Providence and Fairfield. They have high acceptance rates your kid will get in.
If you really need one more real safety, Salve Regina

How about Georgetown?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Send your kid to nova if you like racism and cults. Otherwise, anywhere else.

Villanova is a factory for racist cults? Right. Okay. Evidence of this?

My eyes. I work there.

My sympathies to you for developing your career at a place you despise. Time to move on?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Send your kid to nova if you like racism and cults. Otherwise, anywhere else.

Villanova is a factory for racist cults? Right. Okay. Evidence of this?

They don't call it Vanillanova for nothing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College of Holy Cross although I don't consider it a step below. Beautiful campus.

I'd say most would consider Holy Cross to be a "better" school than Villanova.

Maybe 20 years ago, not now.

Anonymous wrote:Manhattan college and Fordham are fun. In the city and action.

Let’s not forget St. John’s University in NY is a huge Catholic University

Manhattan’s programs are more similar to Villanova’s than Fordham’s which are strictly A&S and Business. Like Villanova, Manhattan offers a very well rounded Engineering School which enrolls about a third of their students as well as A&S and Business. They also have a School of Education & Health.

And St. John’s is huge, which is why it’s not a good comp with Villanova, which is not huge. In addition, 70% of Villanova students live on campus vs St. John’s having only 13% on campus. St. John’s is much more if a commuter school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College of Holy Cross although I don't consider it a step below. Beautiful campus.

I'd say most would consider Holy Cross to be a "better" school than Villanova.

Apples and oranges. Villanova is a doctoral level research university with undergraduate colleges of Business, Engineering, and Nursing in addition to Arts & Science. It also has a Law School. Holy Cross is strictly a small liberal arts college with undergraduate majors in Arts & Sciences only.

Holy Cross used to be known as being more selective than Villanova, but that is no longer the case. Here is a comparison of recent acceptance rates:

Holy Cross - 37% (2016) - 43% (2021) - ??? (2022)*
Villanova - 43% (2016) - 31% (2021) - 23% (2022)

*Holy Cross has not yet announced its acceptance rate for 2022.

I picked 2016 because that year Villanova won the NCAA basketball championship. Three Final Fours and 2 national championships later, Villanova has seen a spike in applications with an accompanying decline in acceptance rates. Meanwhile, Holy Cross is now where Villanova was in 2016 in its acceptance rate as Villanova has seen a steady drop in acceptance rates in the same period.

Manhattan college and Fordham are fun. In the city and action.

Let’s not forget St. John’s University in NY is a huge Catholic University

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Send your kid to nova if you like racism and cults. Otherwise, anywhere else.

Villanova is a factory for racist cults? Right. Okay. Evidence of this?

My eyes. I work there.

Anonymous wrote:Send your kid to nova if you like racism and cults. Otherwise, anywhere else.

Villanova is a factory for racist cults? Right. Okay. Evidence of this?

Send your kid to nova if you like racism and cults. Otherwise, anywhere else.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College of Holy Cross although I don't consider it a step below. Beautiful campus.

I'd say most would consider Holy Cross to be a "better" school than Villanova.

How many basketball championships have they won?

Anonymous wrote:College of Holy Cross although I don't consider it a step below. Beautiful campus.

I'd say most would consider Holy Cross to be a "better" school than Villanova.

University of Dayton
Seton Hall (not sure if anyone above mentioned)
Drexel

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These are the most recent numbers I could find, which are for this year’s freshman class. Except Villanova, most have not posted next year’s yet.

VILLANOVA (6800 enrolled, 11:1 S:T) - 31% admit rate dropped to 23% for next year’s class.

FORDHAM: Rose Hill (6000 enrolled, 13:1 S:T) - 53% admitted
ST. LOUIS (7400 enrolled, 9:1 S:T) - 56% admitted
FAIRFIELD (4500 enrolled, 12:1 S:T) - 56% admitted
PROVIDENCE (4000 enrolled, 11:1 S:T) - 59% admitted
DENVER (5400 enrolled, 10:1 S:T) - 63% admitted

NB - S:T means Student:Teacher ratio

OP here.
Thank you! These are helpful!

You’re welcome. Those are the only Catholic colleges east of the Rockies with acceptance rates under 65% and higher than Villanova’s 23%. They represent the next tier that you’re looking for. A couple have had acceptance rates in the 40s in the last few years if I’m not mistaken - Fordham and Providence. They all also have enrollments between 4000-8000, or roughly in the same neighborhood as Nova. They all have student:faculty ratios between 9:1 and 13:1, which is higher than the top LACs but lower than state schools and all but the most elite private research universities. So, what you’re getting for your money is smaller classes and better access to professors than those bigger schools. One of the things that gives Catholic college campuses a different vibe than a lot of other privates IMO is not the influence of religion, which is waning, but the lack of Greek life.

University of Denver is not Catholic.

True. Regis is a Jesuit university in Denver with about 7000 students.
OP might also want to consider Manhattan College.