Ave Maria, Florida
Founded by Domino’s Pizza entrepreneur Tom Monaghan in 2003, Ave Maria University is in southwest Florida, some 24 miles inland from Naples on the Gulf Coast. It has 1,200 students, an admission rate of 64% and a graduation rate of 54%. The university costs $41,919 and offers 31 majors and minors. There are 21 NAIA sports and six intramural clubs. The school prides itself on its orthodox Catholic identity and offers six daily Masses on campus.
Charlotte, North Carolina
Founded in 1876, this private college is an apostolate of the Benedictine monastery Belmont Abbey, and shares with it a 700-acre property 10 miles west of Charlotte, North Carolina. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with just over 1,500 students, Belmont Abbey College is the only Catholic college between Northern Virginia and Florida on the East Coast. It has popular programmes in Sports management, Business Management and Psychology, as well as growing graduate programmes.
The Benedictine motto Ora et labora is fully lived out in both the student and monastic community. “Everything about the college is grounded in our Catholic faith and Benedictine charism. Our mission is to educate students in the liberal arts and sciences so that in all things God may be glorified,” says President Dr Bill Thierfelder, a charismatic educational leader, former US Olympic trials athlete, and Knight of Malta.
The college charism is based on continuing to celebrate the Benedictine tradition of prayer and providing its students with “an education that will enable them to lead lives of integrity, succeed professionally, become responsible citizens and be a blessing to themselves and to others”. The college ranks highly in various college rankings guides, including the Newman Guide. In 2023, Belmont Abbey College’s faculty was ranked first in undergraduate teaching in the south by US News and World Report. The college’s athletic programme earned the prestigious Body, Mind, and Soul Dr Alan Patterson Cup Award.
Catholic life permeates every aspect of Belmont Abbey College. All students and faculty staff welcome every guest “in persona Christi”, as Christ. “Whether you visit once, stay for four years, or live and work there for your entire life, that profound welcome never ends,” the president says. “Excellence and virtue are found on the playing fields, in the classrooms, in residence halls, in the theatre, and everywhere you look. It’s what makes it such a special place.”
A Catholic understanding of the whole person is taken seriously and Belmont strives “to double our talents in body, mind, and soul”. The college’s health sciences have an over 90% acceptance rate to medical schools. The Honors College is guided by the “great books” of Western and classical literature.
Atchison, Kansas
Benedictine College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Atchison, Kansas. It was established in 1971 by the merger of St Benedict’s College (founded 1858) for men and Mount St Scholastica College (founded 1923) for women. It is located on bluffs overlooking the Missouri River, northwest of Kansas City. The school has 2,126 students and offers majors in business, education, theology and the performing arts. Tuition is $34,000.
The college is consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. President Stephen Minnis, a former Benedictine pupil and assistant district attorney, told the Herald that “we adhere strictly to our mission as a Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts, residential college whose mission is to educate our students within a community of faith and scholarship”. There is a focus on Catholic leadership development as well as courses on constitutional liberty, arts and beauty, family life, and even Catholic media.
The college offers Mass and Confession daily, Eucharistic adoration on weekdays, prayer at the Marian grotto, Liturgy of the Hours with the monks, and boasts a pro-life club and excellent sports teams in the NAIA Heart South conference. The Newman Guide describes it as a “faithful Catholic college” that appeals “to a growing number of Catholic families”.
“Our emphasis is the Church’s emphasis,” adds Minnis. “We teach our students to serve the Church and serve others. Our students love the sacraments – we’ve had to add a daily Mass because of overcrowding – and our students love to serve the poor. Half our students skip Wednesday dinner to feed the poor in our region; over 25 international and the same number of domestic mission trips over spring break. The faith is incorporated into everything we do.”
Recent years have seen the development of 20 new buildings and becoming a “premier sponsor” of the National Eucharistic Revival. “Our students are amazing young people and they teach me a lot,” says the president. “I am constantly impressed how they exhibit Christian joy in the face of adversity.”
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Located in Chesnut Hill, Massachusetts, Boston College – known as BC –has 9,300 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students. Tuition is $62,950, but the average fee paid after financial aid (received by 66% of undergraduates) is $38,000. The acceptance rate is 19%, and the graduation rate is 94%. The college’s endowment stands at $3.7 billion. Its alumni include Star-Trek actor Leonard Nimoy and the politician John Kerry. The John J Burns Library holds the Graham Greene papers, a unique collection of correspondence and literary manuscripts of the British Catholic novelist, as well as his personal library (Greene defended The Power and the Glory in the Catholic Herald in 1940).
