Central College vs Vassar College

Central College and Vassar College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Central College, nestled in the heart of Pella, Iowa, is a private liberal arts college known for its strong academic programs and close-knit community. Vassar College, located in the vibrant city of Poughkeepsie, New York, is a private liberal arts college renowned for its commitment to intellectual inquiry and social responsibility. While both colleges share a dedication to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Central College	Vassar College
Overview
Location	Pella, Iowa	Poughkeepsie, New York
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
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%	95.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	74.5%	20.1%
Application fees	$25	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1000 - 1260	1420 - 1540
ACT range	19 - 25	32 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	10.0%	31.0%
Students submitting ACT score	67.0%	20.0%
Total number of applicants	2,202	10,884
Total number of admissions given out	1,641	2,193
Admitted students who chose to enroll	340	679
Yield rate	20.7%	31.0%
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	$81,330
Average net price	$22,966	$27,249
Tuition	$19,250	$61,940
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,892 Meal plan: $5,660	$15,710
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	57.0% Average amount $49,162
Students receiving federal student loan	73.0% Average amount $5,605	46.0% Average amount $3,729
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $12,712	4.0% Average amount $14,435

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,139 Men 51.3% Women 48.7%	2,516 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	0.1%	8.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,405	2,448
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	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	66.1%	92.5%
Dropout rate	2.5%	5.6%
Transferred out	31.0%	2.0%
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	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,930 Year 2: $69,535 Year 3: $93,622 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,665 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $66,026 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,871 Year 2: $49,683 Year 3: $59,758 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,233 Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $45,366 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,929 Year 2: $31,670 Year 3: $43,616 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $40,086 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,522 Year 2: $35,600 Year 3: $38,666 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,708 Year 3: $38,274 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,008 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $36,733 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,175 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $35,465

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Central College vs Vassar College

Central College

Vassar College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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