Thomas Aquinas College (TAC) was ranked second in the United States, following Princeton University, in alumni giving — a sign of graduates’ satisfaction with the education they have received. U.S. News & World Report published the findings this year.

“We are grateful to our alumni for, once again, demonstrating their gratitude and commitment to their alma mater through their generous annual giving,” says vice president for development Paul J. O’Reilly.

The only Catholic institution to make the Top 10 rankings, TAC’s 58.3 percent alumni giving rate is nearly five times greater than the previously reported national average rate of 12.8 percent. It is also nearly four percentage points higher than the average among those schools with the top 10 highest rates (54.4 percent).

“It is always heartening to see how our alumni — even if they are just starting out in the world, or if they have large families to provide for, or if they are priests — will find a way to contribute, often sacrificially, to the college,” says Director of Alumni Relations Mark Kretschmer. “Time and again, they tell me that they are so grateful to the benefactors who helped make their education possible, and they now want to pass along that gift to today’s students.”