College Guide Reviews

Individual college guides often tend to focus on a narrow set of criteria, but when taken together, they can help to present a more complete picture. Below is a summary of the College’s reviews in the latest editions of the various publications:

U.S. News & World Report: “Best Colleges” No. 40 among the country’s national liberal arts colleges No. 86 on comprehensive “Best Values” list No. 3 in the United States for social mobility No. 2 for alumni satisfaction as measured by annual giving No. 1 for the highest proportion of classes under 20 students (100 percent) and the lowest proportion of classes with more than 50 students (0 percent)
The Princeton Review High ratings for academics (90), financial aid (94), and 98 for tutors’ accessiblity One of only 10 colleges nationwide to be named to the Financial Aid Honor Roll Top 15 percent of American four-year colleges Top 20 for “Most Religious Students,” “Great Financial Aid,” and “Best Classroom Experience” One of the country’s 200 Best Value Colleges Results from student survey include: 1) Thomas Aquinas College is a school that “takes learning seriously for its own sake, not just as preparation for a job;” 2) the College has “a strong Catholic identity” and “a rigorous curriculum,” where “professors … lead you to truth without forcing it on you;” and 3) “You get all kinds of people here — but one thing they have in common is a desire to search for the truth.”
The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College One of only 15 recommended colleges and universities in the United States “Impressive intellectual rigor that is matched by a commitment to orthodox Catholicism.” “The first in a wave of new Catholic colleges born from the crisis of Catholic identity in American Catholic higher education.” “The only Catholic college in America that teaches exclusively from [the] classic works of Western civilization.”
Association of College Trustees and Alumni   Top 2 percent of country’s major colleges and universities One of six colleges in the U.S. to receive a perfect score for ensuring that students study seven key areas: composition, literature, American history, foreign language, mathematics, science, and economics. Highest rating for strength of curriculum
USA Today: “The 10 Best Roman Catholic Colleges” “Devoted to providing a strong education while being rooted in the Roman Catholic faith” “Great student to faculty ratio” “Excellent graduation and freshman retention rates” “Diverse student body that comes from states all across the nation” Also listed among Best 10 Colleges for the Money	Image
National Catholic Register One of only 38 “faithfully Catholic colleges and universities nationwide” chosen for the “Catholic Identity College Guide” Perfect marks for all 10 measures of campus fidelity and moral climate
Cool Colleges “The best college class I ever attended, undergraduate or graduate, was at Thomas Aquinas College.” “[Students] backed up their comments with evidence and careful, logical arguments.” “I shall remember this class, where I was but a guest, for the rest of my life.” “A rigorous great books curriculum”
Kiplinger: “Best Values in Private Colleges” No. 1 among all colleges and universities Only Catholic school to be named to the Top 20 Rankings based on outstanding academics and affordable cost
Washington Monthly Among top 100 American liberal arts colleges for “contribution to the public good” Top 50 for “Best Bang for the Buck” in the Western United States