Clarke University vs Central College

Clarke University and Central College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Clarke, a Catholic university in Dubuque, Iowa, boasts a 90% acceptance rate, while Central, a private liberal arts college in Pella, Iowa, maintains a slightly more selective 85% acceptance rate. Clarke's student body is predominantly female (63%), while Central's is more evenly balanced (52% female, 48% male). Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at Clarke including nursing, business, and education, and popular majors at Central including business, biology, and psychology. With graduation rates of 63% and 68% respectively, both institutions are committed to student success. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two excellent institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Central College	Clarke University
Overview
Location	Pella, Iowa	Dubuque, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	65.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Protestant	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	74.5%	88.8%
Application fees	$25
SAT range	1000 - 1260	900 - 1120
ACT range	19 - 25	19 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	10.0%	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	67.0%	21.0%
Total number of applicants	2,202	2,006
Total number of admissions given out	1,641	1,781
Admitted students who chose to enroll	340	183
Yield rate	20.7%	10.3%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$34,302	$52,241
Average net price	$22,966	$25,414
Tuition	$19,250	$35,740
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,892 Meal plan: $5,660	Room/dormitory: $4,900 Meal plan: $5,500
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	100.0% Average amount $23,968
Students receiving federal student loan	73.0% Average amount $5,605	81.0% Average amount $8,599
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $12,712	27.0% Average amount $12,203

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,139 Men 51.3% Women 48.7%	717 Men 54.5% Women 45.5%
Graduate students	N/A	171 Men 22.2% Women 77.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	0.1%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,405	536
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	Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	66.1%	54.5%
Dropout rate	2.5%	6.2%
Transferred out	31.0%	39.3%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $92,062 Year 2: $92,277 Year 3: $91,122 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $68,009 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $68,295 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,068 Year 2: $47,846 Year 3: $59,658 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,088 Year 2: $57,210 Year 3: $56,352 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,604 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $44,807 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,623 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $42,849 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,717 Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: $36,572 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $35,347 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,866 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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Clarke University vs Central College

Central College

Clarke University

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Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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