Thomas College
Private College in Waterville, ME. Six-year graduation rate 54%. Median 10-year earnings $44,991.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $44,991 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. 54% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Median debt at graduation is $24,250, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree. It also moves people — 3.0% of students climb from the bottom fifth of the income distribution to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Thomas College admits 96% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. The applicant pool is small at 974, which makes year-over-year comparisons unreliable. Only 16% of admitted students enroll — the great majority of admits go elsewhere or nowhere.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Thomas College →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 54%, meaning about one in two students who enroll leave without finishing. First-year retention is 77% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. At 20:1, class sizes land in the normal range for an undergraduate institution. This is a private nonprofit four-year college, so read every rate on this page against that peer group specifically.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 688 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $19,126 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $12,655 while those at $110k+ pay $26,770. Grant aid is widespread — 98% of students receive it, averaging $25,253. Borrowing is widespread: 75% take federal loans.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 194 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $12,655 |
| $30–48k | $11,904 |
| $48–75k | $16,227 |
| $75–110k | $18,145 |
| $110k+ | $26,770 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 519 of these 688 students, totalling $3,405,226 — an average of $6,561 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Kennebec County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)