BC seeks to be a national leader in the liberal arts; to fulfil its Jesuit, Catholic mission of faith and service to society and support students in their moral and spiritual formation; and to seek solutions, as researchers, educators and leaders, to the world’s most urgent problems. Every first-year student takes part in Convocation, which explores in the Jesuit tradition the religious element of education.
There are 31 NCAA Division 1 sports teams and 27 club teams, as well as 314 clubs and organisations on campus. Boston College prides itself on “an education with a heart and soul – and the power to transform” its members.
Yet on the ground, the college’s Catholic identity is under threat. A feisty level of student debate on Catholic issues can be found in The Torch, BC’s Catholic newspaper. Last November, it reported how Catholic pro-life author Trent Horn spoke to the university community about abortion, saying that he “was greeted by a crowd of 80 people with mixed opinions on the issue”.
This reflects the increasingly progressive climate of the university, including a new LGBTQ+ resource centre after a campaign from students and old alumni to “withhold donation money”. In May 2023, writing in The Torch, the atheist turned Catholic convert BC philosophy student Nick Letts posed the question: “Is Boston College still Catholic?” Although noting that 70% of students and over half the faculty claim to be Catholic, with Jesuits, Masses, and a campus ministry, he argued that many were cultural Catholics who did not believe “in Catholicism”, ie that “Christ is God risen from the dead”. A “vanishingly small proportion” would affirm this, he wrote. “Boston College is rapidly becoming a secular university with a Catholic subculture”. His article provoked debate, with another student responding that it is “still very much a Catholic university, albeit with as much potential for growth in its Catholicity as that of any other Catholic institution situated in a predominantly non-Catholic context”. Student majority: liberal.
WSJ ranking: 45/400
Washington, DC
Located in northeast Washington, the Catholic University of America is the pontifical national university of the Catholic Church in the US and was founded by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1887. It’s ideal for anybody wanting to embark on a life as a Catholic leader, in media, law or government, with internships available in the US capital. The student and seminarian body’s largely conservative stance on Catholic values and tradition was flagged up when, in 2017, its seminarian Theological College rescinded a speaking invitation to the controversial priest – and delegate at the October 2023 Synod in Rome – Fr James Martin, SJ, editor-at-large of America magazine, the Jesuit influential global media voice. This decision to disinvite Martin, a friend of Pope Francis who regularly speaks out in support of LGBT issues, was condemned by the university’s president, who argued that the college supported free speech.
However, despite such distancing, the university is one of the more traditional-leaning Catholic universities and is a spiritual magnet for many high-flying and devout students (over 5,000 in total) wanting a strong spiritual grounding. Mass and Confession are offered daily on campus and at the beautiful Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The liberal arts core curriculum includes three Catholic theology courses. Almost three-quarters of students and 60% of the faculty are Catholic. The first-year experience is rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition.
The Newman Guide notes that: “All student residence halls are appropriately single-sex, but regrettably opposite-sex visitation is allowed in student rooms until late at night, with no open-door policy.” Major benefactors are Napa Institute founder Tim Busch (a leading US Catholic conservative philanthropist) and his wife Steph. Busch also serves on the university board. The Busch School of Business has an acclaimed programme which combines Catholic and business principles, much as his Napa Institute Summer conference does. The average cost after aid is $33,000, the acceptance rate is 86% and the graduation rate is 72%.
Front Royal, Virginia
Founded in 1977 by Catholic scholar Dr Warren Carroll in reaction to the rise of secularism in American Catholic campuses, Christendom is a small (500 undergraduates) but spiritually energised college whose Front Royal campus looks over the Shenandoah River and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
With endorsements from the likes of George Weigel, Clarence Thomas, Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Burke, Christendom has a strong intellectual following as one of the leading “faithful” Catholic colleges and is endorsed by the Newman Guide. Leading Catholic author and commentator Weigel has described Christendom as “one of the best liberal arts colleges in America”. He singled out its “vibrant Catholic atmosphere that permeates every aspect of the college experience”. Pope Benedict XVI described the “distinguished record of Christendom” as making an “outstanding contribution” to Catholic life in the US. From being a “little-known secret” in Virginia, Christendom is “now a national model of faithful liberal arts education and Catholic formation,” accorinding to the Newman Guide. A new Christ the King Chapel. with seating for 550, has recently opened, adding to the rich spiritual experience of the students.
Feast days are celebrated with special meals. There are 10 varsity sports teams and over 30 clubs. There are six Catholic theology and philosophy courses “with a strong emphasis” on St Thomas Aquinas’ teachings. The professors are Catholic and make a “Catholic Profession of Faith”. There is an option to study for a term or more in Rome. There is daily Confession, Adoration, Rosary and Liturgy of the Hours. Many alumni have gone on to seek religious vocations, including more than 100 priests. There are fairly strict “no visitation” rules for opposite-sex residential hall visits.
