Central College vs Buena Vista University

Central College and Buena Vista University, both esteemed institutions in the heart of Iowa, offer distinct educational experiences. Central College, nestled in Pella, boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a diverse student body from various backgrounds. Its strengths lie in the liberal arts and sciences, with popular majors including biology, business, and education. Buena Vista University, located in Storm Lake, stands out for its strong focus on career preparation, reflected in its popular majors such as business, education, and exercise science. With a slightly lower acceptance rate, Buena Vista fosters a close-knit community, ensuring personalized attention for its students. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, their unique characteristics cater to different aspirations and learning styles. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Buena Vista University	Central College
Overview
Location	Storm Lake, Iowa	Pella, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	73.0%	79.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.0%	74.5%
Application fees		$25
SAT range	963 - 1140	1000 - 1260
ACT range	18 - 25	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%	10.0%
Students submitting ACT score	57.0%	67.0%
Total number of applicants	1,749	2,202
Total number of admissions given out	1,154	1,641
Admitted students who chose to enroll	237	340
Yield rate	20.5%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$53,162	$34,302
Average net price	$18,532	$22,966
Tuition	$37,518	$19,250
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,114 Meal plan: $5,256	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)	100.0% Average amount $31,137	100.0% Average amount $10,353
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $5,750	73.0% Average amount $5,605
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $5,551	13.0% Average amount $12,712

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,506 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	1,139 Men 51.3% Women 48.7%
Graduate students	453 Men 16.3% Women 83.7%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	39.4%	N/A
International students	0.5%	0.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	836	1,405
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Iowa Texas Nebraska Minnesota Arizona	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science	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	62.8%	66.1%
Dropout rate	36.8%	2.5%
Transferred out	N/A	31.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,501 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $61,003 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,278 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $52,709 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,249 Year 2: $45,455 Year 3: $48,387 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,936 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $46,768 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,901 Year 2: $47,494 Year 3: $46,501 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,530 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $45,327 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,042 Year 2: $40,089 Year 3: $45,181 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,301 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $44,742 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,198 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $43,790 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,262 Year 2: $37,819 Year 3: $37,074	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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