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.
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.
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.
Campus life
College sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.
Where the campus is, from federal data: in a city, a suburb, a town, or a rural area.
Mass every weekday on or next to campus, checked against the college's own schedule.
A Catholic parish church within a mile of campus.
The college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).
The college offers study abroad (federal data).
Admissions and outcomes
How many applicants are admitted (federal data). Most: 65% or more. Selective: 25% to 64%. Highly selective: under 25%.
Small classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
Strong outcomes: 75% or more of students graduate (federal data).
Major
Colleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.
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
Division I sportsCollege sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.Daily MassMass every weekday on or next to campus, checked against the college's own schedule.Church nearbyA Catholic parish church within a mile of campus.ROTCThe college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).Study abroadThe college offers study abroad (federal data).NursingColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.EngineeringColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.Under $20kNet price under $20,000 a year: what a typical student pays after grants and scholarships (federal data).Small classesSmall classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
State: TennesseeClear all

84 schools · Sorted by Best match (Catholic first)

  • Compass Score

    Christian Brothers University

    Memphis, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,043 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
    Net price $9,854Admits 87%Division II
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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

    Vanderbilt University

    Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 13,456 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $15,846Admits 6%Division I
    Mass timesSave
  • Catholic Life Score

    Belmont University

    Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 8,862 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsStrong
    Net price $33,147Admits 95%Division I
    Mass timesSave
  • Catholic Life Score

    The University of Tennessee-Knoxville

    Knoxville, TN · Public · 4-year · 36,304 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsStrong
    Net price $18,976Admits 42%Division I
    Mass timesSave
  • Catholic Life Score

    Middle Tennessee State University

    Murfreesboro, TN · Public · 4-year · 20,183 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair
    Net price $13,359Admits 69%Division I
    Mass timesSave
  • Catholic Life Score

    The University of Tennessee-Martin

    Martin, TN · Public · 4-year · 6,941 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsFair
    Net price $10,701Admits 88%Division I
    Mass timesSave
  • Catholic Life Score

    Austin Peay State University

    Clarksville, TN · Public · 4-year · 9,945 students
    Catholic lifeStrongAcademicsLimited
    Net price $9,735Admits 96%Division I
    Mass timesSave
  • Catholic Life Score

    University of Memphis

    Memphis, TN · Public · 4-year · 21,736 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsFair
    Net price $12,397Admits 72%Division I
    Mass timesSave
  • Catholic Life Score

    The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga

    Chattanooga, TN · Public · 4-year · 11,380 students
    Catholic lifeFairAcademicsFair
    Net price $14,265Admits 81%Division I
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  • Not yet rated

    Rhodes College

    Memphis, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,952 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $28,585Admits 50%Division III
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    The University of the South

    Sewanee, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,693 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsExcellent
    Net price $27,872Admits 57%Division III
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Union University

    Jackson, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,674 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
    Net price $27,171Admits 60%Division II
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  • Not yet rated

    Lipscomb University

    Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 5,047 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsStrong
    Net price $24,739Admits 68%Division I
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  • Not yet rated

    Freed-Hardeman University

    Henderson, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,294 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
    Net price $21,574Admits 60%NAIA
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Milligan University

    Milligan, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,200 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsStrong
    Net price $21,365Admits 72%NAIA
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Lee University

    Cleveland, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,680 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsFair
    Net price $18,878Admits 71%Division II
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  • Not yet rated

    East Tennessee State University

    Johnson City, TN · Public · 4-year · 13,586 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsFair
    Net price $15,983Admits 86%Division I
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  • Not yet rated

    Tennessee Technological University

    Cookeville, TN · Public · 4-year · 10,117 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
    Net price $14,246Admits 76%Division I
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Nossi College of Art and Design

    Nashville, TN · Private for-profit · 4-year · 278 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
    Net price $24,044Admits 46%
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  • Not yet rated

    Lincoln Memorial University

    Harrogate, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 5,805 students
    Catholic lifeNot ratedAcademicsFair
    Net price $20,406Admits 63%Division II
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  • Not yet rated

    Johnson University

    Knoxville, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 950 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
    Net price $22,063Admits 65%NAIA
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  • Not yet rated

    Maryville College

    Maryville, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,147 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
    Net price $19,360Admits 61%Division III
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  • Not yet rated

    Welch College

    Gallatin, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 389 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
    Net price $25,263
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  • Not yet rated

    Carson-Newman University

    Jefferson City, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,735 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
    Net price $20,251Admits 90%Division II
    Save
  • Not yet rated

    Southern Adventist University

    Collegedale, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,154 students
    Catholic life not yet researchedAcademicsFair
    Net price $24,345Admits 66%
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