Three Reasons Catholic University Stands Apart
Quallege is excited to announce our partnership with The Catholic University of America—a comprehensive research university in the heart of Washington, D.C. that combines academic rigor, a globally minded mission, and one of the most powerful city settings in the world. We sat down with Mark Cilloi, Vice President for Enrollment Management, to find out what makes Catholic truly different.
It’s Never Just One Thing
When we asked Mark what sets Catholic apart, his answer was characteristically honest:
There’s really, in higher ed, no one thing that makes a university stand apart. It’s usually a combination of factors. And I think that’s true for Catholic.
He points to three factors that, taken together, make Catholic genuinely distinctive:
1. A Comprehensive Research University
Catholic isn’t a small liberal arts college—it’s a full research university with the breadth and depth of programs to match. From architecture and engineering to nursing, business, and the arts, the range of study is expansive.
The breadth and depth of our program offerings and the opportunities of study across fields sets us apart.
Over 70 undergraduate majors and more than 140 graduate programs mean students rarely outgrow what Catholic has to offer—and the interdisciplinary connections between schools create opportunities that simply don’t exist at more siloed institutions.
2. The Catholic Intellectual Tradition
This is where Catholic differentiates itself in a way few universities can. The Catholic intellectual tradition isn’t a religious requirement—it’s a philosophical foundation.
Catholic means universal, so you know having a globally representative student body, the integration of the curriculum, but then of course real human values that underscore the education students get. The importance of relationships. The importance of a principled life that helps you learn how to think—and think in a human way. So that regardless of the field of study, you are going out into the world with a sense of yourself, a sense of your purpose in life and how you can help others.
And no—you don’t need to be Catholic to attend. Mark is clear on this:
Really only about half of our grad students are Catholic. We welcome students of all faiths or no faith at all. It’s important to us to be a place of encounter for students to really seek the truth, to understand who they are, regardless of their faith background.
Mark has a favorite way to explain the spirit of the place:
I like to say that we are the St. Peter’s Square of universities. If you’ve ever been to Rome, it’s this wonderful gathering place—a beautiful mosaic of humanity. And that’s kind of like us here at Catholic. All students are welcome.
3. Washington, D.C.—One of the Most Important Cities in the World
More on D.C. in a dedicated piece, but Mark frames it simply:
It’s really one of the hubs of the universe. The seat of power in the United States. Much like New York, Boston, San Francisco, L.A.—it’s one of the premier destinations for a student to study in college.
A Campus You Won’t Believe Is in a City
One thing that surprises prospective students is how Catholic’s campus feels—nothing like what most people imagine when they hear “city university.”
A lot of city universities require students to crawl through the streets to go to class. You are in buildings scattered all over the cityscape, and there is no sense of campus. Catholic has one unified campus, 175 acres, beautiful green spaces, unified architecture. When you are on campus, you don’t realize you are in one of the most important cities in the world. It’s serene; it’s a great place to study. But we’re right next to a metro stop.
And here’s a fact most people don’t know:
It’s actually the largest campus in Washington, D.C. A lot of people don’t realize that.
The Bottom Line: Three Things, Taken Together
Mark sums it up as well as anyone could:
We’re a comprehensive research university in the Catholic intellectual tradition in Washington, D.C.—the capital of the United States and one of the most important cities in the world. I think those three things really set us apart from maybe any other university out there.