Central College Data & Information Overview
Get the facts about Central College. Learn how it ranks, what majors it offers, how diverse it is, and much more. Want to know more about a specific stat? Just click on its tile, and you’ll go to a page that goes more in-depth on that subject. You can also use the links below to go directly to any section on this page.- Rankings
- Admission and Acceptance
- Faculty
- Retention and Graduation Rates
- Diversity
- Cost
- Student Debt
- Average Earnings
- Location
- Majors
- Online Learning
- Related Schools
How Well Is Central College Ranked?
2022 Rankings
College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.
Central College was awarded 130 badges in the 2022 rankings. The highest ranked major at the school is teacher education grade specific.
Overall Quality
Central landed the #545 spot in College Factual's 2022 ranking of best overall colleges in the United States. The higher ed experts analyzed 2,576 colleges and universities across the nation to determine this ranking.
Out of the 45 colleges in Iowa, Central is ranked at #13.
See all of the rankings for Central College.
Is It Hard to Get Into Central?
Acceptance Rate
Central College has an acceptance rate of 64%, which means the school is serious about who it admits. Take your time in putting together a strong application that highlights why you are a good fit for Central.
Average Test Scores
About 11% of students accepted to Central submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 490 and 588. Math scores were between 503 and 585.
Learn more about Central College admissions.
Central College Faculty
Student to Faculty Ratio
The student to faculty ratio at Central is an impressive 11 to 1. That's quite good when you compare it to the national average of 15 to 1. This is a good sign that students at the school will have more opportunities for one-on-one interactions with their professors.
Percent of Full-Time Faculty
Another measure that is often used to estimate how much access students will have to their professors is how many faculty members are full-time. The idea here is that part-time faculty tend to spend less time on campus, so they may not be as available to students as full-timers.
The full-time faculty percentage at Central College is 98%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
Retention and Graduation Rates at Central College
Freshmen Retention Rate
Central College has a freshmen retention rate of 73%. That's a good sign that full-time students like the school and their professors enough to want to stick around for another year. It's also a sign that the admissions team did a good job in choosing applicants who were a good fit for the school.
Graduation Rate
Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At Central the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 68%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Central College.
Central College Undergraduate Student Diversity
During the 2017-2018 academic year, there were 1,120 undergraduates at Central with 1,079 being full-time and 41 being part-time.
How Much Does Central College Cost?
The overall average net price of Central is $23,269. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.Net Price by Income Group for Central
$0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
---|---|---|---|---|
$19,172 | $19,207 | $19,495 | $23,810 | $28,720 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.Note that the net price is typically less than the published for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Central, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
Student Loan Debt
It's not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At Central, approximately 77% of students took out student loans averaging $7,674 a year. That adds up to $30,696 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at Central is 2.8%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.
Get more details about paying for Central College.
How Much Money Do Central Graduates Make?
Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from Central with a bachelor's degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $44,700 in their early years. That's great news for Central students since it is 12% more than the average college graduate's salary of $39,802 per year.
See which majors at Central College make the most money.
Location of Central College
Located in Pella, Iowa, Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. The location of Central is a good match for students who are interested in living in a college town while they pursue their degree.Get more details about the location of Central College.

Contact details for Central are given below.
Contact Details | |
---|---|
Address: | 812 University, Pella, IA 50219 |
Phone: | 877-462-3687 |
Website: | www.central.edu/ |
Facebook: | https://www.facebook.com/CentralCollege |
Twitter: | https://twitter.com/centralcollege |
Central College Majors
Most Popular Majors | Bachelor’s Degrees | Average Salary of Graduates |
---|---|---|
General Biology | 36 | $30,409 |
Business Administration & Management | 33 | $41,007 |
Physiology & Pathology Sciences | 28 | NA |
Teacher Education Grade Specific | 20 | $39,639 |
Romance Languages | 19 | $16,478 |
Sociology | 16 | $25,194 |
Accounting | 13 | NA |
General Psychology | 13 | $28,960 |
Allied Health Professions | 12 | $25,194 |
Natural Resources Conservation | 12 | NA |
Learn more about online learning at Central College.
Find Out More About Central College
Related Schools
If you’re considering Central College, here are some more schools you may be interested in knowing more about.
- Canisius College
- Charleston Southern University
- Ripon College
- Saint Mary’s College of California
- Whittier College
Curious on how these schools stack up against Central? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare college on the features that matter most to you!
Notes and References
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References
- National Center for Education Statistics
- College Scorecard
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
- Image Credit: By Central College Alumni under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.