Central College vs Carleton College

Central College and Carleton College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Central, located in Pella, Iowa, boasts a higher acceptance rate (92%) compared to Carleton's selective admissions (23%). Central's student body is more diverse, with a larger international student population, while Carleton's student body is predominantly white. Carleton's curriculum emphasizes interdisciplinary studies, while Central offers a broader range of majors, including popular choices like business and education. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Central's at 78% and Carleton's at 93%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more key differences and determine which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Carleton College	Central College
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Pella, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Trimester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	79.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	74.5%
Application fees		$25
SAT range	1408 - 1550	1000 - 1260
ACT range	31 - 35	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	10.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	67.0%
Total number of applicants	7,915	2,202
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	1,641
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	340
Yield rate	40.0%	20.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$78,315	$34,302
Average net price	$31,718	$22,966
Tuition	$59,850	$19,250
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $4,892 Meal plan: $5,660
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $45,715	100.0% Average amount $10,353
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	73.0% Average amount $5,605
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	13.0% Average amount $12,712

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	1,139 Men 51.3% Women 48.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	81.5%	N/A
International students	10.2%	0.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,854	1,405
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota California Illinois New York Texas	N/A

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	66.1%
Dropout rate	8.3%	2.5%
Transferred out	N/A	31.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,876 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $101,936 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,032 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $66,207 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,526 Year 2: $23,034 Year 3: $30,071 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,669 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,425 Year 2: $22,329 Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,952 Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: N/A Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,227 Year 2: $36,141 Year 3: N/A Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,625 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,774 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,301 Year 2: $33,719 Year 3: N/A	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

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Central College vs Carleton College

Carleton College

Central College

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Outcome

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