The Christendom goal is “to provide a truly Catholic education in fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and thereby to prepare students for their role of restoring all things in Christ”. Its core curriculum is designed to help students “grow in wisdom and virtue”. Alumni go on to graduate schools such as Notre Dame, Catholic University, Harvard and Oxford.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has said: “This is a wonderful, wonderful, college… a decidedly Catholic college.” Pope John Paul II said that the college – founded during his papacy – “is doing a great work for the Church”.
Irving, Texas
The University of Dallas (UD) is a private Catholic university in Irving, Texas which is described by the Newman Guide as having “a national reputation for fidelity to Catholicism and strong academics”. There is the option of a semester at the university’s campus outside Rome. A Dominican priory is on campus and a Cistercian monastery is nearby.
UD’s 2021-22 average net price for full-time beginning students was $27,250, the acceptance rate is 58%, and the graduation rate is 72%. UD students share a formative experience in studying the traditional works of Western civilisation. Established in 1956, he college prides itself on its extensive liberal arts curriculum. Furthermore, the college’s core curriculum is an opportunity to inquire into the fundamental aspects of being and our relationship with God, nature and our fellow human beings. In autumn 2022, UD enrolled 1,453 undergraduate students of which Catholic students accounted for 75%. Religious character is a core part of the college ethos, whose motto is “the Catholic University for Independent Thinkers”.
Although it is not publicly known how many of its professors are Catholic, the college is staunchly faithful to Catholic doctrine and Catholic teaching, with twice-daily Mass, Bible study and Confession times four days a week. Dallas University President Jonathan Sanford says his establishment “is not run by a religious community, but its ethos is formed by a wealth of them”. An “open-bolt” policy requires student doors (of whatever sex) to be slightly open at all times. Sport is strong, with 15 varsity teams in the Southern Collegiate conference of NCAA Division III. Another plus, apart from the fees, is that the charism of the university draws Catholic students from across America, making it a spiritual melting pot for Catholic students wanting a high-level academic education rooted in meaning and purpose. “Our students are remarkably joyful,” says President Sanford. “They are happy in the simple human sense: eager to learn, communicative, and marked by their rich friendships with each other, their professors, and God. They remind me daily of why my efforts as president are worthwhile.” Student majority: conservative.
WSJ ranking: 296/400
Dayton, Ohio
The University of Dayton (UD) is a private Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the United States and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The campus is in the city’s southern portion and spans 388 acres on both sides of the Great Miami River. The campus is noted for the Immaculate Conception Chapel and the University of Dayton Arena. It serves about 8,100 undergraduate students. With an acceptance rate of 74% and a graduation rate of 81%, UD students pay around $32,148 per year after aid and generally have an SAT score in the range of 1160-1350. Popular majors include Marketing, Finance, and Mechanical Engineering. UD is a high-flier for its national leadership in recruiting, supporting and graduating lower-income students.
WSJ 2024 rank: 77
New York City, New York
With 15,000 students spread across nine schools and campuses in the Fordham neighbourhood of the Bronx, in Westchester and at the Lincoln Center, Fordham is a top-ranked US Jesuit university. Alumni include Colin Powell, four cardinals of the Catholic Church, US governors and ambassadors, many billionaires, two directors of the CIA, and Academy Award winners. The board of trustees often boasts names of the most influential Catholic philanthropists in America. In 2014, the university exceeded fundraising targets by raising more than $540 million and renovated its Lincoln Center campus and famous Law School.
Despite former president Donald Trump being an alumnus, the campus is progressive and liberal in outlook, with one student reporting to the 2024 College Free Speech Rankings that: “I did not feel comfortable discussing my views on abortion policies on my social media due to potential replies from people.” Another student said: “What is taught in school is extremely left-leaning”. Another, in 2023, reported “pressure to conform on controversial topics”.
The acceptance rate is 45.8%, the average incoming student’s grade point average (GPA) is 3.64, and the tuition is $60,335. There are numerous first-class athletic programmes, with the university supporting 21 men’s and women’s athletic teams, including the famous Fordham Rams football team. Track and field stars include Olympic gold medallist Tom Courtney. There is a distinguished business school at Lincoln Center. Tania Tetlow became the first woman and lay president of Fordham on 1 July, 2023, succeeding Father Joseph McShane. Campus life is urban, and the Lincoln Center campus offers many arts and cultural opportunities. Religious life is not noticeably emphasised, with the campus ministry providing multi-faith (including Judaism and Islam) programming for more than 15 faith traditions. Catholic retreats are held at the university’s McGrath House of Prayer in Goshen. Student majority: liberal.
