Westmont College vs Thomas Aquinas College

Westmont College and Thomas Aquinas College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Westmont, located in Santa Barbara, California, boasts an acceptance rate of 48% and a diverse student body, with 48% female and 52% male students. Its popular majors include Biology, Business Administration, and Psychology. Thomas Aquinas College, nestled in Santa Paula, California, has a lower acceptance rate of 38% and a predominantly male student body (63% male, 37% female). It emphasizes the study of the Great Books and offers a single major in Liberal Arts. While Westmont boasts a higher graduation rate of 84%, Thomas Aquinas College prides itself on its rigorous academic program, with 100% of its students graduating within four years. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more distinctions between these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Thomas Aquinas College	Westmont College
Overview
Location	Santa Paula, California	Santa Barbara, California
Campus setting	Rural: Distant	Suburb: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	89.0%	85.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.1%	79.0%
Application fees
SAT range	1180 - 1370	1160 - 1460
ACT range	25 - 30	26 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	34.0%	18.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	12.0%
Total number of applicants	261	2,344
Total number of admissions given out	217	1,851
Admitted students who chose to enroll	131	333
Yield rate	60.4%	18.0%
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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$48,062	$61,110
Average net price	$22,631	$33,554
Tuition	$26,000	$47,450
Room & board	$9,400	Room/dormitory: $9,400 Meal plan: $5,970
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	71.0% Average amount $13,973	99.0% Average amount $32,308
Students receiving federal student loan	69.0% Average amount $3,590	50.0% Average amount $5,052
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $7,167	25.0% Average amount $4,810

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	497 Men 49.7% Women 50.3%	1,238 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	31.1%
International students	5.4%	1.9%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Distant	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	659	1,207
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Washington Oregon Colorado Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts	Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Physical Science Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.9%	73.4%
Dropout rate	3.8%	26.6%
Transferred out	9.0%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,750 Year 2: $30,047 Year 3: $34,459	Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,792 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $66,978 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,638 Year 2: $40,402 Year 3: $40,054 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,114 Year 2: $24,808 Year 3: $34,035 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,823 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,883 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,121 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,369 Year 2: $25,596 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: N/A

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