Catholic University acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Catholic University is a private college in Washington, D.C. that admits most qualified applicants (around 83%), which puts it in the accessible range. A rate like this means it admits most qualified applicants; the bar is less about clearing a single cutoff and more about how your full profile compares to admitted students.
Use this page to see what Catholic University weighs, where it ranks among Washington, D.C. schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1230, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at Catholic University?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Catholic University?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Catholic University, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Catholic University?
At Catholic University, your real chance depends on far more than the published 83% admit rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Catholic University in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Catholic University hard to get into?
Catholic University is accessible: it admits most qualified applicants, with about a 83% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into Catholic University?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Catholic University, but admitted students span a wide GPA range, with many in the 2.8 to 3.5 band. Catholic University reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
What SAT score do you need for Catholic University?
Catholic University does not publish a required score, but the admitted-student 75th-percentile SAT is around 1230. A score at or above that range strengthens your application, while a lower score puts more weight on your rigor, activities, and essays. CollegeCalcAI shows how your exact score shifts your odds at Catholic University.
Your chances at Catholic University by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Catholic University for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Catholic University with a 3.1 GPA and a 1170 SAT?
About 97% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1170 SAT, the middle of Catholic University's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1230 SAT comes out near 98%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/catholic-university.
How to get into Catholic University
Built from Catholic University's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Getting into Catholic University comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Catholic University carries about a 3.09 core GPA and a 1180 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
Catholic University rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and character / personal qualities highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
An early application signals interest and gets your file read before the pool fills. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Catholic University's exact dates at www.catholic.edu.
How many students apply to Catholic University, and how many get in?
5,874 students applied to Catholic University for fall 2023; 4,925 were admitted (83.8%). 861 enrolled. Only about 17% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. Catholic University enrolls about 3,154 undergraduates in total, 54% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 11 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Catholic University?
Catholic University reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores, so admission turns on your transcript, rigor, and the rest of the file.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Catholic University looks for
What Catholic University weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
Catholic University signals that it values rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and character / personal qualities above the rest of the file. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Catholic University's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Catholic University
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Catholic University cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at Catholic University (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $75,481 a year. Tuition and fees alone are $58,378. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $29,561 a year, and it ranges from $17,358 for families earning under $30,000 to $37,651 for families earning over $110,000. 20% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Catholic University graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for Catholic University students ten years after entry are $73,250 ($63,217 at the six-year mark). 79% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 87% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $26,000; 48% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Catholic University compares in Washington, D.C.
Catholic University ranks #6 most selective of 6 schools in Washington, D.C. in our database.
Among the 6 Washington, D.C. schools we track, Catholic University ranks #6 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like Georgetown University (13%) and Howard University (41%) sit nearby, which makes Washington, D.C. a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Catholic University
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If Catholic University is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: St. John's University, Assumption University, and Bridgeport University. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Catholic University's acceptance rate?
Catholic University admitted 4,925 of 5,874 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 83.8% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 17% of admitted students enrolled.
Is Catholic University test-optional?
Catholic University reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores.
How much does Catholic University cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Catholic University, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $29,561 a year against a sticker price of about $75,481. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $17,358 on average.
What do Catholic University graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Catholic University are $73,250 a year among students who received federal aid, and 79% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Catholic University value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Catholic University weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and character / personal qualities most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Catholic University consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Catholic University's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Catholic University?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Catholic University specifically.
What are the admission requirements for Catholic University?
Catholic University reviews GPA, course rigor, test scores (where submitted), activities, and essays. With a more accessible acceptance rate, meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.