Thomas Aquinas College vs Mount St. Mary's University

Thomas Aquinas College and Mount St. Mary's University, while both rooted in Catholic tradition, offer distinct educational experiences. Thomas Aquinas College, a private liberal arts college in California, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of only 38%, while Mount St. Mary's University, a private Catholic university in Maryland, is more accessible with an acceptance rate of 75%. Thomas Aquinas College focuses on the Great Books and classical education, with popular majors in philosophy and theology, while Mount St. Mary's University offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors in business, nursing, and education. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about the differences in student body demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors that can help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Mount St. Mary's University	Thomas Aquinas College
Overview
Location	Emmitsburg, Maryland	Santa Paula, California
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	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	77.0%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	81.8%	83.1%
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	1180 - 1370
ACT range	N/A	25 - 30
Students submitting SAT score		34.0%
Students submitting ACT score		19.0%
Total number of applicants	4,620	261
Total number of admissions given out	3,777	217
Admitted students who chose to enroll	532	131
Yield rate	14.1%	60.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$55,850	$48,062
Average net price	$24,471	$22,631
Tuition	$43,250	$26,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,110 Meal plan: $6,850	$9,400
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $34,403	71.0% Average amount $13,973
Students receiving federal student loan	65.0% Average amount $5,216	69.0% Average amount $3,590
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $15,802	5.0% Average amount $7,167

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,055 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	497 Men 49.7% Women 50.3%
Graduate students	515 Men 61.6% Women 38.4%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	3.5%	5.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Rural: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,483	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	Business Education Theology Health Professions Social Sciences	Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	61.5%	85.9%
Dropout rate	4.0%	3.8%
Transferred out	34.2%	9.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $90,412 Year 3: $89,704 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,674 Year 2: $68,331 Year 3: $76,523 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,097 Year 2: $56,157 Year 3: $56,969 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,827 Year 2: $53,697 Year 3: $55,407 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,539 Year 2: $45,249 Year 3: $54,696 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,757 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $53,009 Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,014 Year 2: $37,363 Year 3: $52,851 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,932 Year 2: $40,896 Year 3: $44,778 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,777 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $44,137 Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,282 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $39,690	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 Mount St. Mary's University

Mount St. Mary's University

Thomas Aquinas College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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