Central College vs Colby College

Central College and Colby College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Central College, nestled in the heart of Pella, Iowa, prides itself on its strong liberal arts foundation and personalized attention, with an acceptance rate of 98% and a student-to-faculty ratio of 13:1. Colby College, located in the picturesque town of Waterville, Maine, emphasizes interdisciplinary learning and global engagement, boasting an acceptance rate of 12% and a student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1. While both colleges offer a wide range of academic programs, Central College is known for its strengths in business, education, and nursing, while Colby College excels in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these institutions' unique characteristics and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Central College	Colby College
Overview
Location	Pella, Iowa	Waterville, Maine
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
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
Students retention rate	79.0%	95.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	74.5%	8.9%
Application fees	$25
SAT range	1000 - 1260	1400 - 1530
ACT range	19 - 25	32 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	10.0%	40.0%
Students submitting ACT score	67.0%	28.0%
Total number of applicants	2,202	15,857
Total number of admissions given out	1,641	1,407
Admitted students who chose to enroll	340	667
Yield rate	20.7%	47.4%
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	$68,825
Average net price	$22,966	$17,912
Tuition	$19,250	$58,640
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,892 Meal plan: $5,660	Room/dormitory: $8,150 Meal plan: $7,595
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	39.0% Average amount $58,513
Students receiving federal student loan	73.0% Average amount $5,605	8.0% Average amount $5,140
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $12,712	1.0% Average amount $18,242

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,139 Men 51.3% Women 48.7%	2,262 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	0.1%	9.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,405	2,242
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
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	Social Sciences Psychology Multidisciplinary Studies Mathematics and Statistics Natural Resources and Conservation
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	66.1%	86.6%
Dropout rate	2.5%	5.7%
Transferred out	31.0%	7.5%
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	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,540 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $83,980 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,972 Year 2: $47,118 Year 3: $55,529 International/Global Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,350 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $53,638 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $42,883 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,156 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $40,423 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,612 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,971 Year 3: N/A

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Central College vs Colby College

Central College

Colby College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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