Thomas Aquinas College vs. Northwest University

Thomas Aquinas College vs. Northwest University comparison

	Thomas Aquinas College	Northwest University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Thomas Aquinas College	Northwest University
Location	Santa Paula, CA	Kirkland, WA
Setting	Distant Rural	Large Suburban
Enrollment	539	999
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking
Religious Affiliation	Roman Catholic	Assemblies of God Church	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	thomasaquinas.edu	northwestu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Thomas Aquinas College	Northwest University
Tuition (In State)	$28,700	$35,535
Tuition (Out of State)	$28,700	$35,535
Room & Board	$10,700	$10,648
Avg Net Price	$23,039	$25,917
Avg Grant Aid	$16,961	$21,864
% Receiving Grant Aid	66%	99%

Admission	Thomas Aquinas College	Northwest University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	263	586
Admitted	207	516
Acceptance Rate	78.7%	88.1%
Enrolled %	69.1%	29.5%
Avg High School GPA	3.8	3.41
Typical High School Grades	A-	B+
Admissions Standards	Very High	Difficult
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	25/33	24/29
SAT Range	1160/1330	1040/1325
Submit Test Scores	Required to be considered for admission	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline		Aug 1, 2026

Academics	Thomas Aquinas College	Northwest University
Student to Faculty Ratio	10:1	9:1
Popular Majors	Liberal Arts and Humanities (100%)	Theology and Religious Vvocations (23%) Business (16%) Education (12%) Health Professions (11%) Communication (10%)
Outcomes	Thomas Aquinas College	Northwest University
Graduation Rate	69%	50%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$45,700	$41,400
Making Student Loan Payments	90%	62%
Median Student Loan Debt	$17,000	$21,532
Median Loan Payment	$175	$222

Diversity	Thomas Aquinas College	Northwest University
% Men	35%	12%
% Women	35%	21%
Racial Diversity	Medium	Medium
HBCU	No	No
% White	70%	69%
% Black	0%	5%
% Hispanic	15%	8%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	1%
% Two or More Races	7%	5%
% International	3%	4%
% Unknown Race	3%	2%

Students	Thomas Aquinas College	Northwest University
% In-State	32%	79%
% Out-of-State	63%	18%
Campus	Thomas Aquinas College	Northwest University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Northwest University is larger than than Thomas Aquinas College based on total student enrollment (999 students vs. 539 students)

Thomas Aquinas College vs. Northwest University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Thomas Aquinas College or Northwest University?

• Northwest University is 23.8% more expensive to attend than Thomas Aquinas College for in-state tuition ($35,535.00 vs. $28,700.00)
• Out of state tuition is 23.8% higher at Northwest University than Thomas Aquinas College ($35,535.00 vs. $28,700.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Thomas Aquinas College than Northwest University ($23,039 vs. $25,917)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Northwest University are 0.5% lower than costs at Thomas Aquinas College ($10,648 vs. $10,700)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Northwest University than Thomas Aquinas College (99% vs. 66%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Northwest University students is 28.9% larger than aid received Thomas Aquinas College ($21,864 vs. $16,961)

Thomas Aquinas College vs. Northwest University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Thomas Aquinas College (1280) is 284 points higher than at Northwest University (996)
• Incoming Thomas Aquinas College students have a 8 point higher average ACT score (30) than students at Northwest University (22)
• Accepted freshman Thomas Aquinas College students have a 0.39 point higher average high school GPA (3.8) than students at Northwest University (3.41)
• Northwest University has a higher acceptance rate (88.1%) than Thomas Aquinas College (78.7%)

Thomas Aquinas College vs. Northwest University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Thomas Aquinas College or Northwest 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 Northwest University and Thomas Aquinas College.

• The graduation rate at Thomas Aquinas College is higher than Northwest University (69% vs. 50%)
• Graduates from Thomas Aquinas College earn on average $4,300 more per year than Northwest University graduates after ten years. ($45,700 vs. $41,400)
• Thomas Aquinas College students graduate with a $4,532 lower median federal student loan debt than Northwest University graduates. ($17,000 vs. $21,532)
• Thomas Aquinas College graduates are paying $47 less per month on federal student loans than Northwest University graduates. ($175 vs. $222)
• More Thomas Aquinas College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Northwest University students, three years after graduation. (90% vs. 62%)

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