# The Catholic University of America

Private nonprofit college in Washington, DC. IPEDS ID 131283.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/the-catholic-university-of-america · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/the-catholic-university-of-america.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 83% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $29,561 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 80%; beats 71% of DC colleges and 89% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $73,250; beats 57% of DC colleges and 88% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $22,250

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $17,358 |
| 30-48k | $17,895 |
| 48-75k | $24,723 |
| 75-110k | $28,295 |
| 110k+ | $37,651 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.09 years on average (75% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $73,250 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $38,184 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in DC (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| 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 |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $75,481
- Tuition and fees: $58,378
- Housing and meals: $17,370; books: $1,180

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: not reported; SAT math: not reported; ACT: not reported (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 5,874 applicants, 4,925 admitted, 861 enrolled; test scores not considered
- Fall 2024: acceptance 83%, ACT not reported (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 84%, ACT not reported (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (53 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting | $69,915 | $114,909 | $25,725 |
| Finance | $64,618 | $98,856 | $24,620 |
| Nursing | $81,044 | $96,949 | $27,000 |
| Civil Engineering | $77,501 | $93,821 | $24,750 |
| Economics | not reported | $91,962 | not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering | $76,409 | $90,355 | $27,000 |
| Business Administration | $57,490 | $87,907 | $26,000 |
| Marketing | $52,392 | $85,029 | $27,000 |
| Biomedical Engineering | not reported | $81,519 | not reported |
| Political Science | $44,617 | $73,917 | $25,000 |
| Communications | $43,259 | $73,073 | $27,000 |
| Architecture | $44,615 | $69,838 | $27,000 |
| Social Work | not reported | $65,185 | $25,000 |
| History | not reported | $52,980 | $26,000 |
| Psychology | $24,106 | $52,846 | $26,000 |
| Religious Studies | not reported | $52,638 | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | $49,378 | $23,843 |
| Music | $23,856 | $46,123 | $24,625 |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Electrical Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Environmental Control Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| English | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biochemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Applied Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Medieval and Renaissance Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Materials Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Social Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Anthropology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Archeology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Criminology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sociology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theatre | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Studio Art | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Medical Laboratory Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Human Resources | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International Business | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Management Information Systems | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Management Science / Analytics | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Nursing → Registered nurse: median wage $102,710 (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV), $102,540 (DC), $97,550 (U.S.)
- Marketing → Marketing specialist: median wage $87,160 (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV), $98,090 (DC), $78,760 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).