Thomas University — admissions, outcomes, merit aid & scholarships

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students. Affordable on average — net price runs around $18,499/yr.

✅ Best for

Students drawn to Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)
Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 970, or ACT below 18 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification

M2: Master's - Medium Programs

Total enrollment

998

1,000 - 4,999

In-state tuition

$11,640

sticker, before aid

Tuition

$11,640

flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)

Admit rate

43.2%

Moderately selective

SAT middle 50%

970–1110

EBRW + Math composite

ACT middle 50%

18–23

composite

Test policy

Required

2023

10-yr earnings

$49,716

median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry

$45,305

Earnings, 10 yrs after entry

$49,716

4-year completion

28%

Median debt (completers)

$21,198

Cost of attendance

$23,079

sticker price, not net

Pell-eligible students

55%

💰 True ROI

6.7× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)

$73,996

$18,499/yr avg net

Aid that hides behind the sticker

$18,320

vs sticker $92,316

10-yr earnings total

$497,160

$49,716/yr median, 10 yrs out

Years to recoup actual cost

1.5 yrs

at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Thomas University, the average net price is $18,499/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k

$15,640/yr

Family income $30-48k

$19,546/yr

Family income $48-75k

$19,923/yr

Family income $75-110k

$19,934/yr

Family income $110k+

$20,059/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Thomas University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Thomas University →

Opens on Thomas University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Thomas University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Thomas University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting

50 degrees · 32.3%

Typical career outcomes

Police Officer $72k Federal Special Agent $102k Detective / Investigator $91k

Public-sector careers in law enforcement, corrections, security. Strong pensions, modest base.

2. Business, Management, & Marketing

35 degrees · 22.6%

Typical career outcomes

Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k

Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.

3. Health Professions

31 degrees · 20.0%

Typical career outcomes

Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k

Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.

4. Public Administration & Social Services

24 degrees · 15.5%

Typical career outcomes

Social Worker $58k Social / Community Service Mgr $77k Urban / Regional Planner $82k

Government, nonprofit, social work. Mission-driven; lower wages than private sector but stable.

5. Psychology

15 degrees · 9.7%

Typical career outcomes

HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k

Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Thomas University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP)	Credential	Cohort	1-yr earnings	4-yr earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.	Bachelor's Degree	27	$74,176	$92,116
Criminal Justice and Corrections.	Bachelor's Degree	35	$52,991	$61,295
Business Administration, Management and Operations.	Bachelor's Degree	17	$36,436	$54,403
Psychology, General.	Bachelor's Degree	—	—	$43,219
Social Work.	Bachelor's Degree	22	—	$40,565

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Thomas University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Thomas University

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options

These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Thomas University doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.

Texas Tech University

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31 auto-merit scholarships on file

University of Louisville

KY · Public

19 auto-merit scholarships on file

University of Arkansas

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15 auto-merit scholarships on file

University of Mississippi

MS · Public

15 auto-merit scholarships on file