Aquinas College

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.

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

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 industry

PRIMARYEDAHACAF

Religiously Affiliated Liberal Arts Colleges

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Liberal Arts Colleges

SECONDARYEDAHACAA

General Liberal Arts Colleges

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Liberal Arts Colleges

Keywords

• Liberal arts education
• Undergraduate programs
• Graduate education
• Continuing education
• Experiential learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. Room and Board: Housing and dining services for residential students, including residence life programs and campus dining facilities.
3. 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.
4. 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

Core 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

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Detroit MercycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNursing 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)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccelerated Master and Early Assurance Agreements with state colleges in Michigan for seamless transitions to graduate programs.
• Treetops CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-cultural community partnership connecting Aquinas students with refugee teens in Kent County for experiential learning and community building.
• Corewell HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner participating in employee tuition benefit programs (Donnelly Scholarship) for their employees.
• MeijerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner participating in employee tuition benefit programs (Donnelly Scholarship) for their employees.
• SteelcaseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner participating in employee tuition benefit programs (Donnelly Scholarship) for their employees.
• Grand Rapids Public SchoolsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSchool district partner in Donnelly Scholarship program offering tuition benefits to employee children.
• Diocese of Grand RapidsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDiocesan partner in Donnelly Scholarship program offering tuition benefits to employees and their families.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct 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

• Xx.com/aquinascollege
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/AquinasCollegeGR
• Facebookfacebook.com/22548915534
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aquinas-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/aquinascollegegr
• TikToktiktok.com/@aquinascollege

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aquinas College