More selective than 17% of District of Columbia colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $75,481. College Scorecard.
Higher than 71% of District of Columbia colleges we cover and 89% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 57% of District of Columbia colleges we cover and 88% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
The Catholic University of America acceptance rate & admissions
Of 5,874 applicants, The Catholic University of America admitted 4,925 and 861 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
The Catholic University of America tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What The Catholic University of America costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of The Catholic University of America took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in District of Columbia. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $17,358 | $70,994 | 2.0 years |
| $30–48k | $17,895 | $73,191 | 2.1 years |
| $48–75k | $24,723 | $101,117 | 2.9 years |
| $75–110k | $28,295 | $115,727 | 3.3 years |
| $110k+ | $37,651 | $153,993 | 4.4 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (75% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($73,250) minus $38,184 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in DC (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $35,066 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Best-value colleges in District of Columbia for your income →
The Catholic University of America majors, earnings & careers
The Catholic University of America offers 53 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 10
- Humanities & Languages · 10
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 8
- Engineering · 7
- Science & Math · 7
- Arts & Design · 3
- Education · 3
- Health & Medicine · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
Highest-earning majors at The Catholic University of America
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | $114,909 | $25,725 |
| Finance | $98,856 | $24,620 |
| Nursing | $96,949 | $27,000 |
| Civil Engineering | $93,821 | $24,750 |
| Economics | $91,962 | — |
| Mechanical Engineering | $90,355 | $27,000 |
| Business Administration | $87,907 | $26,000 |
| Marketing | $85,029 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 53 majors
- Accounting$114,909
- Anthropology—
- Applied Mathematics—
- Archeology—
- Architecture$69,838
- Area Studies—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology—
- Biomedical Engineering$81,519
- Business—
- Business Administration$87,907
- Chemistry—
- Civil Engineering$93,821
- Classics—
- Communications$73,073
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Engineering—
- Computer Science—
- Criminology—
- Economics$91,962
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Electrical Engineering—
- English—
- Environmental Control Technologies / Technicians—
- Finance$98,856
- German—
- History$52,980
- Human Resources—
- International Business—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Management Information Systems—
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Marketing$85,029
- Materials Sciences—
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering$90,355
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies—
- Music$46,123
- Nursing$96,949
- Philosophy$49,378
- Physics—
- Political Science$73,917
- Psychology$52,846
- Religious Studies$52,638
- Social Sciences—
- Social Work$65,185
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Marketing → Marketing specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.0% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Washington
Overall prices in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,438. Housing costs 51% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 46 inches of rain a year, 10 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (relatively high); tornado (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, District of Columbia
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
District of Columbia at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare The Catholic University of America with similar schools
Similar private colleges in District of Columbia by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Catholic University of America | 83% | $29,561 | 79% | $73,250 | This school |
| Trinity Washington University | 100% | $9,302 | 49% | $53,804 | |
| American University | 62% | $41,943 | 75% | $77,370 | |
| Gallaudet University | 58% | $15,845 | 47% | $43,101 | |
| George Washington University | 47% | $36,586 | 84% | $90,873 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
The Catholic University of America would cost you $20,259 more per year than Trinity Washington University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at The Catholic University of America, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$31,768).
- The Catholic University of America gives aided families $21,319 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, District of Columbia resident | The Catholic University of America | Trinity Washington University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $58,378 | $26,610 | +$31,768 |
| Books & supplies | $1,180 | $1,060 | +$120 |
| Housing & meals | $17,370 | $11,860 | +$5,510 |
| Personal & travel | $3,400 | $2,270 | +$1,130 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$4,847 | −$7,897 | +$3,050 |
| Sticker price | $75,481 | $33,903 | +$41,578 |
| Average grants | −$45,920 | −$24,601 | −$21,319 |
| You pay | $29,561 | $9,302 | +$20,259 |
“+” means The Catholic University of America costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about The Catholic University of America
What is the The Catholic University of America acceptance rate?
The Catholic University of America accepts 83% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 4,925 of 5,874 applicants were admitted.
How much does The Catholic University of America cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $75,481 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $29,561 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $17,358 and families earning $110k+ pay $37,651.
How much do The Catholic University of America graduates earn?
Former The Catholic University of America students earn a median $73,250 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the The Catholic University of America graduation rate?
79% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 87% return for their second year.
How long does a The Catholic University of America degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at The Catholic University of America costs about $101,117 after grants ($24,723 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $73,250 ten years after starting, $35,066 more than high school graduates in District of Columbia ($38,184), so the cost is repaid in 2.9 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “The Catholic University of America: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/the-catholic-university-of-america (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).