Central College vs Sweet Briar College

Central College and Sweet Briar College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Central College, located in Pella, Iowa, boasts a higher acceptance rate (98%) compared to Sweet Briar College's (75%) in Sweet Briar, Virginia. Central College's student body is predominantly female (62%), while Sweet Briar College is exclusively female. Both colleges offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with Central College excelling in business, education, and health professions, and Sweet Briar College specializing in liberal arts, sciences, and fine arts. Central College's graduation rate stands at 65%, while Sweet Briar College's is slightly lower at 58%. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Central College	Sweet Briar College
Overview
Location	Pella, Iowa	Sweet Briar, Virginia
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Midsize
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%	71.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	74.5%	80.0%
Application fees	$25	$40
SAT range	1000 - 1260	1020 - 1260
ACT range	19 - 25	23 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	10.0%	18.0%
Students submitting ACT score	67.0%	14.0%
Total number of applicants	2,202	1,192
Total number of admissions given out	1,641	954
Admitted students who chose to enroll	340	177
Yield rate	20.7%	18.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	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	$34,330
Average net price	$22,966	$22,711
Tuition	$19,250	$22,120
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,892 Meal plan: $5,660	$13,880
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	93.0% Average amount $17,220
Students receiving federal student loan	73.0% Average amount $5,605	44.0% Average amount $4,949
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $12,712	2.0% Average amount $6,248

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,139 Men 51.3% Women 48.7%	452 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%
Graduate students	N/A	2 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	0.1%	5.7%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,405	561
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	Business Psychology Education Engineering Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	66.1%	41.7%
Dropout rate	2.5%	16.7%
Transferred out	31.0%	41.7%
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	Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,189 Year 3: $44,499 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,212 Year 3: N/A

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Central College vs Sweet Briar College

Central College

Sweet Briar College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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