See Which Catholic University Is Highest Ranked
Tradition is important at these schools.
Students interested in attending a school rooted in Roman Catholic traditions may be interested in one of these 10 highly ranked National Universities. Among them, the average acceptance rate was 41.8% in fall 2019, according to data reported to U.S. News in an annual survey. These schools run the gamut from older to newer, with some established shortly after the founding of the U.S. and others born in the first few decades of the 1900s. Many of these schools boast strong graduation rates. Tuition and fees for 2020-2021 average out to $54,098, nearly $20,000 more than the national average for ranked private colleges and universities, per U.S. News data. Read on to learn more.
Marquette University (WI)
U.S. News rank: 88 (tie)
Tuition and fees (2020-2021): $45,666
Acceptance rate (fall 2019): 83%
4-year graduation rate: 64%
Marquette's story began with a dream, a gift of $16,000 and nearly 30 years of work before the doors would open as a liberal arts college for men. The founder, Rev. John Martin Henni, died two days after Marquette opened in 1881, according to the school's website. The university draws its name from Rev. Jacques Marquette, a French Jesuit missionary and explorer who is memorialized on the school's crest.
More about Marquette University.
University of San Diego
U.S. News rank: 88 (tie)
Tuition and fees (2020-2021): $52,864
Acceptance rate (fall 2019): 49%
4-year graduation rate: 66%
In a college landscape where the oldest schools in the U.S. date back to before American independence, the University of San Diego is a relative newcomer. Born as merely an idea in 1937, the earliest version of the college was chartered in 1949 with men and women initially separate until 1972. Like the other schools on this list, students of various faiths are welcomed. USD holds 16 weekly masses, according to the school's website, but also offers an annual All Faith Service for students of various faiths.
More about the University of San Diego.
Gonzaga University (WA)
U.S. News rank: 80 (tie)
Tuition and fees (2020-2021): $44,920
Acceptance rate (fall 2019): 62%
4-year graduation rate: 75%
Gonzaga's story began with an Italian priest named Joseph Cataldo who wanted to build a school to serve nearby Native American tribes. That vision evolved into a college, which opened in 1887 with seven students and went coed in 1948. More than 130 years later, Gonzaga boasts more than 7,500 students and a men's basketball team that is a mainstay in the NCAA tournament.
More about Gonzaga University.
Fordham University (NY)
U.S. News rank: 66 (tie)
Tuition and fees (2020-2021): $55,788
Acceptance rate (fall 2019): 46%
4-year graduation rate: 78%
Fordham was founded in 1841 as St. John's College on a 100-acre plot purchased for $29,750. In 1907, St. John's College became Fordham University. Fordham's rich history includes hosting the writer Edgar Allan Poe, a frequent visitor to the school's library, and making sports history by participating in the first live televised football game, which was broadcast in 1939.
More about Fordham University.
Loyola Marymount University (CA)
U.S. News rank: 66 (tie)
Tuition and fees (2020-2021): $52,577
Acceptance rate (fall 2019): 44%
4-year graduation rate: 73%
As its name suggests, Loyola Marymount University is the product of a merger of two colleges. Loyola College of Los Angeles and Marymount College became one institution in 1973 after sharing facilities and teaching faculty for five years. The school traces its origins to 1911, but its website notes that the vision for the university is rooted in 500 years of Jesuit philosophy.
More about Loyola Marymount University.
Santa Clara University (CA)
U.S. News rank: 53 (tie)
Tuition and fees (2020-2021): $55,629
Acceptance rate (fall 2019): 49%
4-year graduation rate: 87%
Santa Clara University claims to be California's oldest institution of higher learning, beginning as a boys prep school in 1851. In 1853, it began offering college classes and transitioned from being called Santa Clara College to the University of Santa Clara in 1912. Another name change in 1985 officially minted Santa Clara University. Located in Silicon Valley, SCU describes itself as blending technology, innovation and social consciousness with a Jesuit educational tradition.
More about Santa Clara University.
Villanova University (PA)
U.S. News rank: 53 (tie)
Tuition and fees (2020-2021): $57,710
Acceptance rate (fall 2019): 28%
4-year graduation rate: 87%
Founded by the Augustinian Order in 1842, Villanova was named for St. Thomas of Villanova, a Spanish friar and professor of philosophy in the 1500s known for his modest lifestyle and charitable ways. The school website notes that the "Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition" remains the cornerstone of its academic community of nearly 11,000 students.
More about Villanova.
Boston College
U.S. News rank: 35 (tie)
Tuition and fees (2020-2021): $60,202
Acceptance rate (fall 2019): 27%
4-year graduation rate: 90%
According to the school's website, Boston College was founded in 1863 to educate a large Irish, Catholic immigrant population in the city. The website describes the school as a "small streetcar college" for commuters in the beginning. BC eventually grew, prompting purchase of a 31-acre farm and the opening of a new campus in 1909, which has now stretched to 373 acres.
More about Boston College.
Georgetown University (DC)
U.S. News rank: 23
Tuition and fees (2020-2021): $57,928
Acceptance rate (fall 2019): 14%
4-year graduation rate: 91%
Founded in the U.S. capital in 1789, Georgetown is the oldest Catholic university in the nation, according to the school's website. Georgetown started small and faltered during the Civil War as its student body shrank from 313 to 17. Fast forward to more than 150 years later and Georgetown has more than 19,000 total students and the lowest acceptance rate on this list.
More about Georgetown University.
University of Notre Dame (IN)
U.S. News rank: 19
Tuition and fees (2020-2021): $57,699
Acceptance rate (fall 2019): 16%
4-year graduation rate: 91%
Notre Dame was founded by a French priest in 1842 on 524 acres with two lakes; the first building was a small log chapel. Rev. Edward Sorin, the founder, turned to his native tongue for a name, dubbing the school The University of Our Lady of the Lake in French. The history of Notre Dame, the abridged name, includes significant contributions to aviation, telecommunications and college athletics.
More about Notre Dame.
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Find a top-ranked Catholic university for you.
-- University of Notre Dame: 19
-- Georgetown University: 23
-- Boston College: 35 (tie)
-- Santa Clara University: 53 (tie)
-- Villanova University: 53 (tie)
-- Fordham University: 66 (tie)
-- Loyola Marymount University: 66 (tie)
-- Gonzaga University: 80 (tie)
-- Marquette University: 88 (tie)
-- University of San Diego: 88 (tie)
