Catholic theological education works differently from every other tradition on this site. A man preparing for priesthood is not a customer choosing a school — he is sponsored by a bishop or religious superior who selects the seminary and pays the bill. Lay students, permanent deacon candidates, and religious sisters and brothers, by contrast, apply directly and pay tuition like any other graduate student, often at the very same institutions.
The sixteen schools below cover the major diocesan seminaries, the pontifical faculties, and the Catholic schools of theology that carry the largest lay enrollment. Costs are 2025–26 published figures and should be confirmed with each registrar or vocations office.
Catholic seminaries at a glance
| School | Location | Accreditation | Cost (published) |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Saint Mary of the Lake (Mundelein Seminary)Largest U.S. diocesan seminary; grants pontifical STB and STL degrees | Mundelein, Illinois | ATS, HLC; ecclesiastically chartered (Holy See) | ~$36,000/yr (diocese-billed) |
| St. Charles Borromeo SeminaryArchdiocese of Philadelphia; college and theology divisions | Wynnewood / Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania | ATS, MSCHE | ~$31,000/yr |
| Kenrick–Glennon SeminaryServes dioceses across the Midwest and South | St. Louis, Missouri | ATS, HLC | ~$32,000/yr |
| Pontifical College JosephinumOnly pontifical seminary outside Italy directly under the Holy See | Columbus, Ohio | ATS, HLC; pontifical charter | ~$34,000/yr |
| St. Patrick's Seminary & UniversityPrimary seminary for the western U.S. and Pacific dioceses | Menlo Park, California | ATS, WSCUC | ~$35,000/yr |
| St. John's SeminaryArchdiocese of Los Angeles; strong Spanish-language formation | Camarillo, California | ATS, WSCUC | ~$33,000/yr |
| Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of TheologyBenedictine; well-known permanent-deacon and lay MA tracks | St. Meinrad, Indiana | ATS, HLC | ~$30,000/yr |
| Notre Dame SeminaryServes Gulf South dioceses; lay MA in theology open to non-seminarians | New Orleans, Louisiana | ATS, SACSCOC | ~$29,000/yr |
| St. Vincent SeminaryBenedictine archabbey campus; smallest cohorts in this list | Latrobe, Pennsylvania | ATS, MSCHE | ~$28,000/yr |
| Sacred Heart Major SeminaryLarge lay-formation enrollment alongside priestly formation | Detroit, Michigan | ATS, HLC | ~$27,000/yr |
| Theological College / Catholic University of AmericaNational seminary of CUA; canon law and STD programs on campus | Washington, D.C. | ATS, MSCHE; ecclesiastical faculty | ~$38,000/yr |
| University of Notre Dame Department of TheologyAcademic rather than diocesan; strong for lay ministry and doctoral work | Notre Dame, Indiana | HLC | Funded MTS/PhD; MDiv ~$25,000/yr |
| Boston College School of Theology and MinistryJesuit; ecclesiastical faculty granting STB, STL, and STD | Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ATS, NECHE | ~$1,600/credit |
| Catholic Theological UnionLargest Catholic graduate school of theology for religious orders and laity | Chicago, Illinois | ATS, HLC | ~$900/credit |
| Franciscan University of SteubenvillePopular online MA in theology and catechetics for lay ministers | Steubenville, Ohio | HLC | ~$650/credit (MA Theology) |
| Holy Apostles College & SeminaryLowest-cost accredited option; fully online MA in theology and philosophy | Cromwell, Connecticut | NECHE | ~$500/credit |
Diocesan seminaries
These are the houses of formation that train priests for territorial dioceses. University of Saint Mary of the Lake (Mundelein Seminary) in Illinois is the largest, forming men for dozens of dioceses across the Midwest and beyond, and holds a pontifical charter allowing it to grant the STB and STL. St. Charles Borromeo Seminary outside Philadelphia and Kenrick–Glennon Seminary in St. Louis play the same role for the mid-Atlantic and the Mississippi Valley respectively.
On the West Coast, St. Patrick's Seminary & University in Menlo Park and St. John's Seminary in Camarillo divide most of the California and Pacific formation load, with St. John's carrying an unusually strong Spanish-language and bicultural ministry program. Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans serves the Gulf South, and Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit is notable for enrolling more lay students than seminarians.
Pontifical faculties and ecclesiastical degrees
A pontifical charter is granted by the Holy See and allows a school to award ecclesiastical degrees — the Baccalaureate (STB), Licentiate (STL), and Doctorate (STD) in Sacred Theology — that are recognized canonically anywhere in the Church. In the United States that list is short: the Pontifical College Josephinum (the only pontifical seminary outside Italy answering directly to the Holy See), Mundelein, The Catholic University of America, and Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. If you expect to teach in a seminary, work in a chancery, or pursue canon law, an STL matters in a way an MDiv alone does not.
