📍300 South George St., Charles Town, WV 25414

📞(304) 724-5000

🌐 Catholic International University Website

No. of Students: 310

No. of Majors/Areas of Study: 5

Mandatum: Yes

Daily or Weekly Eucharistic Adoration: Yes

Places Where Students Can Study Abroad: Rome, the Holy Land

Annual Cost of Tuition: undergraduate, $8,688 ($362/credit); graduate, $6,240 ($520/credit)

Typical % of students who receive scholarships and/or typical amount of financial aid: 67% of students

Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 6:1

Athletics Division: N/A

Acceptance Rate: 62%

On-campus-living requirement: N/A

% of students who live on campus: N/A

Why CIU

Catholic International University (formerly Catholic Distance University) immerses students in a rich global learning community that fosters professional excellence, fellowship and engagement. As a learner-centered institution, Catholic International takes a personal approach to online education, enabling students worldwide to earn academically rigorous degrees and certificates in theology, liberal arts, education, and ecclesial administration and management. 

The Institution:

• President’s Oath
• Catholic Board
• Catholic Faculty
• Mandatum Required
• Theologians’ Oath

Campus Culture:

• Mass and Confession (N/A)
• Speakers Vetted (N/A)
• Unobjectionable Clubs (N/A)
• No Coed Dorms (N/A)
• Health Services Okay (N/A)

School’s Comments:

A pioneer in distance learning founded in 1983, CDU is the world’s only Catholic exclusively online university. CDU features a bilingual English-Spanish student life center that serves as a hub for fellowship and engagement, as well as a bilingual online library staffed by a librarian who provides one-on-one support in research and writing skills. The university offers an A.A. degree in liberal arts with a concentration in Catholic studies, an AA degree in Theology with a concentration in Catholic Social Teaching that is taught in Spanish, a B.A. in theology degree program, and M.A. degrees in theology and theology and educational ministry. CDU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and its Graduate School of Theology is also accredited by the Association of Theological Schools. The university offers several certificate programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including a graduate certificate in Catholic Social Teaching that launched in 2023. The university also offers lifelong learning, non-credit certificates and courses. Archbishop Timothy Broglio serves as chancellor of the university, and Maria Sophia Aguirre, Ph.D., serves as president. CDU’s Church Ministry Grant discounts tuition for students actively serving the Church through volunteer or paid positions in their parishes and dioceses, and there is no fee to apply for admission. 

Mandatum & Theologians’ Oath: Local faculty are administered the mandatum in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia. Those residing elsewhere take the mandatum in their home dioceses. 

Campus Culture: The only fully online university recommended by the Cardinal Newman Society, which promotes and defends faithful Catholic education. CDU was ranked in the top-four online theology programs by Forbes Advisor in 2023.