Central College vs Wesleyan University

Central College and Wesleyan University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Central College, a private liberal arts college in Pella, Iowa, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on personalized attention and undergraduate research opportunities. Wesleyan University, a private liberal arts and sciences university in Middletown, Connecticut, is known for its rigorous academics, vibrant arts scene, and commitment to social justice. While both institutions share a dedication to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comparison table below to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Central College	Wesleyan University
Overview
Location	Pella, Iowa	Middletown, Connecticut
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%	95.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	74.5%	19.4%
Application fees	$25	$55
SAT range	1000 - 1260	1300 - 1510
ACT range	19 - 25	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	10.0%	51.0%
Students submitting ACT score	67.0%	27.0%
Total number of applicants	2,202	13,067
Total number of admissions given out	1,641	2,540
Admitted students who chose to enroll	340	910
Yield rate	20.7%	35.8%
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	$82,245
Average net price	$22,966	$20,535
Tuition	$19,250	$61,449
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,892 Meal plan: $5,660	$17,531
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	40.0% Average amount $58,925
Students receiving federal student loan	73.0% Average amount $5,605	18.0% Average amount $3,834
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $12,712	2.0% Average amount $27,881

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,139 Men 51.3% Women 48.7%	3,385 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students	N/A	196 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	90.3%
International students	0.1%	11.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,405	3,063
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New York California Connecticut New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Communication and Journalism Education Business English Language and Literature	Social Sciences Psychology Ethnic Studies Visual & Performing Arts Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	66.1%	91.0%
Dropout rate	2.5%	3.6%
Transferred out	31.0%	5.3%
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	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $53,847 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,232 Year 2: $36,334 Year 3: $45,541

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Central College vs Wesleyan University

Central College

Wesleyan University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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