| Location: | Midwest |
| Setting: | Mid-size City Setting |
| Type: | Private |
| Affiliation: | Roman Catholic |
| Size: | Small (Under 2,000 Undergrad) |
Aquinas College is a small, Catholic college that aims to provide a liberal arts education with a global perspective. Noted for its academic rigor and challenging professors, Aquinas is consistently considered one of the best liberal arts colleges in the Midwest region by U.S. News and World Report (2006).
Aquinas has over 2,300 students and offers 58 majors, awarding Bachelor's degrees and Master's degrees. It is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association. Many Aquinas graduates go on to graduate schools: approximately 95% of pre-med students from Aquinas are accepted at various medical schools around the country. The opportunity to study abroad is a huge draw to Aquinas students, as many take a semester at an international university.
Founded by the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids in 1886, Aquinas has a Catholic heritage. Aquinas began as a novitiate normal school, for young women who had yet to take their vows to the Dominican religious order.
In 1922, the Dominican Sisters merged their newly created college for lay women with the normal school. This new college received a charter from the state of Michigan to grant degrees in 1923. In 1931, it became the first Catholic college in the US to go co-ed, and was reorganized as Catholic Junior College.
The college began to operate as a four-year institution in 1941, when it was renamed in honor of Saint Thomas Aquinas.
The school's first administrator was Monsignor Bukowski, for whom the school's chapel is named. Following Bukowski was Norbert Hruby, for which Hruby Hall, an administrative building holds his name. After Hruby came Peter O'Connor, who served from 1986 until 1990. R. Paul Nelson became the fourth President, serving until 1997, when he resigned, and was succeeded by President Harry Knopke. Knopke served from 1997 through 2006. Provost Ed Balog had served as interim president since 2006 and became the 6th President on July 1st, 2007.
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| Percent of Students International: | 0% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 38% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Member of: | NAA, NAIA |
| Sports Include: |
Basketball (Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conf) Baseball (Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conf) Track (Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conf) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 17,926 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 4,375 | 23% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 3,283 | 71% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 10,193 | 98% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 2,293 | 43% | |
Any Aid: |
99% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 82% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 100% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 19, Verbal: 19, Math: 18 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 25, Verbal: 26, Math: 25 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Required |
| High School GPA: | Required |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Recommended |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