WSJ ranking: 185/400
Steubenville, Ohio
Established in 1946 as a college for Catholic Second World War veterans, and reformed under Father Michael Scanlan in the 1970s, the Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private university in Ohio, west of Pittsburgh. It has a reputation for devout spiritual fidelity and is often regarded as a “model” Catholic university, claiming to have the largest number of students in theology, catechetics and philosophy of any Catholic college in the US. Some 96% of the students are Catholic, as are 94% are faculty members. The university has some 3,600 students, including 2,602 students on campus, in 40 undergraduate and eight graduate degree programmes. Average tuition after aid is $19,000, the acceptance rate is 68% and the graduation rate is 77%.
Although there are dormitory chapels, many students prefer to pray on campus at “The Port”, a tiny stone Eucharistic Adoration chapel built to resemble that in Assisi. There are four Masses every Sunday including – unusually for a US college – one weekly Mass in the Extraordinary Form (at least before the Latin Mass restrictions ordered by Pope Francis). There is a community Rosary and a monthly Festival of Praise. A sense of spiritual community is fostered by a “faith household” system which brings students and faculty together under a spiritual adviser. Residence halls are strictly single-sex, with the Newman Guide nodding approvingly at the “limited hours” of opposite-sex visits allowed. It adds that for those seeking “a strong faith formation and education in a charismatic Catholic environment”, at an affordable price, the university represents an “outstanding opportunity”, with the student enthusiasm for serving God being “refreshing”. There is also the option to attend a semester at Franciscan’s campus in central Austria.
The university has, fortunately, moved on from various scandals involving a former chaplain, Father Sam Tiesi, followed by two other priests, accused of making “unwelcome advances” to women at the university, following a full apology from former president Fr Sean O Sheridan. The college also hosts the Fr Michael Scanlan Scholarship Competition, which sees two students awarded full-tuition scholarships and admission to the Fr Michael Scanlan Scholarship Society. Student majority: conservative.
Washington, DC
Founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789, Georgetown is the oldest and largest Jesuit Catholic university in America. It has 11 undergraduate and graduate schools in the US capital, including the Walsh School of Foreign Service, McDonough School of Business, a campus in Qatar and a student exchange programme with King’s College, London. Georgetown is one of the most prestigious and progressive universities in the United States, although not all students – liberal students heavily outnumber conservatives – would identify it as having a primarily Catholic mission. Students can enjoy an urban lifestyle that includes access rights to the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian and the Kennedy Center, as well as the bars and cafes of M Street in historic Georgetown. The campus overlooks the Potomac River and the John J Burns Library holds a collection of novelist and Catholic Herald writer Graham Greene’s correspondence, manuscripts, and even his personal library.
It is a mid-size institution with 7,213 undergraduate students and an endowment of $3.2 billion. Admission is very competitive as the Georgetown acceptance rate is 12%. Popular subjects include International Relations, Political Science and Government, and Finance, with the opportunity to intern in Capitol Hill as well as Washington, DC media companies. Students pay an average of $23,000 per annum after aid. The school’s athletic teams are nicknamed the Hoyas and include a men’s basketball team, which has won a record eight Big East championships and appeared in five Final Fours. One in 10 undergraduates is a college athlete. Georgetown’s campus ministry offers Masses, Confession, prayer services and interfaith outreach to Jews and Muslims.
Georgetown scored badly (245th out of 254) in a September 2023 survey of free speech at American colleges from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). They flagged the experience of Georgetown law student William Spruance, who was suspended for criticising the university’s Covid mask mandate. He was also instructed to be subjected to a psychiatric evaluation. Another student reported feeling compelled to use the term “birthing person” when making comments about maternal mortality rates – a controversial term employed by transgender activists to describe women. The Catholic News Agency reported another being harassed “for expressing a typical but conservative opinion online”. According to the FIRE report, Georgetown reportedly has nearly four liberal students for every one conservative student.
WSJ ranking: 12/400
Spokane, Washington
Gonzaga University is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the university is named after the young Jesuit saint Aloysius Gonzaga. The average cost after aid is $31,000, the acceptance rate is 76% and the graduation rate is 85%. Gonzaga is well known for its championship basketball programme. There are 7,200 students, 4,850 of whom are undergraduates. There are academic centres for lifelong learning, multicultural education, and the study of hate.
“We are a thriving Catholic community where evidence of a strong faith community exists throughout the campus,” says the university’s president, Thayne M McCulloh. “Jesuits and diocesan seminarians are part of the everyday learning environment, and our core curriculum is modelled after Ignatian pedagogy. Our students are encouraged to lead and serve the professions and communities of which they will become a part. Our students continually surprise and inspire me with their intelligence, drive and commitment. They are creative and imaginative and generous – to me, they truly represent hope for a better world.”
