The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere.

Founded by Pope Pius IX in 1859 to increase the number of American priests, most of the NAC seminarians come from the United States.

Bedini feared that many immigrants would leave the church due to strong anti-Catholic sentiment in the United States, plus aggressive evangelization by Protestant sects.

[8] On 14 February 1929, the American bishops purchased the Villa Gabrielli al Gianicolo, an estate on the Janiculum Hill in the western part of Rome, overlooking the Vatican.

Hayes would serve as rector until 1940, when Pope Pius XII closed the NAC due to World War II.

In August 1948, fifty American seminarians traveled to Italy to begin their studies at the Casa Santa Maria campus.

[15]The bishops converted the old Casa Santa Maria campus into a residence for American priests studying in Rome.

In January 2015, the NAC opened a new 10-story tower on the main Janiculum Hill building, funded by donations from a couple in Oklahoma.

[16] On 23 November 2015, the Congregation for the Clergy announced the appointment of Peter Harman of Springfield, Illinois, to succeed James F. Checchio as the NAC rector, effective on 1 February 2016.

In the end, the Congregation of the Clergy consulted directly with the metropolitan archbishops in the United States, resulting in Powers' appointment.

[22] The NAC has four departments: The college has welcomed many visitors, including four popes, two presidents of the United States (Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy), and the evangelist Billy Graham.

As of 2016[update], the chair of the NAC board of governors and president was Bishop Robert Deeley of the Diocese of Portland in Maine.