The Catholic University of America, founded in 1887 by the U.S. Catholic bishops with the support of Pope Leo XIII, is the national university of the Catholic Church in the United States. Established as a graduate research center, the University began offering undergraduate education in 1904 and today is home to 12 schools and 21 research facilities. Catholic University is the only American university with ecclesiastical faculties granting canonical degrees in three disciplines.The University's verdant 180-acre campus, located just north of Capitol Hill, allows students easy access to the wide range of educational, cultural, and political opportunities that Washington, D.C. has to offer.