At Gonzaga, Jesuit Catholic values claim to inform an ethic of social justice that supports students’ spiritual development. In addition to the campus’s many mission and ministry offerings, religious study and Mass, “our community seeks out the Divine in all things,” McCulloh says. However, in November 2022, Gonzaga University rejected a request by the school’s pro-life club to host Liz Wheeler, an American pro-life and conservative commentator, for a campus lecture sponsored by Young America’s Foundation. Key strengths are offering degrees at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels, including the jurist doctorate (Law). McCulloh says that Gonzaga provides an excellent Catholic education that “underscores that their learning is a search for the Truth, which is where God is found. This education is not for their own advancement only; it is to be generously shared for the advancement of the common good.”
WSJ ranking: 136/400
Worcester, Massachusetts
Founded in 1843, the College of the Holy Cross is a private Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, some 45 miles west of Boston. Holy Cross was the first Catholic college in New England and is one of the oldest in the US, with a highly distinguished list of alumni including Clarence Thomas, Nobel and Pulitzer prize winners, US Senators Peter Welch (Vermont) and Bob Casey Jr (Pennsylvania) and immunologist Dr Anthony Fauci.
There are 3,210 students enrolled. The average cost after aid is $33,000. The acceptance rate is 43% and the graduation rate is 90%. Holy Cross has a strong athletic tradition, especially in football, (teams are called the Crusaders) and competes in the Patriot League. The college offers a broad array of spiritual resources, although the college has been described by Time magazine as “the cradle of the Catholic left” in 1974, since the school educated Philip Berrigan and the socialist Michael Harrington, author of the influential book on poverty The Other America.
Holy Cross continues its liberal Jesuit tradition with controversies over abortion, LGBTQ+ issues and putting on the Vagina Monologues. The campus has hosted conferences from Planned Parenthood and NARAL. In 2007, Bishop Robert McManus asked President Fr McFarland to cancel an event sponsored by the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy and threatened to revoke the Catholic status of the college if the event was not cancelled. The college refused to do so, saying it was only renting space and was not involved in the event.
WSJ ranking: 60/400
New Rochelle, New York
Iona University, with campuses in New Rochelle and Bronxville, New York, was ranked 19th out of 400 for best student experience in the Wall Street Journal’s “2024 Best Colleges in the US” guide, and a very respectable 66th overall. Not bad for a Catholic college that only officially became a university in July 2022. Founded in 1940 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, the transition to university – with a new campus in Bronxville – was led by President Seamus Carey. Becoming a university, he says, “better reflects our growth as an institution and the academic excellence that distinguishes an Iona education. It also makes Iona more competitive both across the country and around the world.”
The average cost after aid is $29,000, the acceptance rate is 93%, and the graduation rate is 64%. There are 3,600 students, and a 1:15 faculty/student ratio. Iona remains steadfastly “committed to the pillars of faith, service and the transformative power of education”, inspired by the example of the Christian Brothers founder, Blessed Edmund Rice, an Irish businessman who followed St Columba in devoting his life to educating the young boys of Ireland. “You can feel both their spirits every day, across campus,” says Carey.
The transition process from a college to a university has been a “celebratory” experience, combined with being awarded high rankings by the latest Wall Street Journal colleges guide. The new campus has established the New York-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences and attracts talented and highly motivated students. “As the demand for highly skilled health care professionals continues to grow, this premier new school will help to fill a critical need not just for our students, but for the individuals and communities they are being trained to serve,” says Carey.
Iona is known for its star Gaels basketball teams, for both men (coached by Tobin Anderson) and women (coached by Angelika Szumilo). The Iona community sells out home games and throws pep rallies to send the teams off to the NCAA tournament. Iona’s men’s basketball team has been the leading team in the New York metropolitan area for 25 years, with a league record 14 MAAC tournament titles and 16 NCAA tournament appearances. “We’re excited to keep that momentum going with our renowned head coaches for both the men’s and women’s teams,” adds Carey.
What sets Iona students apart is their dedication “to helping other people”, says the president. “They work together to engage the communities outside our campus. Their commitment to doing good is a powerful antidote to the cynicism that pervades our public narratives. Our students perform over 80,000 hours of service each year.”
The Catholic faith is incorporated into college life through the Office of Mission & Ministry, with the liberal arts curriculum requiring all first-year students to take a 3-credit course called the Columba Cornerstone, named after St Columba. This immerses students in the history, culture and spirituality of the saint and the Christian values of Western civilisation. Mass is celebrated five times a week.
