The Catholic University of America

Washington, DC · Private · Large city · Carnegie R1/R2 · CUA

Private institution in Washington, DC · 3,063 undergraduates · 84% acceptance rate · $73,250 median earnings 10 years after entry.

Top 10%Median earnings, 6 years after entry
Top 10%Graduation rate (4-year)
Top 12%Median earnings, 10 years after entry

Stats

College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.

Cost

Average net price: $32,7981,811th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
In-state tuition & fees: $55,8341,903rd cheapest of 2,042 reporting
Out-of-state tuition & fees: $55,8341,901st cheapest of 2,042 reporting
Cost of attendance: $73,1981,853rd cheapest of 1,985 reporting
Median graduate debt: $26,0001,445th lowest of 1,880 reporting

Outcomes

Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $73,250229th highest of 1,969 reporting
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $63,217187th highest of 1,964 reporting
Graduation rate (4-year): 81.3%196th highest of 2,031 reporting
Full-time retention: 83.5%509th highest of 1,853 reporting

Admissions

Acceptance rate: 83.8%1,036th most selective of 1,608 reporting
Average SAT: —
Median ACT: —

Campus

Undergraduates: 3,063687th largest of 2,162 reporting
Student-faculty ratio: 11.0:1619th smallest of 2,159 reporting
Pell Grant share: 16.7%1,865th highest of 2,140 reporting

Nearest large-hub airport: 6 mi (DCA)

On 4 of our 111 lists

Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.

Applying

EDNov 1
ED IIFeb 1
EANov 1
RDFeb 1

Common App member: Yes
Application fee: Free
Personal essay: Required
Writing supplement: No

Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.

Best-paying fields of study

Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 50 reported programs.

Field	Level	1 yr	2 yr
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions	bachelors	$71,473	$69,338
Civil EngineeringEngineering	bachelors	$67,846	$67,101
EconomicsSocial Sciences	bachelors	$67,660	—
Biomedical/Medical EngineeringEngineering	bachelors	$64,493	$71,015
Mechanical EngineeringEngineering	bachelors	$63,749	$63,377
Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness	bachelors	$61,516	—
Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness	bachelors	$58,221	$51,607
MarketingBusiness	bachelors	$55,770	$51,425
Finance and Financial Management ServicesBusiness	bachelors	$53,537	$53,984
Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsForeign Languages	bachelors	$50,439	$24,421
Architecture	bachelors	$47,595	$42,682
Communication and Media StudiesCommunications	bachelors	$46,869	$36,745

Campus facts

Religious affiliation: Roman Catholicsource
Founded in 1887source
Athletic nickname: "Cardinals"source
Competes in NCAA Division IIIsource
School colors: #FFC72C and #FFFFFFsource
Mascot: Cardinalsource
Motto: "Deus Lux Mea Est (Latin)"source
Athletic conference: Landmark Conferencesource
Fight song: ""C. U. Marching Song""source
Notable alum: Susan Sarandonsource
Notable alum: Jon Voightsource
Notable alum: Luis Antonio Taglesource
Notable alum: Raymond Leo Burkesource
Notable alum: John Slatterysource

Athletics — 13 sports

NCAA Division III with football · NCAA Division III

Athletic scholarships not allowed · Athletic aid $0 (M $0 · W $0)

Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport. Athletic scholarships are not allowed by association rule; non-athletic merit or need-based aid may still be available.