Aquinas College
Aquinas College is a private Dominican Catholic liberal arts college in Grand Rapids, Michigan, founded in 1886, serving traditional undergraduates, graduate students, and adult learners through 100+ majors, three master's programs, and an optional one-class-at-a-time block scheduling model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1886
- HeadquartersGrand Rapids, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Aquinas College does
Aquinas College is a private Dominican Catholic liberal arts institution founded in 1886 and located on a single campus at 1700 Fulton St E in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It serves traditional undergraduates, transfer students, graduate students, adult/continuing education learners, dual enrollment high school students, and military/veteran students through a portfolio spanning over 100 undergraduate majors and minors, three graduate master's programs (Management, Education, and Clinical Mental Health Counseling), continuing education, and dual enrollment partnerships with Grand Rapids Catholic Central and West Catholic High School. A signature offering is the optional one-class-at-a-time block scheduling model, in which students take a single course every day for 18 straight days before a 4-day weekend break; approximately one in four incoming first-year students is admitted to this track.
The college generates revenue primarily through tuition and fees for credit-bearing undergraduate and graduate enrollment, supplemented by room and board from residential students. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via an admissions office, a dedicated admissions portal (admissions.aquinas.edu), and an employer-channel partnership program (Donnelly Scholarship) with West Michigan employers and the Grand Rapids Public Schools. The college reports strong outcome metrics used as recruiting assets: 99% of 2025 graduates employed or in graduate school within six months, 100% nursing employment and 100% NCLEX pass rate via the University of Detroit Mercy co-degree, and a medical school acceptance rate 20% above the national average. The institution runs the Ellucian student information system for administrative functions, has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, and is preparing to launch three new technology-focused majors in Fall 2026 covering AI and data science.
Aquinas College firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aquinas College
- Legal name
- Aquinas College
- Website
- https://aquinas.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1886
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Aquinas College is a private Dominican Catholic liberal arts college in Grand Rapids, Michigan, founded in 1886, serving traditional undergraduates, graduate students, and adult learners through 100+ majors, three master's programs, and an optional one-class-at-a-time block scheduling model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aquinas College industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education (Liberal Arts College)
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Religiously Affiliated Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- General Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAA)
Keywords
Where Aquinas College is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grand Rapids
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Aquinas College business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Tuition and Fees: Traditional tuition-based revenue model for undergraduate and graduate programs. Students pay tuition and fees for enrollment in credit-bearing courses. Financial aid, scholarships, and grants available to offset costs. Pricing not publicly disclosed in source materials; scholarship calculator tool available.
- Room and Board: Housing and dining services for residential students, including residence life programs and campus dining facilities.
- Graduate Programs: Graduate programs including Master of Management, Master in Education, and Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling generate revenue through graduate tuition rates.
- Continuing Education: Adult education programs for post-traditional learners approximately 23 years and older. Programs include Continuing Education (Adult Undergraduate) and various graduate programs with flexible scheduling.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Aquinas College product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aquinas College delivers Dominican Catholic liberal arts higher education through undergraduate programs spanning more than 100 areas of study and a focused graduate portfolio (Master of Management, Master of Education, Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling). It supplements these degree programs with the one-class-at-a-time block scheduling model, a collaborative Nursing program with University of Detroit Mercy, continuing education for adult learners, dual enrollment for high school students, and career services anchored by a strong internship network. Auxiliary offerings include campus housing, dining, athletics, and student support services.
Product overview
Aquinas College is a Dominican Catholic liberal arts institution offering a unified educational portfolio centered on undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The undergraduate core provides over 100 majors and minors through traditional liberal arts education supplemented by experiential learning and block scheduling options. Graduate offerings include three distinct professional master's programs (Management, Education, Clinical Mental Health Counseling) with flexible completion timelines. The institution also serves adult learners through continuing education and dual enrollment pathways, and partners with University of Detroit Mercy for nursing education. All programs share the institution's emphasis on experiential learning, relationship-based education, and Dominican values.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Undergraduate Programs Four-year Dominican Catholic liberal arts education offering 100+ majors and minors with experiential learning, internships, study abroad, study away, and research opportunities for traditional-age undergraduate students.
- Master of Management (MM) Graduate business degree with flexible completion options ranging from 18 to 84 months, emphasizing organizational culture, leadership, and motivation for working professionals seeking career advancement.
- Master of Education (M.Ed.) Teacher certification and graduate education program in Michigan, including the Accelerated Masters in Education (AME) track for elementary or secondary certification.
- Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MAC) 60-semester-hour graduate program preparing students for Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) designation in Michigan and other states, with clinical mental health counseling training.
- Nursing Program (with University of Detroit Mercy) Collaborative nursing program with University of Detroit Mercy delivered at Aquinas College, achieving 100% NCLEX pass rate and 100% employment within six months of graduation.
- Insignis Honors Program Academic honors program recognizing and supporting high-achieving undergraduate students at Aquinas College.
- Continuing Education (Adult Undergraduate) Adult undergraduate programs for post-traditional learners approximately 23 years and older, offering 60+ areas of study with flexible evening and weekend scheduling for working adults and parents.
- Dual Enrollment College credit courses for eligible high school students, delivered in partnership with Grand Rapids Catholic Central and West Catholic High School.
