Navigating the College Search

Think for a moment about what you really want out of life.

Can the next four years help you get there?

If college is your next step, you have several different options, including attending a secular or Catholic college.

But all paths aren’t the same, and your college choice could have significant impact on your faith and future!

Consider This:

  • 1 in 8

    Even at Catholic colleges, nearly 1 in 8 Catholic students leaves the faith by graduation. That’s because many of these colleges have become highly secular.

  • Nearly 75%

    After college graduation, nearly 75% of Catholics do NOT believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

  • Sliding away

    Many college students slide away from prayer, Mass attendance and Catholic beliefs—especially on secular campuses.

Ideally, college should help set you up for success in your faith, family and livelihood.

This is possible at a faithful Catholic college, like those recommended in The Newman Guide. Let’s take a look.

Today, most colleges hold biases in nearly every subject area. They’ve abandoned a traditional core curriculum in the liberal arts. They push ideologies that are often anti-Christian.

But the best Catholic colleges aren’t afraid of truth and Catholic ideas.

What you’ll find at a Newman Guide college:

  • Theology

    They teach theology and philosophy alongside science and the humanities.

  • Ethics

    They consider the ethics of every discipline.

  • Reasoning

    They teach reasoning and communication in addition to facts and skills.

Binge drinking, drug use and the hook-up culture are common on most college campuses. College students report high rates of sexual activity, STDs, pregnancies, abortions, and sexual assaults. That’s no way to grow in faith and maturity!

What you’ll find at the Newman Guide colleges:

  • Single-sex dorms

    Most of the Newman Guide colleges offer only single-sex dorms, which most other colleges have abandoned.

  • No Opposite-Sex Visitors

    Some Newman Guide colleges preserve the privacy of bedrooms, forbidding opposite-sex visitors at all times of the day.

  • Virtue Encouraged

    Newman Guide colleges strive to protect privacy, chastity and the safety of students with reasonable dorm policies.

What you’ll find at the Newman Guide colleges:

  • Catholic Culture

    Four years immersed in a truly Catholic culture where faith and virtue are promoted.

  • Vibrant Campus Ministry

    Campus ministry that often provides access to multiple priests and religious, Mass and Confession throughout the week, Eucharistic adoration, celebration of religious feast days and counseling at all times of the day.

  • Fidelity

    The assurance of fidelity to Catholic teaching and practice across the entire education.

On most college campuses, the lifestyle strongly contradicts Catholic values. Even many Catholic colleges host student clubs, performances, campus speakers and events that oppose Catholic teaching.

What you’ll find at the Newman Guide colleges:

  • Integral Formation

    Newman Guide colleges strive to form the whole person–body, mind and spirit. You’ll be stretched to become the fully human person that God wants you to be.

  • Catholic Campus Life

    Campus life that is conducive to Christian living and study.

  • Good Friends

    You’ll make good friends who share your priorities and values–the sort of friendships that can last a lifetime! They’ll help you navigate the many changes in your life that lie ahead.

At a Newman Guide college, you will find:

  • Faithful and Affordable

    Newman Guide colleges provide a “good” and affordable education in the very best sense.

  • True, Good and Beautiful

    The standards have changed a lot in recent decades, but Newman Guide colleges have never abandoned the True, Good and Beautiful.

  • Preparation for life

    A faithful Catholic college can prepare you to become a leader in your family, workplace and community. Meanwhile, it helps prepare you for eternity in Heaven!

More tips for navigating the college search

College Search Timeline

It’s important to begin your college search early! Here’s a suggested college search timeline: