Data: Catholic Converts on the Rise on US College Campuses

Great news from US university campuses! If the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is any guide, it's not slowing down, either.

From Aleteia

By Caitlin Bootsma

New Hallow data shows increased interest in Catholicism across the country.

The number of college students entering the Catholic Church is on the rise, according to a new study conducted by Hallow. Their data supports the many stories being reported from college campuses, that, as Hallow CEO and co-founder Alex Jones put it, “the Spirit is at work moving the hearts of young people towards Christ.”

More than just anecdotal

Jones knows that many people may recognize Hallow as a popular app, but do not realize that “we also partner with thousands of parishes, high schools, colleges, and Newman Centers around the country to help them build cultures of prayer, where members of these communities can ask for prayer intentions, pray for others and grow closer together and closer to Christ.”

In this work, the Hallow team started to hear stories about more people attending Mass on campus and more students joining OCIA. They wanted to explore what they were hearing and “quantify anecdotal evidence that people were sharing.”

Collecting data from almost 60 colleges and universities, Hallow found that “OCIA participation on average more than doubled (+115% growth) from the 2024-25 school year to 2025-26.”

Hallow found that “OCIA participation on average more than doubled (+115% growth) from the 2024-25 school year to 2025-26.”

Numbers rise considerably from the year prior

Hallow contacted as many campus ministries, university parishes and Newman Centers as possible, but only included data “when there was a clear year over year comparison.” 

Hallow shares a side by side look at the numbers and some immediately catch the eye. Texas A&M had 121 OCIA participants in 2025 and 204 in 2026. Kansas State went from 36 to 99 in a year. Old Miss increased from 25 to 86. And these are just a few examples.

Texas A&M had 121 OCIA participants in 2025 and 204 in 2026. Kansas State went from 36 to 99 in a year. Old Miss increased from 25 to 86.

These numbers are complemented by another study by Hallow that showed that the average American Catholic diocese saw an increase in people entering the Church in 2026 over 2025 by 38%.

Embrace of faith across the country

OCIA is just one metric of a larger trend of participation in Catholic sacraments and community, according to Hallow. Mass attendance is also on the rise, with many universities reporting an increase from last year. Harvard, for example, went from an average Mass attendance of 1,000 to 1,100.

Hallow also reports that these increases are not limited to traditionally Catholic areas or major cities, but are occurring in smaller Catholic populations as well.

Take Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois, a secular university not known for its Catholicism. In Hallow’s report Delaney Paul, the Director of Mission Impact and Donor Relations at Northwestern’s Sheil Catholic Center says that growth is happening “across every aspect of campus ministry” from overflowing retreats to packed Sunday Masses and a need for additional Confession and adoration times.

“What is most encouraging isn’t just the numbers though,” Paul says. “It’s the hunger our students have for Jesus and the way they so joyfully welcome others into our community. To see this happening at a secular university like Northwestern is incredibly hopeful.”