Thomas More College of Liberal Arts

What Thomas More College of Liberal Arts does

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts is a private, independent Catholic liberal arts college founded in 1978 by Peter Sampo and operating from a 14-acre campus at Six Manchester Street, Merrimack, New Hampshire, with a secondary residential program in Rome (Villa Magnolia). It serves a deliberately small, residential student body of approximately 93 students (admitting 30 per year, evenly split by gender), of whom 99% live on campus, with a 10:1 student–teacher ratio and average class size of 18. The college delivers a single, integrated four-year Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts built on the Great Books tradition — no majors, no departmental divisions — supplemented by mandatory sophomore semester in Rome and a practical-skill Guild program (woodworking, sacred art, music, brewing, homesteading, outdoorsmanship). Complementary revenue programs include two-week Great Books Summer Programs and a ten-day Rome High School Summer Program for rising high school seniors, an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts (approved 2023), and a recently authorized Master of Arts in Liberal Arts (approved 2025).

The college's underlying 'technology' is pedagogical rather than digital: an integrated reading list spanning the Western canon from Antiquity through the Modern Age, Socratic seminar discussion, sacramental Catholic life including daily Mass, and site-immersive formation in Rome and on the U.S. Western Pilgrimage. The publishing subsidiary Thomas More College Press (which became publisher of the St. Austin Review in March 2026) and the Center for the Restoration of Christian Culture extend the college's intellectual footprint beyond enrolled students. Marketing and enrollment channels are predominantly direct: rolling admissions with Early Action, personalized admissions counseling, fee-waived applications, Open House visits, summer feeder programs, a Faith & Reason Scholarship Contest, and direct outreach through high schools and parishes.

The business model is tuition-driven, subscription-style annual billing. Published 2025–2026 full-time resident total charges are $41,840 (Tuition $30,000, Food/Housing $11,440) rising to $43,340 in 2026–2027, with commuter ($32,480–$33,570) and Rome student ($11,960 housing / $900 fees) variants. Part-time students pay $900 per semester hour. Pricing is supported by institutional aid, scholarships, Federal Work-Study/SEOG, payment plans (4- and 9-month installment), and Title IV federal aid eligibility. Revenue mix is dominated by undergraduate tuition and residential room/board, with smaller contributions from summer programs, fees, and ancillary publishing/lecture activity; revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts

Legal name

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts

Website

https://thomasmorecollege.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts is a private Catholic liberal arts college in Merrimack, NH serving ~93 residential students through an integrated Great Books curriculum, mandatory sophomore semester in Rome, and practical guild programs, with revenue drawn from tuition, room/board, fees, and summer programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education (Catholic Liberal Arts College)

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Junior Colleges (6112)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Religiously Affiliated Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Great Books/Core Curriculum Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAM)

Keywords

• Catholic higher education
• Liberal arts college
• Great Books curriculum
• Study abroad semester
• Academic summer programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Merrimack

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Undergraduate Tuition: Primary revenue source from tuition charges for undergraduate degree programs. Students pay tuition for both Merrimack and Rome semesters at the same rate.
2. Room and Board: Revenue from student housing and dining services provided on campus.
3. Summer Programs: Revenue from Great Books Summer Programs and Rome High School Summer Program, providing образовательные services to high school students.
4. Fees: Various fees including application fees (waived), program fees, and payment plan processing fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts delivers a four-year, residential Catholic liberal arts education built on a single integrated Great Books curriculum without departmental majors. All students complete the same sequence of primary texts across the Western canon and a mandatory sophomore semester in Rome, complemented by a Guild program of practical skills and daily Catholic liturgical life, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts with concentrations in Scripture and Theology, Literature and Humane Letters, and Statesmanship and Moral Philosophy.

