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AlmaSpire

Santa Paula, CA · Private · 566 undergraduates · rural

Thomas Aquinas College

Less selective

Add to my college list Review admission

All students follow the same Great Books-based Catholic curriculum with no majors or electives.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Highly regarded Strong in student experience, and solid in career outcomes.
Academic Solid Affordability Solid Career Solid Mobility Steady Experience Strong
Academic standing Solid
Affordability Solid
Career outcomes Solid
Mobility Steady
Student experience Strong
Admission
78.7% admitted

263 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
85.8%

$55,619 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Thomas Aquinas College apart

Academic design

Students study theology, philosophy, mathematics, natural science, literature, history, political thought, Latin, and music through Great Books, tutorials, seminars, and laboratories, culminating in an integrated Catholic intellectual framework.

Campus pattern

The Santa Paula campus is small, residential, and explicitly Catholic, with liturgy, shared coursework, and discussion-based classes creating a highly cohesive community.

Defining feature

All students follow the same Great Books-based Catholic curriculum with no majors or electives.

Can I get in?

78.7% admitted

Start with academic preparation, then show why this particular academic and campus environment fits you.

Recent applicant pool

263

About 79 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 78.7%
Entering class

Academic range

SAT middle 50%1160–1330
10401440
ACT middle 50%25–33
2036

Of admitted students, 42% submitted an SAT, and 15% submitted an ACT. Treat the ACT range as a guide to the students who submitted that test, not to everyone admitted.

Entered with a 4.0 GPA13%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Thomas Aquinas College, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Thomas Aquinas College weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Students study theology, philosophy, mathematics, natural science, literature, history, political thought, Latin, and music through Great Books, tutorials, seminars, and laboratories, culminating in an integrated Catholic intellectual framework.

02

Make the fit specific

All students follow the same Great Books-based Catholic curriculum with no majors or electives.

03

Account for the tradeoff

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and make the school-specific case concrete.

Regular Decisionrolling
Application routeInstitution application

$0 application fee

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$43,700
Average annual cost after aid$26,000
Affordability profileSolid

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Thomas Aquinas College

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

All students follow the same Great Books-based Catholic curriculum with no majors or electives.

Complete within 8 years85.8%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one91.9%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$55,619

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities

Recent graduates102
Median earnings$49,898

What is campus life like?

Thomas Aquinas College beyond the classroom

The Santa Paula campus is small, residential, and explicitly Catholic, with liturgy, shared coursework, and discussion-based classes creating a highly cohesive community.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Students study theology, philosophy, mathematics, natural science, literature, history, political thought, Latin, and music through Great Books, tutorials, seminars, and laboratories, culminating in an integrated Catholic intellectual framework.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

The Santa Paula campus is small, residential, and explicitly Catholic, with liturgy, shared coursework, and discussion-based classes creating a highly cohesive community.

Distinctive edge

What changes the experience

All students follow the same Great Books-based Catholic curriculum with no majors or electives.

566 undergraduatesPacificrural settingCampus housing available