Private nonprofit · College
Thomas College
Waterville, Maine · Remote town
- 96.3%
- Admit rate
- $18,885
- Avg net price
- 54%
- Graduation rate
- $44,991
- Median earnings
Thomas College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Waterville, Maine (remote town setting), enrolling 647 undergraduates.
About Waterville, Maine
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. Called "Taconnet" after Chief Taconnet, the main village was located on the east bank of the Kennebec River at its confluence with the Sebasticook River at what is now Winslow. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 67 miles to Portland, ME
- To the ocean
- 33 miles
- Nearest airport
- 16 miles to Augusta State (AUG)
How Thomas College compares
More selective than 11% · #11 most selective of 15 in Maine
Higher than 48% · #10 of 17 in Maine
Higher than 54%
Higher than 24% · #11 of 17 in Maine
Cheaper than 55% · #9 cheapest of 17 in Maine
Lower than 43%
Lower than 10%
Larger than 26%
Percentiles compare Thomas College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Maine.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate64786%
- Graduate10914%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women32550%
- Men32250%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White68%
- Black4.2%
- Hispanic1.7%
- Asian0.9%
- Other or multiracial25%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 647
- Graduate enrollment
- 109
- Student–faculty ratio
- 20 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 18%
- First-generation students
- 38%
- Students over 25
- 1%
- Median family income
- $51,444
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $68,625
- Endowment
- $25,337,861
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 96.3%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $31,824
- Room & board
- $14,090
- Books & supplies
- $800
- Total cost of attendance
- $47,198
- Average net price
- $18,885
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 54%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 48%
- First-year retention
- 77%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $40,495
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $44,991
- Median debt at graduation
- $24,250
- Students with federal loans
- 33%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 55%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 611
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 94%
- Housing charge (year)
- $7,300
- Meal plan (year)
- $6,378
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III without football
- Varsity athletes
- 441 (274 men · 167 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (14)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.2 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,635 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$16,227/year × about 4.1 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.
Thomas College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $21,251. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
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 234 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)
- $44,991
- Typical debt at graduation
- $24,250
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 54%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 56%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 80°F
- Winter low
- 9°F
- Annual rain
- 43.4″
- Annual snow
- 86.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Waterville Trtmt Plt, ME US station (0.5 mi from campus).
What Thomas College graduates study — and earn
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 College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Thomas College side by side →
Davis & Elkins College
Elkins, West Virginia · Remote town · 104 mi to Charleston
- Students
- 661
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $43k
William Peace University
Raleigh, North Carolina · Large city · 1 mi to Raleigh
- Students
- 666
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1170
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $47k
Greenville University
Greenville, Illinois · Distant town · 46 mi to St. Louis
- Students
- 955
- Admission
- 98%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1038
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $47k
Life Pacific University
San Dimas, California · Large suburb · 24 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 456
- Admission
- 96%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $43k
Culver-Stockton College
Canton, Missouri · Remote rural · 92 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 807
- Admission
- 99%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $46k
Shorter University
Rome, Georgia · Small city · 55 mi to Chattanooga
- Students
- 1,028
- Admission
- 96%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1115
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $45k
Colleges near Thomas College
Colby College
Waterville, ME · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,407 students
Kennebec Valley Community College
Fairfield, ME · Public · Associate · 1,597 students
University of Maine at Augusta
Augusta, ME · Public · Bachelor's · 2,659 students
Capilo School of Hair Design
Augusta, ME · Private for-profit · Certificate · 156 students
University of Maine at Farmington
Farmington, ME · Public · Bachelor's · 1,140 students
Maine Media College
Rockport, ME · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 3 students
Central Maine Community College
Auburn, ME · Public · Associate · 2,952 students
Bates College
Lewiston, ME · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,760 students
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.














