Central College vs Williams College

Central College and Williams College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Central College, a private liberal arts college in Pella, Iowa, boasts a 99% acceptance rate, welcoming a diverse student body of over 1,800 undergraduates. Williams College, a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, is highly selective, with an acceptance rate of 13% and a student body of around 2,000 undergraduates. While both colleges excel in the liberal arts, Central College is known for its strong programs in business, education, and nursing, while Williams College is renowned for its strengths in economics, English, and political science. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions, including graduation rates, financial aid opportunities, and student life, to determine which college best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Central College	Williams College
Overview
Location	Pella, Iowa	Williamstown, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	97.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	74.5%	8.8%
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	12,452
Total number of admissions given out	1,641	1,099
Admitted students who chose to enroll	340	574
Yield rate	20.7%	52.2%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$34,302	$78,060
Average net price	$22,966	$14,487
Tuition	$19,250	$59,350
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,892 Meal plan: $5,660	Room/dormitory: $7,625 Meal plan: $7,375
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	52.0% Average amount $52,053
Students receiving federal student loan	73.0% Average amount $5,605	13.0% Average amount $3,992
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $12,712	2.0% Average amount $3,884

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,139 Men 51.3% Women 48.7%	2,174 Men 48.1% Women 51.9%
Graduate students	N/A	50 Men 44.0% Women 56.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	0.1%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,405	2,045
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
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	Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	66.1%	93.8%
Dropout rate	2.5%	3.1%
Transferred out	31.0%	1.6%
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 Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $109,470 Year 2: $96,183 Year 3: $99,047 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,280 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $91,723 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,217 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $63,034 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,948 Year 2: $44,384 Year 3: $48,967 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,036 Year 2: $49,464 Year 3: $44,771 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,993 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $43,402 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,135 Year 2: $40,461 Year 3: $41,065 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,760 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $37,587 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,029 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $26,432 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,668 Year 2: $25,525 Year 3: $14,771

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Central College vs Williams College

Central College

Williams College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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