Three colleges that appear in The Newman Guide for their fidelity to Catholic teaching were recently honored by the American Council of College Trustees and Alumni for the strength of their curriculum. Many others received high marks as well.

Thomas Aquinas College, Thomas More College of Liberal Arts,  and The University of Dallas were among just 21 institutions to receive an “A,” out of the over one thousand colleges and universities posted on the website What Will They Learn?

Ave Maria University, Belmont Abbey College,  Christendom College, Mount St. Mary’s University, The University of St. Thomas (Houston) all received a “B.”

ACTA has posted evaluations of each of the colleges’ curricula  of over one thousand public and private colleges and universities from across the country.

ACTA does not “rank colleges based on alumni donations or party school distinctions,” said press secretary, Daniel Burnett in a press release. “It rates them based on one crucial question: What will students learn?”

ACTA has identified seven essential areas of study for undergraduates including composition, literature, American history, foreign language, mathematics, science, and economics. The more of these areas of study required by a college or university, and the more substantive the curricula in these areas, the higher the school’s overall ACTA rating.

While a useful tool, ACTA’s ratings are based on criteria that not everyone will agree with as it doesn’t count if a college simply offers study in a particular area, it must require it of all students in order to count towards the ACTA rating.

Check out this excellent (and distressing) video from ACTA:

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