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: South DakotaClear all

20 schools · Sorted by Best match (Catholic first)

  • Compass Score

    Mount Marty University

    Yankton, SD · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,314 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

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

    South Dakota State University

    Brookings, SD · Public · 4-year · 11,498 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 lifeExcellentAcademicsFair
  • Catholic Life Score

    University of South Dakota

    Vermillion, SD · Public · 4-year · 9,868 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 lifeExcellentAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Augustana University

    Sioux Falls, SD · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,158 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

    Rapid City, SD · Public · 4-year · 2,492 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    University of Sioux Falls

    Sioux Falls, SD · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,509 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Dakota Wesleyan University

    Mitchell, SD · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 886 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Dakota State University

    Madison, SD · Public · 4-year · 3,508 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Northern State University

    Aberdeen, SD · Public · 4-year · 3,521 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Black Hills State University

    Spearfish, SD · Public · 4-year · 3,475 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Sinte Gleska University

    Mission, SD · Public · 4-year · 683 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Sisseton Wahpeton College

    Sisseton, SD · Public · 4-year · 215 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Oglala Lakota College

    Kyle, SD · Public · 4-year · 1,229 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    National American University-Rapid City

    Rapid City, SD · Private for-profit · 4-year · 1,026 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsLimited
  • Not yet rated

    Southeast Technical College

    Sioux Falls, SD · Public · 2-year · 2,478 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Lake Area Technical College

    Watertown, SD · Public · 2-year · 2,179 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Mitchell Technical College

    Mitchell, SD · Public · 2-year · 1,132 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Kairos University

    Sioux Falls, SD · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,105 students
    Seminary / theologySeminary or theology school: listed for the priestly or theological programs it offers.Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    Western Dakota Technical College

    Rapid City, SD · Public · 2-year · 1,047 students
    Catholic life not yet researched
  • Not yet rated

    California Intercontinental University

    Sioux Falls, SD · Private for-profit · 4-year · 484 students
    Catholic life not yet researched

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