Northwestern State vs Centenary College of Louisiana

Northwestern State University of Louisiana and Centenary College of Louisiana, both esteemed institutions in the heart of Louisiana, offer distinct educational experiences. Northwestern, a public university, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a larger student body, providing a diverse and vibrant campus community. Centenary, a private liberal arts college, offers a more selective admissions process and smaller class sizes, fostering a close-knit academic environment. While both universities excel in various fields, Northwestern is renowned for its strong programs in nursing, education, and business, while Centenary shines in the liberal arts, pre-professional studies, and sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions' unique strengths, student demographics, graduation rates, and other crucial factors that will help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Centenary College of Louisiana	Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Overview
Location	Shreveport, Louisiana	Natchitoches, Louisiana
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	68.0%	64.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	63.1%	96.3%
Application fees	$50	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $25
SAT range	1020 - 1250	920 - 1120
ACT range	21 - 29	16 - 22
Students submitting SAT score	21.0%	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	56.0%	88.0%
Total number of applicants	876	3,738
Total number of admissions given out	553	3,599
Admitted students who chose to enroll	134	1,299
Yield rate	24.2%	36.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$54,100	In state: $25,094 Out of state: $35,882
Average net price	$27,386	$13,500
Tuition	$38,060	In state: $5,180 Out of state: $15,968
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,593 Meal plan: $6,580	Room/dormitory: $5,964 Meal plan: $4,100
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $28,501	93.0% Average amount $9,347
Students receiving federal student loan	65.0% Average amount $5,289	65.0% Average amount $4,878
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $17,259	4.0% Average amount $10,829

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	523 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	9,622 Men 29.0% Women 71.0%
Graduate students	19 Men 57.9% Women 42.1%	1,113 Men 19.1% Women 80.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	1.3%
International students	2.4%	1.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	663	1,492
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Louisiana Texas California Colorado Mississippi

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Communication and Journalism Physical Science	Health Professions Liberal Arts Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	56.7%	44.1%
Dropout rate	43.3%	52.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,546 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $46,324 Education, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,645 Year 2: $45,305 Year 3: $45,843 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,459 Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,397 Year 2: $91,152 Year 3: $97,402 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,057 Year 2: $59,350 Year 3: $74,454 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,885 Year 2: $63,326 Year 3: $66,285 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,023 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $60,510 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $63,860 Year 2: $60,226 Year 3: $58,469 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,493 Year 2: $43,957 Year 3: $53,304 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $32,570 Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $51,224 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,699 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $49,876 English Language and Literature, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $35,535 Year 2: $45,277 Year 3: $45,495 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,907 Year 2: $43,277 Year 3: $44,409

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Centenary College of Louisiana

Birmingham-Southern College