Simpson College vs. Saint Thomas Aquinas College

Simpson College vs. Saint Thomas Aquinas College comparison

	Simpson College	Saint Thomas Aquinas College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Simpson College	Saint Thomas Aquinas College
Location	Indianola, IA	Sparkill, NY
Setting	Distant Town	Large Suburban
Enrollment	1,151	2,033
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#412	#567
Religious Affiliation	United Methodist	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	simpson.edu	stac.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Simpson College	Saint Thomas Aquinas College
Tuition (In State)	$44,202	$35,500
Tuition (Out of State)	$44,202	$35,500
Room & Board	$9,654	$15,370
Avg Net Price	$23,185	$21,745
Avg Grant Aid	$35,898	$29,710
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	100%

Admission	Simpson College	Saint Thomas Aquinas College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,569	1,861
Admitted	1,398	1,649
Acceptance Rate	89.1%	88.6%
Enrolled %	21.6%	14.9%
Avg High School GPA	3.62	3.0
Typical High School Grades	B+	B
Admissions Standards	Average	Average
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	20/27
SAT Range	890/1280	920/1270
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 15, 2025	May 1, 2025

Academics	Simpson College	Saint Thomas Aquinas College
Student to Faculty Ratio	10:1	15:1
Popular Majors	Business (22%) Education (11%) Social Sciences (8%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (7%) Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (6%)	Business (16%) Education (15%) Social Sciences (14%) Communication (8%) Psychology (7%)
Outcomes	Simpson College	Saint Thomas Aquinas College
Graduation Rate	69%	58%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$48,000	$48,000
Making Student Loan Payments	77%	71%
Median Student Loan Debt	$27,000	$22,500
Median Loan Payment	$279	$232

Diversity	Simpson College	Saint Thomas Aquinas College
% Men	48%	48%
% Women	52%	52%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	High
HBCU	No	No
% White	88%	52%
% Black	2%	10%
% Hispanic	3%	22%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	1%	1%
% International	0%	3%
% Unknown Race	3%	9%

Students	Simpson College	Saint Thomas Aquinas College
% In-State	67%	71%
% Out-of-State	32%	25%
Campus	Simpson College	Saint Thomas Aquinas College
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

• Saint Thomas Aquinas College is larger than than Simpson College based on total student enrollment (2,033 students vs. 1,151 students)

Simpson College vs. Saint Thomas Aquinas College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Simpson College or Saint Thomas Aquinas College?

• Simpson College is 24.5% more expensive to attend than Saint Thomas Aquinas College for in-state tuition ($44,202.00 vs. $35,500.00)
• Out of state tuition is 24.5% higher at Simpson College than Saint Thomas Aquinas College ($44,202.00 vs. $35,500.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Saint Thomas Aquinas College than Simpson College ($21,745 vs. $23,185)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Simpson College are 59.2% lower than costs at Saint Thomas Aquinas College ($9,654 vs. $15,370)
• The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Simpson College as Saint Thomas Aquinas College (100% vs. 100%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Simpson College students is 20.8% larger than aid received Saint Thomas Aquinas College ($35,898 vs. $29,710)

Simpson College vs. Saint Thomas Aquinas College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Simpson College or Saint Thomas Aquinas College? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Saint Thomas Aquinas College or Simpson College .

• The average SAT score at Simpson College (1104) is 162 points higher than at Saint Thomas Aquinas College (942)
• Incoming Simpson College students have a 4 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at Saint Thomas Aquinas College (20)
• Accepted freshman Simpson College students have a 0.62 point higher average high school GPA (3.62) than students at Saint Thomas Aquinas College (3.0)
• Simpson College has a higher acceptance rate (89.1%) than Saint Thomas Aquinas College (88.6%)

Simpson College vs. Saint Thomas Aquinas College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Simpson College or Saint Thomas Aquinas College? 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 Saint Thomas Aquinas College and Simpson College.

• The graduation rate at Simpson College is higher than Saint Thomas Aquinas College (69% vs. 58%)
• Graduates of Simpson College and Saint Thomas Aquinas College have equivalent average earnings after ten years ($48,000 vs. $48,000)
• Saint Thomas Aquinas College students graduate with a $4,500 lower median federal student loan debt than Simpson College graduates. ($22,500 vs. $27,000)
• Saint Thomas Aquinas College graduates are paying $47 less per month on federal student loans than Simpson College graduates. ($232 vs. $279)
• More Simpson College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Saint Thomas Aquinas College students, three years after graduation. (77% vs. 71%)

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