A new independent report on college costs published by The Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education named the University of St. Thomas among the 21 most affordable and faithful Catholic colleges and universities in the United States.

The Center — the research division of The Cardinal Newman Society — commissioned this report in response to the economic recession as a way of helping parents and students as they consider various options for colleges. The study compares the Catholic colleges recommended in The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College: What to Look for and Where to Find It, with other Catholic colleges and other private colleges on issues such as tuition, institutional aid, student debt and overall affordability. The Catholic colleges profiled in The Newman Guide were chosen for their quality education and for the priority that they place on Catholic identity in all aspects of campus life.

“The University of St. Thomas is honored to be included among the affordable and faithful Catholic universities recommended by The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College,” said UST President Dr. Robert Ivany. “In these challenging economic times, this news will certainly be a reassurance for students and parents to learn that UST’s outstanding quality education has garnered recognition for providing an affordable value competitive with other Catholic colleges and private colleges throughout the United States.”

Among the study’s key findings:

• Average tuition for students at the recommended faithful Catholic colleges is about $3,000 less than at other Catholic colleges and about $1,000 less than the average private college.

• The Newman Guide colleges provide students a larger portion of institutional aid (39 percent) than the average private college (29 percent).

• Students at the Catholic recommended colleges graduate with fewer loans and less debt—on average, about $2,000 less than at private colleges and $1,400 less than other Catholic colleges.

“We have always believed that the recommended colleges were ‘best buys’ for families based on fidelity to Catholic teachings, but with the publication of this affordability study we now know that they are also truly economic ‘best buys’ too,” noted Joseph A. Esposito, editor of The Newman Guide and director of the Center. “The combination of faithful Catholic education and lower costs should put Newman Guide colleges at the top of any family’s list as they begin to make decisions on which college to attend in the fall,” Esposito said.

The study was conducted by Andrew Gillen, Ph.D., a leading expert on college affordability issues and the research director of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. The study is available online at TheNewmanGuide.com.