Through Iona’s connection to the Christian Brothers, Iona students also have the chance to serve on mission trips both locally, across the United States and around the world, including Ireland.
One key strength is being a “close-knit, caring” community. “Our small class sizes, engaged professors and network of over 50,000 alumni around the world provide a distinguished learning experience as well as unparalleled internships and career opportunities, especially given our proximity to New York City,” says Carey.
Iona attracts bright, curious students eager to achieve for themselves and for others. Clearly a Catholic university on the rise, Iona welcomed its largest freshman class in five years. Since 2019, new student enrollment is up nearly 30% despite the difficulties in the sector. WSJ ranking: 66/400
Escondido, California
John Paul the Great Catholic University – known as JPCatholic – is a private Catholic university located in Escondido, California in the San Diego area. It was founded in 2003 under the name New Catholic University. After the death of Pope John Paul II in April 2005, the board of trustees decided to change the name to honour the late pope, while retaining the word Catholic in the official name to emphasise the priorities of the school. It is a small institution with an enrolment of 266 undergraduate students. JPCatholic’s acceptance rate is 79%. Popular majors include Communications, Business, and Liberal Arts and Humanities. Of JPCatholic’s students, 62% graduate.
JPCatholic is unique, says President Derry Connolly, in being a community of student artists and innovators, centred around the beauty of the Catholic faith. The integration of storytelling, visual and creative arts with a Catholic worldview is centred on the mission to “impact culture for Christ”. JPCatholic fills “a unique and desperately needed role”, he adds, in what the patron Pope St John Paul called a New Evangelisation – “new in its ardour, methods and expression”.
“With popular culture often advancing depravity, our postmodern society is desperate for the meaning and purpose contained at the heart of Christ’s message,” says Connolly. What JPCatholic offers is an antidote to moral relativism. Every year, students and faculty produce a feature-length film as part of the curriculum, giving students a hands-on opportunity to earn IMDb credits before they even graduate. “I’m so proud of the level of professionalism and Christian witness that our students bring to those sets,” Connolly says.
The Catholic faith is integrated into college life with Mass and Confession offered every day. The curriculum includes a rich study of theology and philosophy. “Our unique environment has attracted such an amazing group of talented students who are passionate about using their gifts to glorify God,” Connolly adds.
Los Angeles, California
Situated on a magnificent hilltop campus in Los Angeles with its affiliated Loyola Law School campus downtown, Loyola Marymount University is a private Jesuit college whose campus boasts two dramatic new buildings, the School of Film and Television Undergraduate Building, and the Drollinger Family Stage, an outdoor performance pavilion, both designed by architect Carlos Madrid III to “serve as student magnets that foster and sustain campus life”.
It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. This year saw record applications – up 8% including more than 1,600 first-year students from 38 states and 65 nations, with an academic average weighted GPA of 4.01. The average cost after aid is $35,000, the acceptance rate is 46%, and the graduation rate is 79%. It has an active campus ministry programme reflecting the school’s Jesuit and Marymount traditions. Student majority: liberal
WSJ ranking: 269/400
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit university located near the heart of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College in 1881, it was founded by John Martin Henni, the first Bishop of the Diocese of Milwaukee. Named after 17th-century missionary and explorer Jacques Marquette, it became the first coeducational Catholic university in the world in 1909. It is an average-sized institution with an enrolment of 7,400 undergraduate students. Admissions are competitive as the Marquette acceptance rate is 86% and students have an SAT range of 1180-1360. Graduating 81% of students, Marquette alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $62,600 and the average tuition after aid is $33,600.
WSJ 2024 rank: 56
Notre Dame, Indiana
The University of Notre Dame is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, north of the city of South Bend. Founded by French priest Edward Sorin in 1842, it has long been regarded as one of the Holy Trinity of premier Catholic Colleges in America. Its mission is to be defined “by its Catholic character to be a powerful force for good in the world”. It excels at sports and fostering leadership with alumni that include Supreme Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America.
The average cost after aid is $32,000, the acceptance rate is 15%, and the graduation rate is 96%. Long renowned for its Fighting Irish sports teams, in recent decades its academic programmes have been strengthened. The School of Architecture awards the annual Driehaus Architecture Prize, with the school known for its New Classical architecture. There are over 40 Holy Cross priests on campus and 100 Masses are celebrated weekly in the church and residence hall chapels. There are over 8,000 students on the picturesque 1,200-acre Indiana campus. Campus life is vibrant. Corby’s Bar is a longstanding social centre. Football game days in South Bend see an invasion of corporate jets.
