Central College vs Grinnell College

Central College and Grinnell College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions in Iowa, offer distinct educational experiences. Central, with an acceptance rate of 75%, is more accessible than Grinnell, which has a highly selective acceptance rate of 28%. Central's student body is more diverse, with 23% international students compared to Grinnell's 13%. While Grinnell boasts a higher graduation rate of 84% versus Central's 73%, both colleges excel in preparing students for postgraduate success. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences in academics, campus life, and more. Explore the table to discover which college aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	Central College	Grinnell College
Overview
Location	Pella, Iowa	Grinnell, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	93.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	74.5%	10.5%
Application fees	$25
SAT range	1000 - 1260	1370 - 1530
ACT range	19 - 25	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	10.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	67.0%	33.0%
Total number of applicants	2,202	10,513
Total number of admissions given out	1,641	1,108
Admitted students who chose to enroll	340	471
Yield rate	20.7%	42.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$34,302	$76,098
Average net price	$22,966	$37,423
Tuition	$19,250	$58,156
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,892 Meal plan: $5,660	Room/dormitory: $6,779 Meal plan: $7,572
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	100.0% Average amount $35,821
Students receiving federal student loan	73.0% Average amount $5,605	36.0% Average amount $3,952
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $12,712	12.0% Average amount $5,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,139 Men 51.3% Women 48.7%	1,748 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	91.5%
International students	0.1%	19.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,405	1,450
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Illinois Iowa Minnesota Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Communication and Journalism Education Business English Language and Literature	Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	66.1%	86.9%
Dropout rate	2.5%	12.9%
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	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,661 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $55,487 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,893 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $49,481 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,499 Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: $41,882 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,517 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,572 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $37,882 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $37,613 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,718 Year 2: $19,227 Year 3: $29,237 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $28,680 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,658 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,239 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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Central College vs Grinnell College

Central College

Grinnell College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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