America’s 200-plus Catholic colleges have long offered an interesting alternative to students, even those who come from different religious backgrounds. Catholic schools, many of which are more than 150 years old, have national reputations in many cases (think Georgetown, Gonzaga, Villanova) and large networks of alumni – who can be helpful to a young graduate doing a job hunt.

Many of these schools like to emphasize their committment to both racial and philosophical diversity, and make a point of admitting students from different places and with differing viewpoints. At St. John’s University, a large Catholic school outside New York City, for example, less than half the students are actually Catholic.

Catholic schools also look increasingly attractive from the standpoint of cost. They’re certainly more expensive than most state schools, but if you’re looking for a private school education, you’ll find that they suddenly look very affordable compared to the other options out there. Virtually all of them have high-quality accreditation. The schools were not early leaders in terms of online education, but many of them are now catching up. Here’s a useful list of Catholic online colleges and universities.