There has been controversy for honours awarded to pro-abortion politicians such as presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, but its values and ethos remain very much Catholic; 45% of students say heckling a speaker to prevent them from talking on campus is “never acceptable”. Notre Dame came 176th out of 254 in the 2023 FIRE campus rankings for free speech. Its many Catholic centres and institutes include the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, the John J Reilly Center for Science, Technology and Values, the Medieval Institute, the McGrath Institute for Church Life, and the Notre Dame Institute for Global Investing.
There is also a successful Notre Dame presence in London with its London Global Gateway programme; this London branch acquired the GK Chesterton collection with a dedication ceremony led by the college president, the Rev John Jenkins. The Princeton Review has described Notre Dame’s 135,000-strong alumni network as the best in America. Its endowment is worth some $18 billion.
Last year, Marcus Freeman, the university’s football coach, converted to Catholicism. His favourite saying since coaching at Notre Dame is: “This place will change you if you let it.” It’s a good summary of why Notre Dame remains the Catholic college to beat. Student majority: conservative
WSJ ranking: 32/400
Providence, Rhode Island
Set on an attractive campus in North Providence, Rhode Island, Providence College is a private Catholic university. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the local diocese, it offers 47 undergraduate majors and 17 graduate programmes. The average cost is $37,000 after aid, the acceptance rate is 58% and the graduation rate is 87%. There are 4,700 students. Notable alumni include Raymond Flynn the former basketball star, Boston mayor and US ambassador to the Holy See. It partners with Portsmouth Abbey School in presenting the Portsmouth Institute. This autumn saw the largest first-year class in the history of the college. The college describes itself as “unapologetically Catholic”. Students are invited to view their education as a journey toward truth by way of faith and reason, such as the practice of disputatio. All undergraduates are required to take two Theology and two Philosophy requirements, as well as a two-year Development of Western Civilisation programme. From this distinctive Catholic liberal arts foundation, many also enter the School of Business. There is also a School of Nursing and Health Sciences which has a strong emphasis on Catholic teachings regarding the sanctity of life.
There is a “robust presence” of Dominican friars and sisters on campus, many under 40 years old (there is a friar assigned as a chaplain to each athletic team and residence hall). The board of trustees includes six Dominican friars, and the Bishop of Providence supports its Catholic and Dominican identity. There is an RCIA programme designed for those who identify as Catholic but have not been raised in church-going families. Attendance at Mass and devotions is strong, with healthy student numbers. There are three daily Masses offered during the week and a further three on Sundays. “Our students are genuinely happy here,” says President (Father) Kenneth Sicard. “The number of admitted students has remained consistently strong. We are financially sound, and our campus facilities are the best among our peers. Most importantly, we do not shy away from our Catholic identity.”
Father Kenneth’s leavers advice is for students to think of Providence “as a time when they developed into the men and women God created them to be”.
WSJ ranking: 135/400
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, it is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university’s campus surrounds the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís, founded in 1777.
Located an hour south of San Francisco, tuition costs $43,000 after aid, it has an acceptance rate of 54% and a graduation rate of 91%. The student-to-faculty ratio is a low 11:1, and the curriculum is supportive of LGBT+ identities. There are just over 9,000 students. It was ranked 322nd out of 400 for “student experience” in the Wall Street Journal college rankings. Student majority: liberal.
WSJ ranking: 75/400
Santa Paula, California and Northfield, Massachusetts
Thomas Aquinas College was founded in 1971 by Catholic professors devoted to the Catholic Faith and the study of original writings by the greatest minds of Western culture. No majors, no academic departments, no textbooks, no lectures – only Catholic formation, Great Books and Socratic discussion.
The campus is located in the hills east of Los Angeles and has a capped enrolment to preserve the small college environment. As a result of growing interest, a second campus was opened in the hills of Northfield, Massachusetts, in 2019.
Nearly all students are Catholic and enjoy a strong spiritual life on campus, including daily Masses when classes are not scheduled and even Extraordinary Form Mass on most days. There is daily Confession, Rosary, and Liturgy of the Hours.
Crestview Hills, Kentucky
Thomas More University is a private Roman Catholic university in Crestview Hills, Kentucky with about 2,000 full and part-time students. The university was founded in 1921 by the local Benedictine Sisters as Villa Madonna College. President Lyndon B. Johnson attended its 1968 new dedication ceremony after it moved campus. Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education formally granted Thomas More formal university status in July 2018. The current president is Joseph L. Chillo, Jr, formerly an executive director at St. Thomas Aquinas College. He has steered the college towards its very respectable ranking in the WSJ national college rankings.
