Simpson College vs Central College

Simpson College and Central College, both esteemed institutions in Iowa, offer distinct educational experiences. Simpson, with an acceptance rate of 68%, boasts a diverse student body, with 48% male and 52% female students. Central, on the other hand, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 63% and a more balanced gender ratio, with 49% male and 51% female students. While Simpson excels in the liberal arts and sciences, Central is renowned for its strong programs in business, education, and health sciences. With graduation rates of 65% and 67% respectively, both colleges ensure that their students are well-prepared for their future careers. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional colleges and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Central College	Simpson College
Overview
Location	Pella, Iowa	Indianola, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
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 and Graduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	70.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	74.5%	90.8%
Application fees	$25
SAT range	1000 - 1260	890 - 1280
ACT range	19 - 25	20 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	10.0%	2.0%
Students submitting ACT score	67.0%	35.0%
Total number of applicants	2,202	1,330
Total number of admissions given out	1,641	1,208
Admitted students who chose to enroll	340	286
Yield rate	20.7%	23.7%
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	$34,302	$56,520
Average net price	$22,966	$20,986
Tuition	$19,250	$43,124
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,892 Meal plan: $5,660	Room/dormitory: $4,680 Meal plan: $4,974
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 $34,582
Students receiving federal student loan	73.0% Average amount $5,605	73.0% Average amount $5,158
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $12,712	16.0% Average amount $10,172

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,139 Men 51.3% Women 48.7%	1,172 Men 46.9% Women 53.1%
Graduate students	N/A	46 Men 39.1% Women 60.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	28.9%
International students	0.1%	1.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,405	1,264
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Iowa Arizona Texas Missouri Nebraska

Academics
Popular study areas	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Communication and Journalism Education Business English Language and Literature	Education Business Liberal Arts Law Enforcement and Firefighting Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	66.1%	68.9%
Dropout rate	2.5%	30.8%
Transferred out	31.0%	N/A
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	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,021 Year 2: $73,041 Year 3: $81,168 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,180 Year 2: $54,509 Year 3: $62,305 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,866 Year 2: $49,787 Year 3: $53,487 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,401 Year 2: $42,012 Year 3: $46,368 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,370 Year 2: $36,668 Year 3: $44,730 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,991 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $42,375 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,249 Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $41,996 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,017 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $41,102 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,449 Year 2: $32,029 Year 3: $38,526 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $35,030

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Simpson College vs Central College

Central College

Simpson College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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