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In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI declared an “educational emergency,” noting that we have failed “to form sound people who can cooperate with others and give their own lives meaning.” That same year, The Cardinal Newman Society launched The Newman Guide to help Catholic families find faithful Catholic education fully dedicated to the mission of forming Christians to know and love God.
In 2025, Newman Guide Recommended colleges are providing what Pope Benedict XVI asked for—a Catholic formation that helps students seek God’s will for their lives. Newman Guide education helps students grow in faith, virtue, and wisdom, and prepares them to live holy and truly fulfilling lives.
In contrast, secular colleges have largely embraced atheism, relativism, and gender ideology. They speak of education as merely job preparation—not the Christian formation of the whole person. This impoverished view contributes to graduates losing their faith and fails to impart a Christian worldview to guide their future.
At the same time, the college landscape is coming under greater scrutiny. A “demographic cliff” hit colleges this fall, which refers to a drop in the number of traditional college-aged students in our country, due to fewer marriages and plummeting birthrates. Estimates say that 1 – 1.5 million students have opted out of college post-pandemic, and it’s unclear whether that number will ever rebound. In addition, higher tuition prices and student debt are rising concerns.
In these uncertain times, especially in light of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, it’s never been more important to educate and form young people in faith, intelligence, and virtue. In a culture increasingly hostile to Christian values, young Catholics need to know what they believe—and why they believe it.
Despite these challenges, Newman Guide Recommended colleges are flourishing! As Pope Benedict XVI said, “when the foundations are shaken and essential certainties are lacking… the request for an education which is truly such is in fact increasing.”
Here are some highlights of undergraduate enrollment at Newman Guide Recommended colleges for the 2025-26 academic year:
- Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Fla., has a record undergraduate enrollment of 1,342 and a record incoming freshman class.
- Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C., has grown its undergraduate enrollment to 1,607 students. This year’s freshman class is their second-largest ever.
- Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., has 2,250 undergraduate students, an increase of 22 percent over the last ten years.
- The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., has 3,296 undergraduate students. The University has increased undergraduate enrollment by 11 percent in the last five years.
- Catholic International University (online) has a record undergraduate enrollment of 202 and a record incoming class. The University has grown 70 percent over the last ten years.
- Christendom College in Front Royal, Va., has reached its student body capacity size with 554 undergraduates. The College has grown 18 percent over the last ten years.
- Franciscan University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio, has a record undergraduate enrollment of 3,079 and a record incoming freshman class.
- Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn., and online, has its third consecutive year of a record undergraduate enrollment with 288 students.
- John Paul the Great Catholic University in Escondido, Calif., has 284 undergraduate students, and has grown 66 percent over the last ten years.
- Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif., and Northfield, Mass., has reached capacity on the California campus with 369 undergraduate students. The Massachusetts campus has 196 undergraduate students and plans to reach 350 in the next ten years.
- The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, N.H., had a record number of applications and has 92 undergraduate students, with a 92 percent retention rate of students returning for their second year.
- University of Dallas in Irving, Tex., has a stable undergraduate enrollment of 1,453 students, and has increased its retention rate of students returning for their second year to 84 percent.
- University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D., has a record undergraduate enrollment of 2,430 and a record incoming freshman class.
- University of St. Thomas in Houston, Tex., has a record undergraduate enrollment of 3,465 and has grown 92 percent over the last 10 years.
- Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio, has 1,508 undergraduate students and has its largest freshman class since 2019.
- Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyo., has held steady in undergraduate enrollment over the last ten years, with 156 students this year.
Provisionally Recommended in The Newman Guide:
- The Catholic Institute of Technology in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, has grown to 25 undergraduate students.
- The College of St. Joseph the Worker in Steubenville, Ohio, has a record undergraduate enrollment of 61 students in its second year in operation and has a record incoming freshman class.
- The Collegium Sanctorum Angelorum, opened its new location in Kansas City, Mo., with 11 students.
- Rosary College in Greenville, S.C., and online, has grown to 17 undergraduate students.
