Thomas College is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Waterville, Maine. It enrolls 647 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorNew England Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (4-Year Selective). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Good
56/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes49
Value37
Affordability35
Selectivity7
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 96.3%, Thomas College is broadly accessible to qualified applicants.
Acceptance Rate
96.3%
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyTest OptionalApplicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Thomas College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
13.3 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Thomas College isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $18,885 per year. That's below the typical net price for private nonprofit colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$18,885
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
18%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
33%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$31,824
Room & Board (on-campus)
$14,090
Room & Board (off-campus)
$9,620
Books & Supplies
$800
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,180
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,500
Total Cost of Attendance
$47,198
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$12,655
$30,001 – $48,000
$11,904
$48,001 – $75,000
$16,227
$75,001 – $110,000
$18,145
Over $110,000
$26,770
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$3,50010%percentile
$6,50025%percentile
$24,250Medianpercentile
$27,00075%percentile
$35,00090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $20,000
↓ $4,250
No Pell $19,896
↓ $4,354
Dependent students $20,000
↓ $4,250
Independent students $20,000
↓ $4,250
Female students $20,000
↓ $4,250
Male students $19,500
↓ $4,750
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $6,000, less than completers ($24,250), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
63% of full-time students who enrolled at Thomas College graduate within six years, and 78% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
63%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
78%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Thomas College earn a median of $44,991 ten years after first enrolling. That's close to the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$44,991
Earning > $25K
82%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$36,100
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$49,400
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$40,700
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$41,500
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$48,300
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $13,300, about 27% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
21.6 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 82% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Thomas College is home to 647 students, a small, close-knit community. Some distinctive traits: 38% are first-generation college students.
Total Enrolled
647
Part-Time
1%
First-Generation
38%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 68.2%441
International 7.1%46
Black 4.2%27
Other 3.4%22
Hispanic 1.7%11
Asian 0.9%6
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Thomas College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Town: RemoteWaterville, Maine
Housing
Strongly residential611 beds for 647 students
Adult Learners
1%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
What You Can Study
Thomas College offers
a varied set of programs:
32 distinct programs across
14 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Thomas College is 23:1, high (larger classes are common).
Student : Faculty
23:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$67M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$67,880
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
33 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
12
36%
$78,869
Associate Professors
13
39%
$64,496
Assistant Professors
7
21%
$57,622
Instructors
1
3%
$51,827
Pros & Cons of Thomas College
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Thomas College tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Below-average net price
Accessible admissions for most applicants
Tight-knit, close community feel
CONS
Larger class sizes than typical
Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Best for:
Based on the data, Thomas College is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about Thomas College
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Thomas College.
Is Thomas College hard to get into?
Thomas College has open or near-open admissions. Most qualified applicants are accepted. Acceptance rate: 96.3%.
What is the acceptance rate at Thomas College?
Thomas College has an acceptance rate of 96.3%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
How much does Thomas College cost?
The average net price after aid at Thomas College is $18,885 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Thomas College worth it?
Moderate return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $44,991 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $18,885 per year. That's roughly 2.4x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Thomas College known for?
Thomas College is best known for its programs in Business Administration, Business Administration, Teacher Education (K-12). These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Thomas College graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Thomas College are $44,991, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Thomas College accredited?
Yes. Thomas College is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Thomas College?
Thomas College enrolls 647 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Thomas College?
Thomas College graduates 63% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Thomas College a public or private college?
Thomas College is a Private Nonprofit institution.
Where is Thomas College located?
Thomas College is located in Waterville, Maine.
What programs does Thomas College offer?
Thomas College offers 32 distinct programs. The most popular include Business Administration, Business Administration, Teacher Education (K-12).
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Thomas College?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Thomas College is 23:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in Maine
Other colleges in Maine share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
