College Factual Rates TAC No. 4 on List of “Best Colleges for the Money”

College Factual, a statistics-based guide that aims to “help students find and get great deals on the best fit colleges for them,” has ranked Thomas Aquinas College as No. 4 in the United States on its list of the 1,325 Best Colleges for the Money.

“When our founders established the College nearly a half-century ago, they were determined to create a truly excellent academic program that would be available to anyone with the ability and determination to pursue it, irrespective of financial means,” says Director of Admissions Jon Daly. “To be recognized nationally by College Factual and others for value — that is, for the quality of our education and its affordability — is an affirmation that the College has remained true to that vision.”

On the academic side, College Factual notes that Thomas Aquinas College has a low student-faculty ratio (11:1), a high freshmen retention rate (94 percent), and a high graduation rate (88.5 percent). It gives the College grades of “A” for the SAT scores of incoming freshmen and for freshman retention, as well as an “A+” for its graduation rate.

As for affordability, College Factual describes Thomas Aquinas College’s net tuition (cost minus financial aid) as delivering a “great price” for families, while noting that students’ average  debt level at graduation is “low.” The guide additionally gives the College grades of “A+” for value and for its student-loan default rate.

“College Factual’s rankings nicely complement the newly released edition of The Newman Guide, which gave the College top marks for its fidelity to the teachings of the Catholic Church,” says Mr. Daly. “Taken together, these guides reflect not only our commitment to the Faith and to excellence in Catholic liberal education, but also to affordability, which is made possible through the tremendous generosity of our benefactors.”