Fairfield University ranks No. 9 among Catholic schools

A recently released ranking conducted for USA Today, the national Gannett newspaper, placed Fairfield University in Fairfield at No. 9 among Catholic colleges and universities nationally.

The University of Notre Dame in Indiana was No. 1 in the survey of more than 200 Catholic schools. Academics were a concern, but other factors like spiritual and sports activities were prominently mentioned.

“The school focuses on social justice and encourages students to develop both intellectually and spiritually during their time at Fairfield,” the publication said in citing Fairfield University, which educates 3,800 undergraduates and 1,100 graduate-level students.

Fairfield is a Jesuit school, as is Georgetown in Washington, D.C., which ranked No. 3, and Boston College, No. 4, Santa Clara (Calif.) University, No. 6, and Gonzaga University in Washington, No 10. Jesuit is the common term for the Society of Jesus religious order.

Absent from the top 10 was Fordham University in the Bronx, also a Jesuit school, which has graduated a host of famous alumni and where Edgar Allen Poe, a neighbor, found friendship among the priests.