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What Will They Learn -- A+According to the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), only seven colleges and universities in the United States deserve an “A+” for the strength of their curricula — and two of them are Thomas Aquinas College.

On its What Will They Learn? website, ACTA reports on the major public and private institutions of higher learning in all 50 states, evaluating them solely on the basis of their core curricula. On Friday, the group announced the newest addition to its ratings system: an “A+” grade. The honor is reserved for “the best liberal arts colleges and universities in the nation” — those that require students to take courses in all of seven key disciplines: composition, literature, foreign language, U.S. government or history, economics, mathematics, and natural science.

Out of the 1,100 colleges and universities evaluated, only seven qualify for ACTA’s coveted top ranking. Among these are both Thomas Aquinas College’s California and New England campuses, which, although constituting one college, receive separate listings in the ACTA guide.

“Thomas Aquinas College’s two campuses in California and Massachusetts require all students to complete a shared core curriculum rooted in the Catholic liberal arts tradition,” ACTA reports. “Undergraduates must also study religion, philosophy, fine arts, world history, and the works of Western civilization.”

“Thomas Aquinas College is an excellent choice for students seeking a rigorous and rewarding liberal arts education.”

In the 14 years that ACTA has issued its report, Thomas Aquinas College has consistently received its highest possible rating. “We are grateful to ACTA for doing the hard work of examining the curricula of American colleges and universities, thereby providing an invaluable resource for parents and students,” says Chris Weinkopf, Thomas Aquinas College’s executive director of college relations. “And we appreciate its continued recognition of our program of Catholic liberal education, which consists entirely of the Great Books and discussion-based classes.”

These two distinctions make Thomas Aquinas College unlike any other college in the United States. Says ACTA, “Thomas Aquinas College is an excellent choice for students seeking a rigorous and rewarding liberal arts education.”