Private Nonprofit Graduate Good 56/100

Thomas College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Waterville, Maine

About Thomas College

Thinking about Thomas College, a college in Maine where more students graduate in Business than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

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. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
96.3%
Graduation
62.7%
Net Price
$18,885
Median Earnings (10yr)
$44,991
Enrollment
647
Student : Faculty
23:1

Accreditor New England Commission on Higher Education
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
56/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 49
Value 37
Affordability 35
Selectivity 7

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Thomas College admits 96.3% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
96.3%
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Test Optional Applicants 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
83.8%201997.2%202297.1%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $18,885 a year on average, it sits below what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

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.

$3,500
10% percentile
$6,500
25% percentile
$24,250
Median percentile
$27,000
75% percentile
$35,000
90% 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
Pell recipients: 16.8% (4,062 students)No Pell: 16.7% (4,041 students)Dependent students: 16.8% (4,062 students)Independent students: 16.8% (4,062 students)Female students: 16.8% (4,062 students)Male students: 16.3% (3,961 students)Overall Median$24,250
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 students who start here finish within six years, and 78% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

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

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $44,991 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

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.

$36,000$39,000$41,000$44,000$46,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

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
60.4%1yr70.9%3yr81.8%5yr82%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 82% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 647 students, a small, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 38% are the first in their family to go to college.

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
White: 68.2% (441 students)International: 7.1% (46 students)Black: 4.2% (27 students)Other: 3.4% (22 students)Hispanic: 1.7% (11 students)Asian: 0.9% (6 students)Total647

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: Remote Waterville, Maine
Housing
Strongly residential 611 beds for 647 students
Adult Learners
1% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Education graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

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.

10 Programs
4 Programs
1 Program
1 Program
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 23 students for every instructor here: high, so expect big lectures and to work harder for one-to-one time.

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

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Thomas College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

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

The questions families ask most about Thomas College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Thomas College hard to get into?
Not especially. Thomas College admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 96.3%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Thomas College?
96.3% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Thomas College cost?
Budget around $18,885 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Thomas College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $44,991 a year against a net price of $18,885, about 2.4 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Thomas College known for?
Mostly Business Administration, Business Administration, Teacher Education (K-12). Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Thomas College graduates earn?
About $44,991 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Thomas College accredited?
Yes. Thomas College is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Thomas College?
647 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Thomas College?
63% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Thomas College a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Thomas College located?
Thomas College is located in Waterville, Maine.
What programs does Thomas College offer?
32 different programs, most commonly Business Administration, Business Administration, Teacher Education (K-12). If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Thomas College?
23 students per instructor. On the high side, so expect big classes and to seek out contact time yourself. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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