St. Thomas Aquinas College (STAC) vs Principia College

St. Thomas Aquinas College and Principia College, two distinct institutions with unique offerings, stand ready to shape your academic journey. St. Thomas Aquinas College, rooted in the Dominican tradition, emphasizes liberal arts and pre-professional programs, while Principia College, guided by Christian Science principles, offers a holistic education grounded in spiritual growth. As you embark on this side-by-side comparison, explore the nuances that set these colleges apart. Delve into the acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates presented in the table below to discern which college aligns best with your aspirations and values.

	Principia College	St. Thomas Aquinas College
Overview
Location	Elsah, Illinois	Sparkill, New York
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	81.0%	80.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	84.1%	89.2%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30
SAT range	1028 - 1193	1035 - 1235
ACT range	21 - 28	25 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	30.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	2.0%
Total number of applicants	138	1,417
Total number of admissions given out	116	1,264
Admitted students who chose to enroll	79	233
Yield rate	68.1%	18.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$42,820	$45,450
Average net price	$19,816	$18,502
Tuition	$29,970	$34,500
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,810 Meal plan: $6,460	Room/dormitory: $8,800 Meal plan: $6,980
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $25,174	100.0% Average amount $29,267
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $0	51.0% Average amount $5,462
Students taking out private loans	94.0% Average amount $2,016	4.0% Average amount $11,711

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	321 Men 53.0% Women 47.0%	1,848 Men 50.3% Women 49.7%
Graduate students	N/A	178 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	92.7%	16.7%
International students	24.3%	4.0%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	585	659
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Missouri California Texas Illinois Ohio	New York New Jersey California Connecticut Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science Social Sciences Business	Education Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	5:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.9%	55.5%
Dropout rate	14.1%	43.8%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	N/A	Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,745 Year 2: $57,860 Year 3: $67,801 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $62,449 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,236 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $59,233 General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,253 Year 2: $42,435 Year 3: $52,232 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,810 Year 2: $30,228 Year 3: $45,783 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,992 Year 3: $42,966 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,212 Year 2: $22,329 Year 3: $39,647 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,270 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $17,958 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Principia College

Blackburn College