Religious-order and Benedictine houses of study
Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology and St. Vincent Seminary are Benedictine, meaning formation is set inside the daily rhythm of a monastic community — Liturgy of the Hours, manual work, and a stability of place you will not find at a commuter campus. Catholic Theological Union in Chicago is the Franciscan-founded consortium school where many religious orders send their students, and it enrolls more lay and religious graduate students in theology than any other Catholic institution in North America.
Options for lay students
If you are not pursuing ordination, your cost picture is very different, and cheaper options are real. Holy Apostles College & Seminary in Connecticut runs an accredited, fully online MA in theology at roughly $500 per credit — among the least expensive accredited graduate theology degrees in the country. Franciscan University of Steubenville offers online MA degrees in theology and catechetics widely used by parish and diocesan staff. Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Saint Meinrad, and Notre Dame Seminary all admit lay students into on-campus MA programs alongside their seminarians.
For a broader cost comparison across traditions, see our Bible school cost guide and cheapest online programs.
How Catholic formation is funded
Sponsored seminarians generally do not take out loans. The diocese covers tuition, room, board, health insurance, and books, funded through the annual bishop's appeal and dedicated vocations endowments. Dioceses also commonly assist with existing undergraduate student-loan debt, since canon law effectively requires a candidate to be free of significant financial obligations before ordination — ask the vocations director about the diocese's debt-assistance policy early in the process.
Lay students are eligible for federal aid at regionally accredited Catholic institutions, so the FAFSA applies in the ordinary way. See financial aid for Bible college and scholarships for the mechanics.
Related guides
Compare other traditions: Reformed seminaries, Baptist seminaries, Methodist seminaries, and online seminaries. Or browse all schools and programs by state.
Frequently asked questions
- How long is Catholic seminary?
- Priestly formation in the United States normally takes six to eight years after high school. Men who enter without a bachelor's degree begin with two to four years of college seminary or a pre-theology program in philosophy, then complete four years of major seminary theology (typically an MDiv plus a bachelor's in sacred theology). Men who already hold a degree usually complete two years of pre-theology followed by four years of theology, so six years total.
- How much does Catholic seminary cost?
- Published cost of attendance at U.S. diocesan seminaries runs roughly $27,000 to $38,000 per year including room, board, and formation fees. In practice, a seminarian accepted and sponsored by a diocese or religious order rarely pays this himself — the sponsoring bishop's vocations office pays tuition and living costs. Lay students pursuing an MA or MDiv at the same schools do pay, typically $500 to $1,600 per credit hour depending on the institution.
- Can women attend Catholic seminary?
- Women cannot enter priestly formation, but they can and do enroll in the academic degree programs at most Catholic seminaries and schools of theology. Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Saint Meinrad, Catholic Theological Union, Boston College STM, and Franciscan University all admit women to MA and MDiv programs for lay ecclesial ministry, catechesis, chaplaincy, and doctoral study.
- Do you need a bachelor's degree to enter seminary?
- Not to begin. Dioceses sponsor college seminarians who are still completing an undergraduate degree, usually in philosophy, at a college seminary such as St. Charles Borromeo's college division or the Josephinum. What is required before major seminary theology is a bachelor's degree plus roughly 30 credits of philosophy and 12 credits of undergraduate theology, which is what the pre-theology year or two supplies.
- Are Catholic seminaries accredited?
- Most are doubly accredited: by a regional accreditor such as HLC, MSCHE, WSCUC, SACSCOC, or NECHE for their civil degrees, and by the Association of Theological Schools for their ministry degrees. A handful — Mundelein, the Josephinum, Boston College STM, and Catholic University — additionally hold a pontifical charter from the Holy See, which lets them grant ecclesiastical degrees (STB, STL, STD) recognized throughout the Church.
- Can you study Catholic theology online?
- Yes for lay degrees, no for priestly formation. Holy Apostles College & Seminary and Franciscan University of Steubenville both offer fully online, accredited MA programs in theology, and the Augustine Institute offers online MA degrees in theology and catechetics. Formation for ordination requires residential community life, so no U.S. diocese accepts an online MDiv toward priesthood.
- What is the difference between a seminary and a school of theology?
- A seminary exists primarily to form candidates for ordination and includes human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation under a rector and formation faculty. A school of theology — Catholic Theological Union or Boston College STM, for example — is an academic institution granting theology degrees to laity, religious, and seminarians alike, and does not itself run the formation program. Many seminarians take academic coursework at a school of theology while living in a house of formation.
- How do you apply to a Catholic seminary?
- You do not apply directly for priestly formation. You contact the vocations director of your home diocese or of a religious order, complete an application and interview process, and undergo psychological and background screening. If the bishop accepts you as a seminarian, he assigns you to a seminary and pays your costs. Lay students applying for an MA or MDiv apply directly to the school's admissions office like any graduate program.
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