Central College vs Dickinson College

Central College and Dickinson College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Central, nestled in the vibrant city of Pella, Iowa, boasts a tight-knit community with a 99% acceptance rate, making it an accessible option for aspiring scholars. Dickinson, located in the historic town of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, maintains a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 33%, attracting a diverse student body from across the globe. While Central's student population predominantly comprises Iowans, Dickinson's student body reflects a broader national and international representation. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details regarding these institutions' acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, empowering you to make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Central College	Dickinson College
Overview
Location	Pella, Iowa	Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	92.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	74.5%	48.1%
Application fees	$25	$65
SAT range	1000 - 1260	N/A
ACT range	19 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	10.0%
Students submitting ACT score	67.0%
Total number of applicants	2,202	6,366
Total number of admissions given out	1,641	3,061
Admitted students who chose to enroll	340	677
Yield rate	20.7%	22.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$34,302	$77,300
Average net price	$22,966	$20,913
Tuition	$19,250	$58,158
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,892 Meal plan: $5,660	Room/dormitory: $7,866 Meal plan: $7,386
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $10,353	92.0% Average amount $39,555
Students receiving federal student loan	73.0% Average amount $5,605	41.0% Average amount $3,696
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $12,712	16.0% Average amount $9,232

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,139 Men 51.3% Women 48.7%	2,180 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%
Graduate students	N/A	6 Men 33.3% Women 66.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	0.1%	12.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,405	2,118
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Communication and Journalism Education Business English Language and Literature	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	66.1%	82.4%
Dropout rate	2.5%	17.6%
Transferred out	31.0%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	International Business (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,304 Year 2: $51,750 Year 3: $73,244 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,684 Year 2: $50,320 Year 3: $56,449 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,823 Year 3: $55,723 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $49,550 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,461 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $48,836 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,322 Year 2: $40,737 Year 3: $43,711 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $43,177 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,473 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $42,465 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $40,634 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,617 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $38,644

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