Quantifiable outcome
- 99% of 2025 Aquinas graduates are either employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Aquinas College
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Aquinas College technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature1 record
Aquinas College partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- University of Detroit MercycoreNursing program partnership with University of Detroit Mercy. The Aquinas/University of Detroit Mercy Nursing Program at Aquinas College has achieved 100% NCLEX pass rate and 100% employment within six months for graduates.
- Michigan State Colleges (Accelerated Master and Early Assurance Agreements)minorAccelerated Master and Early Assurance Agreements with state colleges in Michigan for seamless transitions to graduate programs.
- Treetops CollectiveminorCross-cultural community partnership connecting Aquinas students with refugee teens in Kent County for experiential learning and community building.
- Corewell HealthminorCorporate partner participating in employee tuition benefit programs (Donnelly Scholarship) for their employees.
- MeijerminorCorporate partner participating in employee tuition benefit programs (Donnelly Scholarship) for their employees.
- SteelcaseminorCorporate partner participating in employee tuition benefit programs (Donnelly Scholarship) for their employees.
- Grand Rapids Public SchoolsminorSchool district partner in Donnelly Scholarship program offering tuition benefits to employee children.
- Diocese of Grand RapidsminorDiocesan partner in Donnelly Scholarship program offering tuition benefits to employees and their families.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Aquinas College competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Calvin University: Calvin University is a private Christian liberal arts university also located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, offering similar four-year undergraduate residential programs with comparable scale and a strong outcomes narrative. It is the closest geographic peer to Aquinas and competes directly for the same West Michigan student pool.
- Hope College: Hope College is a private liberal arts college in Holland, Michigan, affiliated with the Reformed Church in America. It competes directly with Aquinas for traditional undergraduate students in West Michigan and shares a comparable small-college, residential, experiential-learning model.
- Cornerstone University: Cornerstone University is a private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan, offering undergraduate and graduate programs with a faith-based mission. It directly competes with Aquinas in the same metro for traditional and adult learners, and overlaps on graduate professional programs.
- University of Detroit Mercy: University of Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university in Detroit and Aquinas's nursing program partner. It offers similar professional graduate programs and competes for Catholic undergraduate and graduate students in Michigan, with overlapping faith-based identity and professional-school orientation.
Regional players
- Calvin Theological Seminary: Calvin Theological Seminary is a graduate theological institution in Grand Rapids, Michigan. While not a direct four-year undergraduate competitor, it sits in the same West Michigan religious higher-education ecosystem and competes for graduate-level faith-mission students.
Broad incumbents
- Loyola University Chicago: Loyola University Chicago is a larger, established Jesuit Catholic university offering comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs nationally. It shares Aquinas's Catholic liberal arts mission and is a comparable reference point on outcomes, block-style programs, and graduate professional offerings, though at much larger scale.
- Marquette University: Marquette University is a private Jesuit Catholic research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While geographically adjacent, it shares Aquinas's Catholic identity and competes for mission-driven students seeking faith-based higher education with strong graduate professional programs.
- DePaul University: DePaul University is the largest private Catholic university in the U.S., located in Chicago. It competes with Aquinas for graduate professional students in Management, Education, and Counseling across the Midwest, and offers similar Catholic mission and career-focused outcomes.
- University of Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame is the preeminent private Catholic research university in the U.S. While far larger and more selective, it sets the aspirational benchmark for Catholic liberal arts outcomes, branding, and graduate professional school placement rates relevant to Aquinas's positioning.
- Gonzaga University: Gonzaga University is a private Catholic liberal arts university in Spokane, Washington, known for combining faith-based education with strong career outcomes. It shares Aquinas's Catholic liberal arts mission and experiential learning emphasis, serving as a reference point for outcomes messaging and pricing in faith-based higher education.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Aquinas College social profiles
Digital presenceAquinas College compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
Aquinas College financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aquinas College leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Aquinas College funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aquinas College M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Aquinas College
What does Aquinas College do?
Aquinas College delivers Dominican Catholic liberal arts higher education through undergraduate programs spanning more than 100 areas of study and a focused graduate portfolio (Master of Management, Master of Education, Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling). It supplements these degree programs with the one-class-at-a-time block scheduling model, a collaborative Nursing program with University of Detroit Mercy, continuing education for adult learners, dual enrollment for high school students, and career services anchored by a strong internship network. Auxiliary offerings include campus housing, dining, athletics, and student support services.
Is Aquinas College a public or private company?
Aquinas College is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Aquinas College founded?
Aquinas College was founded in 1886. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Aquinas College based?
Aquinas College is headquartered in Grand Rapids, United States, in the North America region.
How does Aquinas College make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are room and Board, graduate Programs and continuing Education.
Who are Aquinas College's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Calvin University, Hope College, Cornerstone University and University of Detroit Mercy. Calvin Theological Seminary is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Loyola University Chicago, Marquette University, DePaul University, University of Notre Dame and Gonzaga University.
Does Aquinas College have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aquinas College.
What industry is Aquinas College in?
Aquinas College's product category is Higher Education (Liberal Arts College). Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHACAF, Religiously Affiliated Liberal Arts Colleges, with a secondary code of EDAHACAA, General Liberal Arts Colleges. Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.