Thomas Aquinas College vs Belmont Abbey College

Thomas Aquinas College and Belmont Abbey College, both rooted in the Catholic tradition, offer distinct educational experiences. Thomas Aquinas, a Great Books college, emphasizes the study of classic texts and the development of critical thinking skills, while Belmont Abbey provides a more traditional liberal arts curriculum with a focus on professional preparation. With acceptance rates of 68% and 75% respectively, both colleges offer a selective admissions process. Thomas Aquinas boasts a student body that is predominantly male (63%) and international (20%), while Belmont Abbey has a more balanced gender ratio (52% male, 48% female) and a smaller international student population (10%). In terms of graduation rates, Thomas Aquinas excels with a 98% four-year graduation rate compared to Belmont Abbey's 75%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover further distinctions between these two esteemed institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Belmont Abbey College	Thomas Aquinas College
Overview
Location	Belmont, North Carolina	Santa Paula, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	Rural: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	65.0%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	98.9%	83.1%
Application fees	$50
SAT range	1028 - 1206	1180 - 1370
ACT range	18 - 25	25 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	12.0%	34.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	1,841	261
Total number of admissions given out	1,821	217
Admitted students who chose to enroll	428	131
Yield rate	23.5%	60.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$31,400	$48,062
Average net price	$21,821	$22,631
Tuition	$18,500	$26,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,996 Meal plan: $4,696	$9,400
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $10,177	71.0% Average amount $13,973
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,528	69.0% Average amount $3,590
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $14,585	5.0% Average amount $7,167

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,507 Men 52.0% Women 48.0%	497 Men 49.7% Women 50.3%
Graduate students	10 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	3.0%	5.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Rural: Distant
Dormitory capacity	912	659
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business English Language and Literature Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	45.8%	85.9%
Dropout rate	53.9%	3.8%
Transferred out	N/A	9.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,458 Year 2: $43,519 Year 3: $54,029 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,220 Year 2: $46,790 Year 3: $49,711 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $40,549 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,074 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $37,851 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,412 Year 2: $31,670 Year 3: $36,214 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,864 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $35,298 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,488 Year 2: $26,585 Year 3: $32,749 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,933 Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $25,755 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,730 Year 3: N/A	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,750 Year 2: $30,047 Year 3: $34,459

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Thomas Aquinas College vs Belmont Abbey College

Belmont Abbey College

Thomas Aquinas College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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