Belmont Abbey College

Owned and operated by Benedictine monks who settled in the North Carolina mountains in 1876, the rapidly growing Belmont Abbey College has built a well-deserved reputation for tenacity on behalf of Catholic principles.

The College has a comprehensive, liberal arts core curriculum including two Catholic theology and two philosophy courses. Its variety of majors include a new nursing program in collaboration with a hospital near campus. The impressive Honors College offers a Great Books curriculum and opportunities for field trips, retreats, and cultural events.

About half the students and two-thirds of the faculty are Catholic. Most other students and professors are Christian, given the historically Protestant region. All theology professors have a mandatum from the local bishop.

Spiritual life is centered at the historic Abbey Basilica and includes daily Masses and Confession and Liturgy of the Hours with the monks. Eucharistic adoration is available on weekdays in the St. Joseph Adoration Chapel. Some student residence halls are single-sex—others are separated by suites and floors.

Students enjoy a wide variety of clubs and arts performances, and with more than 30 varsity sports teams in the Conference Carolinas of NCAA Division II, there are many athletes. The quaint campus is ideal for study and contemplation, while the surrounding mountains and nearby Charlotte offer plenty of activities.

For all this, Belmont Abbey College’s serious and authentically Catholic curriculum and leadership and its virtue-based athletics program make it an oustanding choice for Catholic families.

What we really like:

Belmont Abbey’s Great Books Honors College and Hintemeyer Catholic Leadership Program are exciting options for Catholic students. The monks and students from the Charlotte Diocese’s St. Joseph College Seminary greatly contribute to the College’s Catholic identity. And Belmont Abbey is impressively devoted to teaching Christian virtues in its athletics program.