U.S. News Gives College High Marks for Academics & Value in 2015 Rankings

In the newly released 2015 edition of its Best Colleges guide, U.S. News & World Report places Thomas Aquinas College in the top third of the top tier of all American liberal arts colleges. It also praises the College’s financial aid program, listing the school as No. 26 among the Top 40 national liberal arts colleges on its Best Values list.

In discussing the basis for this “Best Value” ranking, U.S. News explains that it “takes into account a school’s academic quality…. The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal.” It adds that “only schools ranked in or near the top half of their U.S. News ranking categories are included, because U.S. News considers the most significant values to be among colleges that perform well academically.”

In addition, U.S. News has ranked Thomas Aquinas College first in the country for the highest proportion of classes under 20 students (100%) and ninth among the top 26 national liberal arts colleges for “Least Debt” at graduation. The magazine notes that average debt among graduates of Thomas Aquinas College is $15,521 — nearly half the national average of $29,400.

Says Thomas Aquinas College Director of Admissions Jon Daly, “We are very happy to see that U.S. News has ranked Thomas Aquinas College so highly for academics while also applauding our financial aid program and small class size. In these difficult economic times, it is important for students and parents to be confident that the investment they make in a college education does not go to waste.”

The College has received high marks in the newest editions of all the top annual college guides, both Catholic and secular, including the Princeton Review, the Association of College Trustees and Alumni, and the National Catholic Register.

“Taken together with this report from U.S. News,” says Mr. Daly, “these reviews offer parents and prospective students a fairly good idea of the strength of our unique program. A visit to the campus will also afford them the opportunity to observe our classes firsthand and experience the vibrant spiritual life of the College and the joy students take in pursuing their studies in and outside of class.”

Adds President Michael F. McLean, “This year’s U.S. News review, along with the many others that highly rank Thomas Aquinas College, are strong indicators of what some do not think possible, but what we at the College have firmly held from the beginning: An institution of higher learning can be faithfully Catholic while providing excellent academics at a competitive price.”