“Our inclusion on the Wall Street Journal’s 2024 Best Colleges is a testament to the high-quality, Catholic Liberal Arts education that we provide at Thomas More,” said President Chillo, “Our outstanding faculty and staff prioritize student success and high impact practices while guiding students to discover the ultimate meaning of life, their place in the world, and their responsibility to others.”
With an acceptance rate of 96%, Thomas More students pay around $19,819 per year after financial aid with SAT scores in the range of 1010-1140. There has been an extensive building expansion programme. Key buildings on campus include the Monte Casino Chapel, Benedictine Library, Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel, the Zembrodt Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, the Center for Faith, Mission, and Catholic Education, and the College of Business.There are both coed and single sex residence halls. A highlight is the Thomas More University Observatory which includes computerised telescopes, CCD digital imaging camera systems, and a sliding roof for celestial observation projects.
The most popular majors include Business, Liberal Arts and Humanities, and Nursing. The college sports teams are known as The Saints and alumni include several NBA basketball players and Daniel K. Richter, award-winning historian of early America.
WSJ 2024 rank: 207
Houston, Texas
St Thomas (UST) is a highly nationally-rated private Catholic university located in Houston, Texas. It is a small institution with an enrolment of 2,212 undergraduate students. With an impressive ranking in the 2024 WSJ colleges guide, it has welcomed its largest-ever incoming class this autumn. President Richard Ludwick told the Herald: “We have been blessed with consecutive years of growth in the recent past and continue to grow and thrive as our emphasis on Catholicity and community increases.” It was founded by the Basilian Fathers in 1947 and is the only Catholic university in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. The St Thomas acceptance rate is 98%. Popular majors include Liberal Arts and Humanities, Nursing, and Psychology. Of the students, 62% graduate. St Thomas students pay an average of $20,130 per year after receiving aid. The president highlighted the “diverse” student body, with a baccalaureate Mass in four languages to accommodate the Catholic community. “Even when people graduate from UST, what sticks with them is the love and acceptance they felt in this Catholic community,” Ludwick says.
WSJ ranking: 158/400
Villanova, Pennsylvania
Villanova University is a highly rated private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, 12 miles west of central Philadelphia. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after St Thomas of Villanova. The average cost after aid is $35,000, the acceptance rate is 25% and the graduation rate is 89%. There are schools of liberal arts, engineering and nursing, among others. The only Augustinian Catholic university in the nation, Villanova values a personalised experience where teachers and students are partners in learning and scholarly inquiry. From undergraduate to doctoral students, Villanovans aim to be intellectually inspired, morally grounded, and globally minded. With 9,000 students and a 125-acre campus, the school boasts excellent athletics and top-ranked basketball teams. The Villanova Wildcats, the highly successful men’s basketball team, compete in the NCAA Division I Big East Conference. Freshmen are guaranteed housing for their first three years. In 2023, Villanovans won 24 Fulbright Scholarships for overseas study, and President Reverend Peter Donohue announced a $20 million gift from Bancel Philanthropies for scholarship aid. The university has an active Campus Ministry and hosts an annual Special Olympics Fall Festival. Alumni include Jill Biden and actor Bradley Cooper.
WSJ ranking: 62/400
North Canton, Ohio
Walsh is a well-rated private Catholic university located in North Canton, Ohio in the Cleveland area. Walsh College became Walsh University in 1993. The university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors, seven graduate programmes and a good sports programme. It is a small institution with an enrolment of 2,400 students. Walsh’s acceptance rate is 80%. Popular majors include Nursing, Business, and Biology, with 69% of students graduating. The Catholic ethos of Walsh University serves as the foundation for the institution’s values, mission and identity. It is a faith-based education, valuing commitment to service and an inclusive environment. Inspired by the charism of Walsh’s and the Brothers of Christian Instruction, Walsh’s core curriculum places an emphasis on community service and social justice, equipping students to become educated “change-makers” and “leaders in service”. The university’s Spectator newspaper reported that around 60 students participated in the March for Life rally in Washington, DC in February this year. All faith backgrounds are welcomed, and the college promotes interfaith dialogue. The culture combines academic excellence with spiritual formation so that graduates can “discover their life purpose and prosper”. Walsh was ranked fourth by Military Friendly Schools for a private university which offers doctorate programmes. President Dr Tim Collins is a graduate of the National War College. His military decorations include the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. “As a proud member of the Yellow Ribbon Program, we have worked hard to establish a welcoming campus that supports all those who have served our country,” says Collins. Walsh looks at student relationships not as a four to six-year relationship but a 40 to 60-year one. “We lay the groundwork early to establish a partnership with our students to serve as their educational partner for life. Whether they are returning for professional development, a new degree or a reunion, they will always have a home at Walsh University,” says Collins.
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