AQ vs. Southwestern Adventist University

Aquinas College vs. Southwestern Adventist University comparison

	Aquinas College	Southwestern Adventist University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	AQ	Southwestern Adventist University
Location	Grand Rapids, MI	Keene, TX
Setting	Midsize City	Distant Town
Enrollment	1,265	793
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#819
Religious Affiliation	Roman Catholic	Seventh Day Adventists	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	aquinas.edu	swau.edu
Team Colors

Costs	AQ	Southwestern Adventist University
Tuition (In State)	$36,480	$23,400
Tuition (Out of State)	$36,480	$23,400
Room & Board	$10,572	$8,600
Avg Net Price	$18,605	$20,028
Avg Grant Aid	$30,049	$13,959
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	98%

Admission	AQ	Southwestern Adventist University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	2,116	1,438
Admitted	1,921	771
Acceptance Rate	90.8%	53.6%Open
Enrolled %	16%	16.9%Open
Avg High School GPA	3.52	3.3
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Easy	Easy
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range		17/24
SAT Range	1000/1180	900/1180
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline		Aug 1, 2025

Academics	AQ	Southwestern Adventist University
Student to Faculty Ratio	11:1	12:1
Popular Majors	Business (15%) Social Sciences (11%) Education (9%) Psychology (7%) Biology (6%)	Health Professions (29%) Business (22%) Education (13%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (12%) Psychology (8%)
Outcomes	AQ	Southwestern Adventist University
Graduation Rate	52%	38%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$40,000	$42,600
Making Student Loan Payments	60%	49%
Median Student Loan Debt	$26,000	$26,000
Median Loan Payment	$268	$268

Diversity	AQ	Southwestern Adventist University
% Men	43%	41%
% Women	57%	59%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Very High
HBCU	No	No
% White	82%	21%
% Black	3%	14%
% Hispanic	6%	41%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	2%
% Two or More Races	3%	4%
% International	1%	14%
% Unknown Race	3%	2%

Students	AQ	Southwestern Adventist University
% In-State	84%	85%
% Out-of-State	13%	13%
Campus	AQ	Southwestern Adventist University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	No
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Aquinas College is larger than than Southwestern Adventist University based on total student enrollment (1,265 students vs. 793 students)

AQ vs. Southwestern Adventist University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, AQ or Southwestern Adventist University?

• Aquinas College is 55.9% more expensive to attend than Southwestern Adventist University for in-state tuition ($36,480.00 vs. $23,400.00)
• Out of state tuition is 55.9% higher at AQ than Southwestern Adventist University ($36,480.00 vs. $23,400.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Aquinas College than Southwestern Adventist University ($18,605 vs. $20,028)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwestern Adventist University are 22.9% lower than costs at Aquinas College ($8,600 vs. $10,572)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Aquinas College than Southwestern Adventist University (100% vs. 98%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Aquinas College students is 115.3% larger than aid received Southwestern Adventist University ($30,049 vs. $13,959)

AQ vs. Southwestern Adventist University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, AQ or Southwestern Adventist University? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Southwestern Adventist University or AQ .

• The average SAT score at Aquinas College (1090) is 186 points higher than at Southwestern Adventist University (904)
• Incoming AQ students have a 4 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at Southwestern Adventist University (20)
• Accepted freshman AQ students have a 0.22 point higher average high school GPA (3.52) than students at Southwestern Adventist University (3.3)
• AQ has a higher acceptance rate (90.8%) than Southwestern Adventist University (53.6%)

AQ vs. Southwestern Adventist University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, AQ or Southwestern Adventist University? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Southwestern Adventist University and AQ.

• The graduation rate at AQ is higher than Southwestern Adventist University (52% vs. 38%)
• Graduates from Southwestern Adventist University earn on average $2,600 more per year than AQ graduates after ten years. ($42,600 vs. $40,000)
• Southwestern Adventist University and AQ graduates both have the same median student loan debt upon graduation ($26,000 vs. $26,000)
• Southwestern Adventist University and AQ graduates both have a median monthly student loan payment upon graduation ($268 vs. $268)
• More AQ graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southwestern Adventist University students, three years after graduation. (60% vs. 49%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/