Aquinas College Gets Best-Value Rating
Thomas Aquinas College near Santa Paula has been named by U. S. News & World Report magazine as the 15th best value among the nation’s liberal arts colleges.
The publication also named the private Catholic college in the hills between Ojai and Santa Paula as the school with the highest proportion of classes attended by fewer than 20 students. Fewer than 15 students attend the average class at the school, which has an enrollment of 219, and no class has more than 20 students, college spokesman Don Boardman said.
“It’s nice to be recognized for what makes us unique and be appreciated for it,” he said.
Tuition, room and board cost $19,200 a year. Students are required to live on campus.
Thomas Aquinas, the only Catholic liberal arts college to make the list, was ranked above such well-known East Coast institutions as Vassar and Swarthmore.
Thomas Aquinas is the only Catholic college in the nation to base its curriculum solely upon a selection of the Western world’s greatest books, and its students attend small seminars to discuss the works.
Last year, U. S. News & World Report ranked the college 12th on its listing of the best educational values among liberal arts institutions, Boardman said.
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