,·Private (Catholic, Pontifical) Research University·Est. 1887
“The national university of the Catholic Church, on a 176-acre campus in the heart of Washington, D.C.”
The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops in 1887 with a charter from Pope Leo XIII. It is the only U.S. university established by the Catholic bishops as the national university of the Catholic Church and one of just a small number of pontifical universities in North America with the unique authority to grant ecclesiastical degrees in canon law, theology, and philosophy. CUA's 176-acre campus sits in the Brookland neighborhood of northeast Washington, D.C., directly accessible by Metro and just minutes from Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court, the major federal agencies, the Smithsonian museums, and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (the largest Catholic church in North America, immediately adjacent to campus). The university comprises 12 schools and a Theological College, with undergraduate degrees offered through six schools — Architecture and Planning, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Music, Nursing, and Philosophy — as well as the Busch School of Business and the Columbus School of Law at the graduate level. Engineering, Architecture, Nursing, Music (Rome School), and Politics are particularly well known. For international students, CUA is a small, intentional, residentially focused community of about 5,260 students from more than 80 countries. Its location in the U.S. capital opens doors to internships across federal agencies, embassies, NGOs, the Supreme Court, and the Library of Congress that few other universities can match. CUA is test-optional for all undergraduate applicants, including international students, and offers generous merit-based scholarships of $17,000–$32,000/year that international students are automatically considered for at the point of admission — making it one of the more accessible private research universities in a top U.S. city.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceThe deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$52,190 – $58,920
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
NAAB-accredited professional architecture program with strong studio culture and access to D.C.'s built environment as a teaching laboratory.
ABET-accredited engineering programs with small classes and unusually high research access for undergraduates, plus close ties to D.C.-area defense and infrastructure employers.
One of the most established Catholic nursing schools in the U.S., with BSN, MSN, DNP, and PhD pathways and clinical placements across D.C.-area health systems.
Founded in 2013 around a 'business is a noble vocation' curriculum informed by Catholic social teaching — fast-growing undergraduate and MBA programs.
Conservatory-style music and performing-arts programs with selective audition admission, anchored by the only fully accredited music doctorate at a Catholic university in the U.S.
The university's largest school, spanning humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences — with notable strength in politics, history, classics, and biology.
4 years
NAAB-accredited 4+1 pathway to the professional MArch degree, with Washington, D.C.'s monuments, museums, and federal architecture as a year-round design studio.
4 years
Distinctive in its grounding in classical and Catholic political thought, with internships across Capitol Hill, federal agencies, the Supreme Court, and Catholic NGOs.
4 years
One of the oldest Catholic BSN programs in the country, with clinical rotations across D.C.-area hospitals and a strong record of NCLEX pass rates.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $58,378
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
