Elizabethtown College vs Central Penn College

Elizabethtown College and Central Penn College, both located in Pennsylvania, offer distinct educational experiences. Elizabethtown, a private liberal arts college, boasts a 75% acceptance rate and a diverse student body, with 2,200 undergraduates representing 35 states and 40 countries. Central Penn, a private, non-profit college, has a higher acceptance rate of 90% and a more focused student body, with 1,100 undergraduates primarily from Pennsylvania. While Elizabethtown excels in liberal arts and sciences, Central Penn specializes in business, engineering, and technology. Both institutions offer competitive graduation rates, with Elizabethtown at 79% and Central Penn at 68%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Central Penn College	Elizabethtown College
Overview
Location	Summerdale, Pennsylvania	Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (For Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	51.0%	84.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.7%	79.5%
Application fees		$50
SAT range	N/A	1070 - 1280
ACT range	N/A	24 - 28
Students submitting SAT score		39.0%
Students submitting ACT score		4.0%
Total number of applicants	247	2,510
Total number of admissions given out	219	1,995
Admitted students who chose to enroll	81	434
Yield rate	37.0%	21.8%
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	$27,164	$44,556
Average net price	$17,061	$26,534
Tuition	$17,784	$34,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,346 Meal plan: $2,070	Room/dormitory: $6,100 Meal plan: $6,230
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $8,947	100.0% Average amount $19,157
Students receiving federal student loan	84.0% Average amount $5,648	69.0% Average amount $5,362
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $10,517	22.0% Average amount $14,342

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	872 Men 32.3% Women 67.7%	1,691 Men 40.9% Women 59.1%
Graduate students	19 Men 15.8% Women 84.2%	242 Men 23.1% Women 76.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	25.3%
International students	N/A	1.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	396	1,418
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Pennsylvania New Jersey Maryland Delaware Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Computer and Information Science Legal Profession	Health Professions Business Engineering Education Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	44.4%	75.5%
Dropout rate	28.6%	4.4%
Transferred out	25.4%	19.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,064 Year 2: $46,673 Year 3: $44,006 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $39,533 Year 2: $36,560 Year 3: $38,017 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,625 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Legal Professions and Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,472 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,291 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,343 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,515 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $75,204 Year 3: $92,826 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,381 Year 2: $62,508 Year 3: $70,731 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,063 Year 2: $64,307 Year 3: $70,253 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,660 Year 2: $54,386 Year 3: $61,588 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,810 Year 2: $48,901 Year 3: $54,166 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,433 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $45,335 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,346 Year 2: $41,441 Year 3: $42,984 Human Services, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,564 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $42,401 Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,592 Year 3: $41,007 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,772 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $33,533

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Elizabethtown College vs Central Penn College

Central Penn College

Elizabethtown College

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Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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