Benedictine College

Established in 1858 on Kansas bluffs overlooking the Missouri River, Benedictine College is owned by the Benedictine monks who still reside on campus. In recent years, the College has found much success with a renewal of Catholic identity and growing enrollment.

Benedictine offers a strong, liberal arts core curriculum including three Catholic theology and three philosophy courses. Students can choose from more than 50 majors including architecture, engineering, music, and more. Most students and about eighty percent of professors are Catholic, and all theology professors have a mandatum from the local bishop.

The College offers daily Mass and Confession, Eucharistic adoration on weekdays, FOCUS Bible study, prayer at the Marian grotto, Liturgy of the Hours with the monks, and several campus-wide Catholic celebrations and processions.  All student residence halls are appropriately single-sex, but regrettably opposite-sex visitation is allowed in student rooms until late at night, with no open-door policy.

The wide variety of student clubs and organizations includes a large pro-life club, and varsity sports teams are competitive in the NAIA Heart South conference. Benedictine is known for a vibrant campus life with frequent special events. Students have access to stores and restaurants in historic Atchison or they can drive about an hour to Kansas City for jazz, barbecue, and other entertainment and internships.

A faithful Catholic college with an array of academic programs, athletics, campus activities, and spiritual formation, Benedictine College understandably appeals to a growing number of Catholic families.

What we really like:

We are impressed by the “programs of distinction” focused on leadership development and academic interests, as well as the College’s eight centers for constitutional liberty, arts and beauty, family life, Catholic media, and more. Benedictine is attracting many students with its mix of Catholic identity, majors, activities, and an established campus.