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Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Catholic Colleges & Universities


Catholicism itself aims for a deep understanding of all creation in order to bring people closer to Jesus Christ.  Hence, intellectual pursuit has been a hallmark of the Church’s existence over the past two millennia.  Consequently, many scholars, Catholic as well as non-Catholic, attend Catholic educational institutions at every level from kindergarten to post-doctoral studies.

The Catholic Intellectual Tradition began in the first centuries after Christ’s death. It is identified by two characteristics: the classic texts, art, architecture, music, science, and technology to be cherished, studied, and handed on as well as the holistic way of considering those things that is the fruit of centuries of experience, prayer, action, and critical reflection.

The 264 American Catholic colleges & universities have a wide variety of strengths and specialties.   For some, adherence to the teachings of the Catholic Church is a very high priority.  These schools encourage living in a Catholic manner with their dorm and campus policies. Like all Catholic schools, these institutions are open to students of all, or no, faiths.  These schools include:



Ave Maria University
Benedictine College
Catholic University of America
Franciscan University
University of Dallas
Wyoming Catholic College



Some Catholic colleges and universities are highly selective and offer some of the most academically rigorous programs in the country.  These schools accept students with very high test scores, GPAs, and significant extracurricular accomplishments.  Among these are:



College of the Holy Cross
Fordham University
Georgetown University
Marist College
Santa Clara University
University of Notre Dame
Villanova University



Additionally, a number of highly selective non-Catholic colleges have strong Catholic communities on campus, including:



Barnard College
Columbia University
Cornell University
Duke University
Harvard College
Lehigh University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Stanford University
University of Pennsylvania
University of Southern California
University of Virginia
Vanderbilt University




Numerous Catholic colleges are generous with need based financial aid. Most or all of this aid consists of scholarships, grants, and work study, none of which needs to be repaid.  These are a few very generous Catholic institutions:



Boston College
College of the Holy Cross
Georgetown University
Thomas Aquinas College
University of Notre Dame
Loyola U. of Maryland
College of St. Benedict
St. John’s University (MN)



Lastly, a number of Catholic colleges have highly rated online degree programs.  These include:



1 Villanova University
2 Georgetown University
3 College of St. Scholastica
4 Duquesne University
5 Creighton University
6 Gonzaga University
7 St. Mary of the Woods
8 St. Joseph’s College (NY)
9 Wheeling Jesuit University
10 Misericordia University



In conclusion, Catholic colleges & universities offer excellent opportunities for students to explore and expand upon the current body knowledge in every field of study from a thoroughly holistic (interdisciplinary) perspective.  Additionally, Catholic schools welcome students of all ethnic and national backgrounds and faith traditions and are as generous as possible with financial aid of all sorts.

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