A New Light in America

During last year’s bitter presidential campaign, it seemed there was one thing about which Left and Right, Democrat and Republican, old and young agreed upon: America is in crisis.

The solution to that crisis is faithful Catholic education. Too many Americans are captured by false ideology. Few have been taught to reason well, and even fewer can communicate and argue well. And even many Catholics are unaware of the truths of their faith and Who is the source of truth.

In 2008, Pope Benedict told U.S. Catholic educators that “the contemporary ‘crisis of truth’ is rooted in a ‘crisis of faith’.” The prior year, he declared an “educational emergency” that leaves modern man ignorant of truth and without hope in Christ.

This is not only a crisis in the Church. It is a crisis for a nation ruled by democracy.

For six decades, most education in the United States has been corrupted, and even many Catholic schools and colleges have strayed from their mission. At its worst, some Catholic education—especially higher education—has been captured by false ideology and infidelity, malforming students and leading them away from God.

Catholic families today desperately need faithful Catholic education, and America needs the graduates of faithful Catholic education to renew our national culture. Our young people need an education that integrates faith and science, teaches them to think critically, and deepens their understanding. They need an education that forms them in virtue and wisdom. And with the leadership of wise and virtuous graduates, American can rebuild.

Yet most Catholic colleges—and even many Catholic K-12 schools today—take a solely utilitarian approach. They are preparing the next generation of workers for careers but not faith and wisdom.

Given the state of education, it’s no surprise to see the massive growth in homeschooling and hybrid programs in our country. It’s also not surprising that many families are questioning the value of a college education. In fact, total college enrollment has dropped by nearly 1.5 million students since 2010. Four Catholic colleges closed in 2024—plus the large Staten Island campus of St. John’s University in New York—and three more have signaled closure next year.

But the faithful K-12 schools, colleges and graduate programs recommended in The Newman Guide offer something different. Newman Guide education is so much more than a ticket to a job—it’s a formation for a lifetime. It’s the kind of education that helps students become the person God wants them to be.

And Catholic families are noticing the difference! More families than ever are seeking out Newman Guide education and believe that they can’t afford to not send their children to a Newman Guide college because of its ramifications on this life and eternal life.

As a result, Newman Guide Recommended colleges are experiencing enormous enrollment growth, with several breaking records this fall.

Here are some highlights of undergraduate enrollment at Newman Guide Recommended colleges for the 2024-25 school year:

• Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Fla., has a record undergraduate enrollment of 1,326 students and is close to capacity. Undergraduate enrollment has increased 29 percent in the last ten years.
• Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C., has grown its undergraduate enrollment to 1,597. Undergraduate enrollment has increased about 13 percent in the last ten years.
• Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., has a record undergraduate enrollment of 2,256 students, an increase of 20 percent in the last ten years. This year’s freshman class is their second-largest ever.
• Campion College in Toongabbie East, New South Wales, has a record incoming class and has increased to 110 undergraduate students.
• The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., saw a significant increase in undergraduate applications this year—a trend that has continued over the past few years—and undergraduate enrollment increased to 3,177 students.
• Catholic International University (online) has increased to 123 undergraduate students, growing 19.5 percent over the last ten years.
• Christendom College in Front Royal, Va., has a record undergraduate enrollment of 554 and has decided to cap further growth. The College has grown 40 percent over the last decade.
• Franciscan University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio, has a record incoming class and total undergraduate enrollment of 3,219. In ten consecutive years of growth, Franciscan has expanded approximately 25 percent.
• Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn., with many of its students online, has a record freshman class and more than 200 undergraduates. That’s about a four-fold increase from ten years ago.
• ITI Catholic University in Trumau, Austria, has a record incoming class and record undergraduate enrollment at 58 students.
• John Paul the Great Catholic University in Escondido, Calif., saw a small increase in this year’s incoming class and has grown 68 percent in the last decade to 288 students.
• Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif., and Northfield, Mass., has a record enrollment of 565 students between the two campuses. The California campus is close to its capacity of 400 students. The New England campus is nearly halfway to capacity with 193 students. Overall, the College has grown 50 percent in the last ten years.
• Thomas More College in Merrimack, N.H, saw a small increase in enrollment with 98 undergraduate students.
• University of Dallas in Irving, Tex., welcomed 395 freshmen, the University’s fifth-largest incoming class, and has a total enrollment of 1,385.
• University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D., has a record freshman class, surpassing last year’s record, and a total enrollment of about 2,400 undergraduate students.
• University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, has increased to 9,693 undergraduate students, growing about 20 percent in the last ten years.
• University of St. Thomas in Houston, Tex., has a record incoming class of 683 freshmen and a record undergraduate enrollment of 3,395.
• Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio, welcomed its largest freshman class since 2014 with 508 new undergraduate students and has increased its undergraduate enrollment to 1,555.
• Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyo., has grown 30 percent in the last decade, from 124 to 178 students.

The total number of Newman Guide Recommended colleges is growing, too! Three new colleges opened this year and were intentional about implementing policies and standards to become Newman Guide recommended. They are the College of St. Joseph the Worker in Steubenville, Ohio, Catholic Institute of Technology in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, and Rosary College in Greenville, S.C.

While the rest of American education slides further away, faithful institutions are forming students in faith and reason. Newman Guide schools and colleges teach the truth on important topics like the sanctity of human life, marriage and the family.

At the same time, the Newman Guide Recommended status is drawing more faithful Catholic families to the best schools and colleges, and these institutions are becoming known across the country. That is good news for the future of our Church and a bright light for America.