University Facts

Located near the heart of Washington, D.C., The Catholic University of America is unique as the national university of the Catholic Church and the only higher education institution founded by the U.S. bishops. It is committed to being a comprehensive Catholic and American institution of higher learning.

Today the private and coeducational campus has approximately 3,470 undergraduate and 3,240 graduate students from all 50 states and 97 countries enrolled in 12 schools of architecture and planning, arts and sciences, canon law, engineering, law, library and information science, Metropolitan College, music, nursing, philosophy, social service, and theology and religious studies. Eighty-eight percent of undergraduates and 61 percent of graduate students are Catholic.

The university motto is ‘Deus Lux Mea Est’ — ‘God is My Light.’ Academic colors are gold and white. Athletic colors are red and black.

A Capital Location

Students at Catholic University have the best of both worlds: They study and live on the largest campus (193 acres) in Washington, D.C., where they can enjoy a complete collegiate experience, but they are also located in the heart of the nation's capital. Traveling by Metrorail, which is near the edge of campus, students are only a 10-minute ride away from Union Station, Capitol Hill and the Library of Congress, and within easy reach of the abundant array of educational, cultural, social, political and professional opportunities that Washington has to offer.

Many first-time visitors to campus are captivated by the university's expansive setting among tree-lined rolling hills where the skyline is dominated by the adjacent, majestic Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic church in the United States.

A Wide Range of Programs

All 12 of the university's schools offer graduate degrees and/or professional degrees. Undergraduate degrees are awarded by seven schools — architecture and planning, arts and sciences, engineering, music, nursing, philosophy and Metropolitan College.

All undergraduates combine a base curriculum in the liberal arts with more in-depth courses from their major fields of study.

Metropolitan College provides accessible opportunities for adults who wish to earn baccalaureate or master's degrees or to participate in continuing education and certificate programs.

Catholic University is the only American university with ecclesiastical faculties granting canonical degrees in canon law, philosophy and theology. Theological College, the university seminary, prepares men for the priesthood who come from many dioceses of the United States.

Accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools as well as many disciplinary accrediting organizations, CUA enjoys a distinguished history and has filled an important niche: doctoral programs in philosophy and social work that are among the nation's oldest; the only university library science and music schools in Washington, D.C.; the largest architecture school in the area; a law school that is a pioneer in clinical education; and a drama department that has been the educational incubator for acclaimed playwrights, directors and actors. Ninety-eight percent of the full-time faculty have doctoral or terminal degrees in their fields.

Diverse Opportunities

The university's Washington, D.C., location provides many opportunities for internships across a wide spectrum of fields and organizations. Opportunities can be obtained at private and public organizations, including congressional offices.

Education abroad opportunities are available through short-term and semester and yearlong programs on six continents through CUA's schools.

Students have numerous opportunities to participate in athletic, recreational and fitness programs at CUA. Catholic University's Cardinals compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III's Landmark Conference and, in football, the division's Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

The university fields 21 varsity intercollegiate teams. For women they are basketball, cross-country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field (indoor and outdoor), and volleyball. For men they are baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, and track and field (indoor and outdoor). The Department of Athletics also offers 11 club sports, a comprehensive intramural program and a state-of-the-art student fitness center.

Personalized Attention

Catholic University excels in offering to its students a welcoming and cooperative learning environment with personalized attention from its faculty and staff. This attention is the reason many students give for choosing to attend CUA. Faculty are dedicated to nurturing the whole person, preparing students for success in life. The shared Catholic identity is an essential, binding element of the CUA community, which embraces members of other faith groups as well.

Spiritual Life

The Catholic University of America has a rich tradition of Catholic spirituality. Its Office of Campus Ministry offers many venues for spiritual devotion and growth, including daily Mass, night prayer, Campus Renew groups, weekly eucharistic adoration and 10 student-run retreats each year that enable students of all religious traditions and of all levels of spirituality to deepen their faith. Students participate in campus liturgies as extraordinary ministers of holy Communion, lectors, altar servers, sacristans and music ministers. They pray and worship at the university's two main chapels and at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Community Service

Campus Ministry provides many opportunities for community service in the Washington, D.C., area, in other parts of the United States and abroad. Students volunteer with organizations such as the Little Sisters of the Poor, Habitat for Humanity and St. Ann's Infant and Maternity Home. They deliver food to the homeless, serve in soup kitchens and shelters, tutor in after-school programs and provide sidewalk counseling at abortion clinics. They also volunteer for mission service trips at a number of international mission sites.