Private nonprofit · College

Thomas Aquinas College

Santa Paula, California · Distant rural

83.1%
Admit rate: $26,196
Avg net price: 84%
Graduation rate: $55,619
Median earnings

Thomas Aquinas College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Santa Paula, California (distant rural setting), enrolling 566 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 566 undergradsDistant ruralAccessible · 83% admitNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Thomas Aquinas College's admitted students.

Admit rate: 83.1%
SAT (mid 50%): 1220–1400
Avg GPA (est.): 3.67

Your test score

Your GPA (4.0 scale, optional)

Enter a test score to see where you land against Thomas Aquinas College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Thomas Aquinas College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Santa Paula, California

Santa Paula is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. Fray Juan Crespi, a Franciscan missionary traveling with the expedition, had previously named the valley Cañada de Santa Clara. He noted that the party traveled about 9 to 10 miles (14 to 16 km) that day and camped near a large native village, which he named San Pedro Amoliano. While agriculture is the most important industry in Santa Paula today, the city experienced an economic boom after oil was discovered in 1880. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Distant rural
Highest degree offered: Bachelor's
Nearest big city: 35 miles to Santa Barbara, CA
To the ocean: 16 miles
Nearest airport: 43 miles to Santa Barbara (SBA)

How Thomas Aquinas College compares

Selectivity83.1%

More selective than 39% · #64 most selective of 107 in California

SAT average1329

Higher than 83%

Graduation rate84%

Higher than 92% · #22 of 122 in California

First-year retention92%

Higher than 88%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$55,619

Higher than 56% · #97 of 130 in California

Average net price$26,196

Cheaper than 26% · #62 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$18,000

Lower than 84%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment566

Larger than 24%

Percentiles compare Thomas Aquinas College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women27649%
Men29051%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White64%
Hispanic20%
Asian1.8%
Other or multiracial15%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 566
Student–faculty ratio: 11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 27%
First-generation students: —
Students over 25: 2%
Median family income: $97,358
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $86,652
Endowment: $30,834,386

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate: 83.1%
Test scores: Required
SAT range (25th–75th %): 1220–1400
SAT average: 1329
SAT reading: 640–730
SAT math: 580–670
ACT composite: 28–33
Average GPA (estimated): 3.67

Cost

In-state tuition: $30,200
Room & board: $11,200
Books & supplies: $76
Total cost of attendance: $43,426
Average net price: $26,196

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years): 84%
Graduated on time (4 years): 83%
First-year retention: 92%
Transferred to another college: 8%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $40,605
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $55,619
Median debt at graduation: $18,000
Students with federal loans: 67%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 89%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: Yes
Dorm capacity: 667
Dorm capacity vs undergrads: 100%+
Application fee: Free

Campus safety

Safety grade: B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 1.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 2
Property offenses (2022–2024): 1

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

1.0reported offenses a year

0.7 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling

0.3

Aggravated assault

0.3

Burglary

0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k

$19,761

$30–48k

$21,236

$48–75k

$20,118

$75–110k

$23,185

$110k+

$29,757

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Family income

Est. total to a degree

$81,066

$20,118/year × about 4.0 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

65%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$14,254

average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 65% — get grant money from Thomas Aquinas College itself, averaging $14,254, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 139 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years): $55,619
Typical debt at graduation: $18,000
Debt vs. one year's pay: 32%
Out-earn a HS grad: 60%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women

$38,883

Men

$68,106

Men out-earn women by $29,223 (75%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high: 91°F
Winter low: 33°F
Annual rain: 20.7″
Annual snow: 0.1″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ojai, CA US station (8.1 mi from campus).

What Thomas Aquinas College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities

102 grads$33k 1 yr$49k 5 yr$18k debt

102$33,432$49,029$18,000

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Thomas Aquinas College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Thomas Aquinas College side by side →

Elmira College

Private

Elmira, New York · Small city · 74 mi to Syracuse

Students: 708
Admission: 77%
Net price: $22k
SAT: 1314
GPA: 3.6
Earnings: $58k

Covenant College

Private

Lookout Mountain, Georgia · Large suburb · 7 mi to Chattanooga

Students: 939
Admission: 87%
Net price: $26k
SAT: 1294
GPA: 3.6
Earnings: $50k

Transylvania University

Private

Lexington, Kentucky · Large city · 1 mi to Lexington

Students: 1,005
Admission: 87%
Net price: $22k
SAT: 1287
GPA: 3.6
Earnings: $55k

Hastings College

Private

Hastings, Nebraska · Distant town · 89 mi to Lincoln

Students: 891
Admission: 72%
Net price: $24k
SAT: 1320
GPA: 3.7
Earnings: $51k

Knox College

Private

Galesburg, Illinois · Distant town · 44 mi to Peoria

Students: 1,127
Admission: 71%
Net price: $25k
SAT: 1326
GPA: 3.7
Earnings: $55k

Westmont College

Private

Santa Barbara, California · Midsize suburb · 3 mi to Santa Barbara

Students: 1,302
Admission: 77%
Net price: $29k
SAT: 1328
GPA: 3.7
Earnings: $65k

Colleges near Thomas Aquinas College

Ventura College

Ventura, CA · Public · Associate · 10,150 students

13 mi

Ventura Adult and Continuing Education

Ventura, CA · Public · Certificate · 74 students

14 mi

The Colleges of Law at Ventura

Ventura, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate

14 mi

Lu Ross Academy

Ventura, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 229 students

16 mi

Moorpark College

Moorpark, CA · Public · Associate · 12,082 students

17 mi

Modern Beauty Academy

Oxnard, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 90 students

17 mi

CET-Oxnard

Oxnard, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 95 students

17 mi

California Lutheran University

Thousand Oaks, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,296 students

18 mi

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.