<p>Often I stumble upon colleges that are Roman Catholic which has led me to wonder if it is of necessity. </p>
<p>Are there people that are not Catholic in these colleges or is it basically somewhat of a requirement?</p>
<p>You do not have to be Roman Catholic to attend a Roman Catholic university. You do not have to convert nor do you have to sign a statement of faith. There will be Catholic masses held on campus. There will be Catholic students who attend daily mass. There will be students who call themselves Catholic but only go to weekly mass or no mass at all. There will be students of other faiths as well and there are usually groups on the campus for these student such as Hillel, Baptist Student Union, FCA, etc.</p>
<p>No, it's not a necessity.</p>
<p>But, at some colleges, the religious affiliation is important, and at others not so much.</p>
<p>Georgetown, for example, has a Roman Catholic affiliation. Only about half the students are actually Roman Catholic, and even then, some aren't very serious about it. Gtown has actually been basically condemned by the Pope for not being catholic enough.</p>
<p>There are many colleges that are very serious about their religious affiliation, though. If that's something that concerns you, you'll probably want to research the college and visit, too. (Georgetown is my #1 choice, but I'm not Catholic, thus I researched them, and that's why I know a lot of random tidbits about them.)</p>
<p>highhopes, How do you know that Gtown is only about half Catholic? Do they ask for religious affiliation in the application?</p>
<p>I just seem to recall coming across that statistic in my research. I don't believe they ask for religious affiliation, maybe it was just a poll of students. I'll try to find the stat again...</p>
<p>it depends on the school. i found georgetown, bc, holy cross and fordham to be well...not so catholic. i mean you could definately see an influence but it didn't really permeate the student life as much. but notre dame was really catholic, about 85% of the school is catholic and almost everyone goes to mass. haha i mean, look at touch down jesus, very catholic lol. but i don't think it would be a problem if you were not catholic though. they seemed open.</p>
<p>Depends on the discipline. Jesuit colleges will have many non-Catholics. Marianist will have more Catholics.</p>
<p>Most catholic colleges are 1. highly ranked, 2. urban. As a result, they attract students of all backgrounds and don't have a stifling Catholic-centric campus life.</p>
<p>Catholic universities will ask you to state your religion on the application. I'm not sure if it's a factor in admissions, but I have seen some of the schools add on a small scholarship from the Diocese (sp?...I'm a Methodist just starting at a Catholic Univ.)</p>
<p>Notre Dame asks what religion you are but also states that its about 85% Catholic, so obviously you can still get in if you aren't Catholic. I wonder how many people just put Catholic because they were worried about getting in, too. I bet the percentage of non-Catholics is actually higher than 15.</p>
<p>Especially if you can play football.</p>
<p>Most Catholic Universities run about 60-65% Catholic in the Student Body. They do NOT require you to attend mass and they do NOT proselytize. They may require you to take some theology courses, but those are not doctrinal....more historical and philosophical in nature and often offer you many choices like comparative religion, religion the middle ages, the rise of Islam, Judeo-Christian heritage, the Church in the Modern World, on and on. They are fun and enlightening. </p>
<p>Some schools are more "religious" than others, but that depends more on the student body. Fordham, BC, Holy Cross, St. Louis U are all a mix of students: some the are devout in their faith and some that are Catholic in name only and some kids of different faiths or no faith at all. Jesuits love a good debate! Even Catholic University of America is very diverse. </p>
<p>The strength of Catholic colleges is not necessarily their catholicity, but their academic rigor and focus upon "service to community."</p>