    River Forest, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,424 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

    Saint Xavier University

    Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,457 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

    University of St. Francis

    Joliet, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,185 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

    Lewis University

    Romeoville, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 6,636 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

    Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing

    Peoria, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 523 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 rated
  • Not yet rated

    Saint Anthony College of Nursing

    Rockford, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 228 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 rated
  • Not yet rated

    University of Saint Mary of the Lake

    Mundelein, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 203 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

    Catholic Theological Union at Chicago

    Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 198 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

    St. John's College-Department of Nursing

    Springfield, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 93 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 rated

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