Washington Monthly Ranks College Among Nation’s “Affordable Elite”

Complementing its high rankings in the latest editions of various college guides, Thomas Aquinas College has earned a spot among the nation’s Affordable Elite, according to Washington Monthly. Of the 224 schools that, according to the magazine, “give high-achieving non-wealthy students a break in price,” the College rates in the top 100, at No. 76.

“It has always been the policy of Thomas Aquinas College, since our founding, never to turn a student away on the basis of financial need,” says President Michael F. McLean. “By God’s grace, and through the great generosity of our benefactors, we are able to meet the real, demonstrable needs of all of our students, and spare them from the burden of onerous debt.” The average debt among graduates of Thomas Aquinas College is $15,521 — nearly half the national average of $29,400.

Unlike other college guides, the Washington Monthly purports to ask, “not what colleges can do for you, but what colleges are doing for the country. Are they educating low-income students, or just catering to the affluent? Are they improving the quality of their teaching, or ducking accountability for it? …Are we getting the most for our money?”

“We are pleased by the favorable review we have received from the Washington Monthly, as well as the Princeton Review, US News, the Newman Guide, and the National Catholic Register,” says Admissions Director Jon Daly. “The diversity of these guides is, we think, a testament to the quality of our program of Catholic liberal education and the great value it offers students and their families.”