Bethel University vs Central College

Bethel University and Central College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Bethel, a private Christian university, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a higher graduation rate compared to Central, a private liberal arts college. While Bethel's student body is predominantly White, Central's student body is more diverse. In terms of popular majors, Bethel excels in nursing, business, and education, while Central is known for its strengths in biology, psychology, and English. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences and more. Explore the table to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bethel University	Central College
Overview
Location	Saint Paul, Minnesota	Pella, Iowa
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	86.0%	79.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Baptist	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.7%	74.5%
Application fees		$25
SAT range	1123 - 1343	1000 - 1260
ACT range	20 - 28	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	4.0%	10.0%
Students submitting ACT score	57.0%	67.0%
Total number of applicants	2,050	2,202
Total number of admissions given out	1,818	1,641
Admitted students who chose to enroll	504	340
Yield rate	27.7%	20.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$55,228	$34,302
Average net price	$28,840	$22,966
Tuition	$39,920	$19,250
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,990 Meal plan: $5,160	Room/dormitory: $4,892 Meal plan: $5,660
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $24,534	100.0% Average amount $10,353
Students receiving federal student loan	65.0% Average amount $5,559	73.0% Average amount $5,605
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $15,453	13.0% Average amount $12,712

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,653 Men 38.9% Women 61.1%	1,139 Men 51.3% Women 48.7%
Graduate students	1,078 Men 32.5% Women 67.5%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	22.4%	N/A
International students	0.8%	0.1%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,819	1,405
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota Wisconsin Iowa South Dakota Illinois	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Health Professions Theology Social Sciences	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Communication and Journalism Education Business English Language and Literature
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	74.3%	66.1%
Dropout rate	25.0%	2.5%
Transferred out	N/A	31.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,189 Year 2: $101,406 Year 3: $114,186 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,885 Year 2: $80,858 Year 3: $99,647 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $99,325 Year 3: $97,047 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,998 Year 2: $66,964 Year 3: $70,318 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,253 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,100 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $61,022 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,747 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $56,122 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,385 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $55,588 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,180 Year 2: $47,427 Year 3: $53,686 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,174 Year 2: $49,883 Year 3: $51,683	Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,045 Year 3: $57,439 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,169 Year 2: $44,542 Year 3: $50,519 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,119 Year 3: $48,234 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,721 Year 3: $41,814 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $40,707 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $37,077 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,314 Year 3: $33,927 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,790 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: N/A

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