Product overview

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts offers a single, integrated Catholic liberal arts education built around the Great Books tradition. The core product is a four-year Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts program featuring mandatory study in Rome, practical guild experiences, and concentrations in Scripture and Theology, Literature and Humane Letters, and Statesmanship and Moral Philosophy. The college also operates complementary programs including Great Books Summer Programs for high school students, a Rome High School Summer Program, and the Western Pilgrimage semester. Supporting operations include Thomas More College Press for publishing Catholic intellectual works and the Center for the Restoration of Christian Culture for outreach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts (Four-Year Residential Program) A four-year, residential Catholic liberal arts degree built on a single integrated Great Books curriculum (no departmental majors), with a mandatory sophomore semester in Rome, daily Catholic liturgical life, and a Guild program of practical skills; concentrations in Scripture and Theology, Literature and Humane Letters, and Statesmanship and Moral Philosophy. Target students are high-school graduates seeking an authentically Catholic liberal arts education.
• Rome Semester A mandatory spring semester at the Villa Magnolia on Via delle Fornaci (Rome) for all TMC sophomores, including on-site study of ancient, medieval, and Renaissance art, Church history, and theology through visits to churches, museums, and historic locations. Included in standard B.A. tuition at no additional charge.
• Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts (A.A.L.A.) A two-year Catholic liberal arts associate degree for students seeking a foundation before entering religious life, trades, or specialized professional training, or as a transfer pathway to a four-year program. NECHE-accredited.
• Master of Arts in Liberal Arts (M.A.L.A.) Graduate-level master's degree in the Catholic liberal arts tradition, authorized by the New Hampshire Department of Education; expands the college's degree offerings beyond the four-year B.A.
• Great Books Summer Programs Affordable two-week residential summer programs for rising high school students offering formation in the classics through reading primary texts from the Western intellectual tradition with guided Socratic-style discussions. Priced at $500 covering room, board, and books. Doubles as the college's primary recruitment pipeline for full-time enrollment.
• Rome High School Summer Program A 10-day residential summer program for rising high school seniors offering immersion in Rome's historical and spiritual sites with readings from classical texts about the Eternal City. Priced at $4,500 including airfare between the NH campus and Rome.
• Western Pilgrimage A semester-long experience exploring western U.S. states (Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico), completing 10 academic credit hours while visiting national parks and cultural sites. Delivered in collaboration with Altum L'alto Pilgrimages (ALP) and offered to male students not currently enrolled at a Catholic Great Books college.
• Guild Program Practical-skills guilds offered alongside the academic curriculum, including woodworking, sacred art, sacred music, folk music, outdoorsman skills, homesteading, and brewing; integrated into the B.A. experience to provide hands-on formation alongside intellectual studies.
• Thomas More College Press The publishing arm of the college; publishes the St. Austin Review and other Catholic intellectual tradition works, supporting the mission to publish and disseminate Catholic intellectual formation materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• 78% freshman retention rate
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• H2o News (Vatican Studies Center)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents in the Rome semester have the opportunity to participate in internships with H2o News, an Internet-based Catholic media agency associated with the College's Vatican Studies Center. Students help create TV broadcasts about Church news, editing copy, correcting translations, and dubbing voices of newsmakers, cardinals, and Vatican officials.
• Holiday Inn Express & Suites (Merrimack)minorOthersProvides discounted rates for visitors to Thomas More College. One of several local hotel partners including Quality Inn, Hampton Inn, Clarion Inn, Country Inn & Suites, Residences at Daniel Webster, and Extended Stay America.
• Boston Express Bus ServiceminorOthersBus service from Boston Logan Airport to Exit 8 in Nashua. The college provides free shuttle service to and from this bus stop for prospective students and visitors.
• Altum L'alto Pilgrimages (ALP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with ALP to offer The Western Pilgrimage, a semester-long experience for male students not currently enrolled at a Catholic Great Books college. Students explore western states earning 10 academic credits while visiting national parks and completing adventure activities.
• Local New Hampshire ParishesminorOthersStudents participate in local parishes including St. Patrick's Catholic Church (Nashua), St. Stanislaus Catholic Church FSSP (Nashua), St. Christopher's Parish, and St. Benedict Abbey (MA). College students teach CCD, serve, and sing at these parishes.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ave Maria University: Catholic university in Ave Maria, FL with a faithful Catholic mission and traditional liberal arts offerings. Comparable target demographic though broader and more recently founded in its current form.
• University of Dallas: Catholic university in Irving, TX with a strong core curriculum including Great Books components (e.g., Classics and Politics tracks). Larger and more research-oriented, but competes for the same formation-seeking students.
• Franciscan University of Steubenville: Larger Catholic university with a faithful Catholic identity and Newman Guide recognition. Broader portfolio including graduate programs, but overlapping applicant pool and mission with TMC.
• Belmont Abbey College: Small Catholic Benedictine liberal arts college in Belmont, NC. Overlaps with TMC in mission, scale, and liberal arts orientation, though with a monastic rather than lay governance model.

Direct peers

• Thomas Aquinas College: Catholic liberal arts college in California with a Great Books, discussion-based, no-majors program. Direct methodological peer with similar seminar pedagogy and integrated curriculum.
• Christendom College: Catholic liberal arts college in Front Royal, VA with a faithful Catholic identity, Newman Guide recognition, and traditional liberal arts core. Comparable mission and student demographic to TMC.
• Wyoming Catholic College: Small Catholic liberal arts college in Lander, WY that also uses a Great Books curriculum and outdoor/Western formation model. Most direct peer to TMC given similar scale, Catholic identity, and integrated core curriculum.
• Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts: Tiny Catholic Great Books college in Bedford, NH offering a single integrated liberal arts curriculum. Closest peer by scale, geography (New Hampshire), and Great Books pedagogy.
• Saint John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe): Non-Catholic Great Books college with a single integrated 'Program' of study based on the great books of Western civilization. The closest curricular analog to TMC's Great Books model, though secular.

Others

• Cardinal Newman Society: Not a peer institution but the curator of the Newman Guide that classifies TMC and similar faithful Catholic colleges. Relevant as a referral/affiliate channel and ecosystem anchor for the same applicant demographic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6EyE5h8fQGN0U_hGVmeL-w
• Xx.com/ThomasMoreNH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-thomas-more-college-of-liberal-arts-inc.

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Thomas More College of Liberal Arts