(Christendom College)

Here’s some very good news for faithful Catholic families trying to decide where their children should go to college.

The good news: Catholic colleges and universities rated “most faithful” by the Cardinal Newman Society are also the most affordable Catholic schools.

That’s the conclusion of an independent survey published by The Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education, the Cardinal Newman Society’s research division.

The study was conducted by Andrew Gillen, the research director of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, and is available online at TheNewmanGuide.com.

Here’s a brief summary of the study’s findings, taken from this Cardinal Newman Society press release:

— Average tuition for students at the recommended faithful Catholic colleges is about $3,000 less than at other Catholic colleges and about $1,000 less than the average private college.

— The Newman Guide colleges provide students a larger portion of institutional aid (39%) than the average private college (29%).

— Students at the recommended Catholic colleges graduate with fewer loans and less debt — on average, about $2,000 less than at private colleges and $1,400 less than other Catholic colleges.

Look for more detailed coverage of the affordability survey in an upcoming print issue of the Register.