Inside Higher Ed, Religious Colleges That Lean Into Their Identity Make Gains:

Stricter Christian colleges seem to be experiencing enrollment increases as religious families become more wary of secular institutions. …

[Franciscan University of Steubenville] is among those recognized by the Cardinal Newman Society, known for “vigorously vetting Catholic colleges, ensuring they have strong policies and standards that uphold Catholic identity,” according to its website. The organization produces the annual Newman Guide to steer Catholic students and parents toward “institutions that refuse to compromise their Catholic mission.” The colleges included in the Newman Guide embrace Ex corde Ecclesiae, a 1990 directive from Pope John Paul II outlining his vision for Catholic education. The application to become a Newman Guide institution asks whether speakers who publicly defy Catholic teachings are allowed on campus and whether more than 80 percent of faculty and board members are Catholic, among other questions.

Franciscan isn’t alone in its ascent. Leaders of religiously affiliated colleges say enrollment at small, relatively strict faith-based institutions is booming. The Cardinal Newman Society put out a news release recently that said, in general, their colleges reported “enormous enrollment growth.” … The news release described the upward enrollment trend as “great news for Catholics,” noting that “most Catholic colleges continue their tragic secularization” and some have closed down.

Donna Carroll, president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, said she isn’t surprised by the trend, given “the fractured, complicated culture in which we live.”

Some Catholic students want to be “in the thick of” dialogue on hot-button topics and choose institutions with a wide ideological spectrum, she said, while “others are looking for places where they can find a kinship and a homogeneous experience of belief and belonging and a strong single clarity of faith.” She believes Cardinal Newman institutions tend to offer “ideological safety,” which she views as a “positive” option for the students who want it. …

David Hoag, president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, has noticed similar trends among Christian institutions more broadly.

While some of the council’s members have seen their enrollments mirror local downward population trends for traditional college-age residents, he’s also found that “schools that are really doubling down on their Christian mission are doing well.” …

“Families are looking for places that are safe, that are true to kind of the Christian mission and Christ-centered,” [Hoag] said. These institutions are “leading with their Christian mission and their values and who they are. And I think it’s making a difference.”

He also doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that Christian institutions that lean into their religious identity are making gains at a time when higher ed over all has been “under the microscope.”

Best Colleges, As Enrollment Nationwide Slows Down, Religious Schools Buck the Trend

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