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About
Fidelity & ExcellenceThomas Aquinas College is unique among American colleges and universities, offering a faithfully Catholic education comprised entirely of the Great Books and classroom discussions.
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A Liberating Education
Truth MattersTruth, and nothing less, sets men free; and because truth is both natural and supernatural, the College’s curriculum aims at both natural and divine wisdom.
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A Catholic Life
Under the Light of FaithThe intellectual tradition and moral teachings of the Catholic Church infuse the whole life of Thomas Aquinas College, illuminating the curriculum and the community alike.
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Admission & Aid
Is TAC Right for You?Do you enjoy grappling with complex questions? Are you willing to engage in discussions about difficult concepts, with the truth as your ultimate goal?
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Students & Parents
Mind, Body & SpiritThere is always something to do at TAC — something worthwhile, something fulfilling, and something geared toward ever-greater spiritual and intellectual growth.
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Alumni & Careers
What Can You Do with a Liberal Education?Nothing speaks more to the versatility of the College’s academic program than the good that our alumni are doing throughout the Church and the world.
U.S. News Ranks TAC in Top 100 Nationwide, Top 25 for Social Mobility
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
For more information, please contact:
Chris Weinkopf, Executive Director of College Relations
805-421-5926 | pr@thomasaquinas.edu
U.S. News Ranks TAC in Top 100 Nationwide, Top 25 for Social Mobility
SANTA PAULA, CA & NORTHFIELD, MA — In addition to once again earning a coveted spot in the Top 100 of U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of national liberal arts colleges, Thomas Aquinas College has scored high in the guide’s 2025 edition for a relatively new ranking category: social mobility.
At No. 14, the college is the only Catholic institution to make the top 25 on the magazine’s “social mobility” index, based on how well schools graduate economically disadvantaged students. Although TAC does not provide merit-based scholarships, it maintains a robust financial aid program, reflecting its longstanding commitment to admit and enroll all qualified students, irrespective of financial need. As part of that commitment, the college maintains a vibrant Work-Study Program, which employs students, wherever possible, rather than outside workers, to help make tuition more affordable.
In discussing the rationale for its annual rankings, U.S. News explains that they are based on “17 key measures of academic quality,” ranging from graduation and retention rates to faculty resources and the average federal loan debt of graduates. The college ranks at No. 63 among the nation’s top 211 liberal arts colleges, and number 62 for “Best Value Schools.” The guide further rates Thomas Aquinas College as having the highest possible proportion of classes with under 20 students (100 percent) and the lowest proportion of classes with more than 50 students (0 percent).
“We are pleased, as always, with Thomas Aquinas College’s annual U.S. News rankings, which are evidence that our program of Catholic liberal education is a success by any measure,” says Executive Director of College Relations Chris Weinkopf. “We are especially pleased to see the college ranked so highly on the Social Mobility list, which testifies to the vision of our founders — and the generosity of our benefactors — who were determined, from the very beginning, to make this faithfully Catholic, academically excellent education affordable to anyone with the will and ability to undertake it.”
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About Thomas Aquinas College
With campuses in California and Massachusetts, Thomas Aquinas College has developed over the last half century a solid reputation for academic excellence in the United States and abroad. It is highly ranked by secular organizations, such as The Princeton Review and U. S. News, as well as Catholic guides, including the Cardinal Newman Society and the National Catholic Register. The college offers one, four-year, classical curriculum that spans the major arts and sciences. Instead of reading textbooks, students study the original works of the greatest thinkers in Western civilization — the Great Books — in all the major disciplines. Rather than listen to lectures, they work through these texts in small, rigorous classroom discussions. The academic life of the college is conducted under the light of the Catholic faith and flourishes within a close-knit community, supported by a vibrant spiritual life. Alumni consistently excel in the many world-class institutions at which they pursue graduate degrees in fields such as law, medicine, business, theology, and education.