The Catholic University of America

What The Catholic University of America does

The Catholic University of America is a private Catholic research university founded in 1887 and chartered as the national university of the U.S. Catholic Church. It operates from a 173-acre campus in northeast Washington, D.C., and delivers higher education through 12-14 schools and colleges offering 250+ academic programs spanning architecture, arts and sciences, business, canon law, engineering, law, nursing, philosophy, professional studies, social work, theology, and the Theological College seminary. The institution also operates The Rome Center in Italy for study abroad and has incubated the Cluny Institute as an adjacent academic initiative.

The university's core technology footprint is modest but includes a Virtual Hospital platform co-developed with Tata Consultancy Services using augmented and virtual reality for nursing simulation-based training. Research output includes applied machine learning work in collaboration with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the University of Delaware, Georgia State University, and the Southwest Research Institute on Parker Solar Probe solar wind data analysis. The university markets across digital content, social channels, campus tours, and open houses, and serves undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, pre-college, military/veteran, and international student segments.

Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and fees across undergraduate and graduate programs, supplemented by donations and alumni giving, auxiliary services, and external research funding. Reported student outcomes include 93% post-graduation placement and 71% internship completion, with 95% of first-year undergraduates receiving institutional scholarships or grants. The institution operates without a parent company or external equity ownership, retaining institutional autonomy while affiliated with the U.S. Catholic hierarchy.

Name

The Catholic University of America

Legal name

The Catholic University of America

Website

https://cua.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1887

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Catholic University of America is a private Catholic research university founded in 1887 in Washington, D.C., offering 250+ academic programs across 12 schools and serving undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, pre-college, military, and international students, with revenue drawn primarily from tuition and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Theological Universities & Pontifical Universities (EDAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Affiliated Private Research Universities (EDAHABAJ), Denominational Theological Colleges (e.g., Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical) (EDAHAKAM)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Catholic university
• Undergraduate programs
• Graduate programs
• Study abroad

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Primary revenue stream from undergraduate and graduate tuition, along with associated fees for academic programs across 250+ programs spanning architecture, arts, business, engineering, law, nursing, philosophy, theology, and other disciplines.
2. Donations and Giving: Private donations and alumni giving through the engagement platform, supporting university operations, scholarships, and capital projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Catholic University of America is a private Catholic institution of higher education offering 250+ academic programs across 12 schools and colleges, including undergraduate majors and minors, master's programs, and doctoral programs spanning architecture, arts, sciences, business, canon law, engineering, law, nursing, philosophy, theology, and social work. The university delivers residential and online instruction at its 173-acre Washington, D.C. campus and at its Rome Center, and operates a Virtual Hospital simulation platform developed with TCS for nursing education.

Product overview

The Catholic University of America offers higher education through a multi-school structure featuring 250+ academic programs including undergraduate majors and minors, master's programs, and doctoral programs across 12 schools and colleges. The university's academic portfolio spans Architecture and Allied Arts, Arts and Sciences, Business, Canon Law, Engineering, Law, Nursing, Philosophy, Professional Studies, Social Work, Theological College, and Theology and Religious Studies. In collaboration with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the university developed a Virtual Hospital using augmented and virtual reality to support nursing education and simulation-based training. The institution operates the Rome Center for study abroad and maintains research collaborations with NASA, universities, and research institutions. The core offering is the Cardinal Experience—a comprehensive university education combining academic instruction with faith-based values, community engagement, and career preparation, with reported outcomes of 93% undergraduates employed or in graduate school within 6 months of graduation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Academic Programs Portfolio A portfolio of more than 250 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs across 12 schools and colleges, including Architecture and Allied Arts, Arts and Sciences, Business, Canon Law, Engineering, Law, Nursing, Philosophy, Professional Studies, Social Work, Theological College, and Theology and Religious Studies, delivered to enrolled students.
• The Rome Center

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of undergraduates employed, in graduate school, or engaged in service/religious life 6 months after graduation
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2026TCS collaborated with The Catholic University of America to develop a virtual hospital using augmented and virtual reality technology. The virtual environment enables simulation-based training to better prepare nurses for real-life scenarios and aims to reduce burnout among nurses. This represents a technology partnership in educational technology for healthcare training.
• University of DelawareminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2025Catholic University of America scientists collaborated with University of Delaware researchers led by Daniela Martin on a machine learning analysis project examining over 150 GB of Parker Solar Probe data. Additional collaborators included Georgia State University, Southwest Research Institute, and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
• NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2025Catholic University of America scientists collaborated with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on machine learning analysis of Parker Solar Probe data collected between 2018 and 2024, studying solar wind behavior and space weather forecasting.
• Georgia State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2025Research collaboration between Catholic University of America scientists and Georgia State University on machine learning analysis of Parker Solar Probe data for solar wind trend identification.
• Southwest Research InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2025Collaborative research partnership with Southwest Research Institute on space science research involving Parker Solar Probe data analysis and solar wind dynamics.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DePaul University: DePaul is the largest Catholic university in the U.S. by enrollment, with comparable Catholic Vincentian identity, urban setting, broad program portfolio, and tuition-driven model.
• University of Notre Dame: Notre Dame is the flagship U.S. Catholic research university with comparable breadth of doctoral and professional programs, strong research profile, and similar faith-based positioning — the primary aspirational and competitive peer for Catholic institutional talent.
• Boston College: Boston College is a private, Jesuit research university with overlapping undergraduate and graduate programs across arts and sciences, business, nursing, social work, and theology, making it a close peer in the Catholic higher education market.
• Villanova University: Villanova is a private Augustinian Catholic university with a comparable undergraduate-focused model, strong career outcomes metrics, and overlapping programs in business, engineering, nursing, and liberal arts.
• Baylor University: Baylor is a private Baptist-affiliated research university with a comparable faith-based identity, broad graduate and doctoral offerings, and similar positioning as a comprehensive denominational research institution.
• Georgetown University: Georgetown is the most directly comparable peer: a private, Jesuit-affiliated research university in Washington, D.C. with overlapping programs in law, international affairs, nursing, and theology, and a similar federal-institution access advantage.
• Fordham University: Fordham is a private Jesuit research university in New York with a similar breadth of graduate and professional programs, comparable scale, and overlapping Catholic-identity-driven enrollment strategy.
• Marquette University: Marquette is a private Jesuit research university with comparable program breadth across health sciences, engineering, business, and law, and a similar tuition-driven revenue model targeting Catholic and faith-aligned students.

Broad incumbents

• Emory University: Emory is a larger private research university with Methodist-affiliated roots; it competes for overlapping graduate and professional students (nursing, law, theology) and serves as a broader incumbent in the private research university segment.

Regional players

• Loyola University Maryland: Loyola Maryland is a Jesuit private university in the Mid-Atlantic with a similar Catholic-identity-driven model and overlapping undergraduate programs, competing regionally for the same applicant pool.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CatholicUniversity
• Facebookfacebook.com/109731613809
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-catholic-university-of-america
• Instagraminstagram.com/catholicuniversity
• Xx.com/CatholicUniv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Catholic University of America