Central College is a private, nonprofit, four-year school classified as a baccalaureate college focused on arts and sciences. It has 1,095 students. It accepts most applicants. Its annual sticker price is $37,725. And nearly seven out of ten of its students leave with federal loans. None of those facts, by itself, tells you whether it is the right school for your child. Together, they begin to show you what kind of school it is.
What Kind of School This Is and Where It Stands
The Carnegie system—which organizes US colleges and universities according to what they actually do—classifies Central College as a small, highly residential, four-year baccalaureate college focused on arts and sciences. That last word matters: at the time of that classification, at least half of its undergraduate students lived in institution-owned or institution-affiliated housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 attended full time. In other words, it is a school designed for students to live there, not to drive in each morning and leave in the afternoon.
Carnegie also places it in its “inclusive” admissions category, a label that groups together two different types of schools: those that did not report admissions test scores and those that did report them but demonstrated broad access opportunities. The information does not tell you which of the two describes Central College. What we do know precisely about its actual selectivity appears later, with concrete figures.
If your family is considering this school, there is something worth sorting out early: the cost of living on campus is almost never included with tuition in the first number you see. Ask for it separately, including the meal plan, before comparing Central College with any other college or university on your list.
Geographically, Central College is in Pella, Iowa, in Marion County. The area around the campus is a town setting, away from major urban areas. That is not a judgment; it is a location. But if your family lives far away, it is worth doing the math separately: where your child would live, how your child would get to campus, and how much each trip home would cost. The data only locates the school; it does not locate your family.
Regarding its institutional identity, one thing is clear, and three things it is not: Central College is not classified as a historically Black college or university, is not a tribal college or university, and is not a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 colleges and universities in this directory, 138 carry at least one of those three designations; Central College is not among them. That does not tell you which students it serves or how your child will feel on that campus. Ask directly which student organizations and cultural centers exist today.
The Size of the Community and Who Makes It Up
Put numbers to the word “small”: Central College has 1,095 enrolled students, all of them undergraduates. Compared with the 941 selective private four-year schools in this census, it falls on the smaller side—seven out of ten of those schools have more students. That does not make it worse or better. Being large does not mean having more options. Being small does not guarantee more attention for your child. What is worth asking about is your child’s specific major, not the school’s overall size.
Now consider the composition of that community, because there is something here that deserves your direct attention. Among Central College undergraduates, 4 out of every 100 students identified as Hispanic or Latino. That is a small number. Compared with the 941 similar private schools in this census, it falls in the group’s bottom quarter: three out of four schools in that group reported a higher proportion.
I am not going to tell you this rules out the school, because it does not. But I am not going to soften it either. If your child will be one of the few, that has a real texture in daily campus life, and it deserves investigation with your eyes open: which student groups exist, whether anyone in admissions or student support speaks Spanish, and—most useful of all—talk with a Latino student who is already there before deciding. The number describes the school as a whole; your child’s experience in a specific major may look different.
As for the rest of the community’s composition: there are almost no adult students (1 out of every 100 is between 25 and 64 years old), the proportions of men and women are nearly even (47 out of every 100 are women), and 72 out of every 100 newly enrolled students came from Iowa.
How Academics Work
The academic year is organized into semesters, two periods of about 15 weeks each. In its official report, Central College stated that it accepts credit from AP exams, but it did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience. Saying that it accepts AP does not mean it automatically awards credit for every exam: we do not know what scores it requires or how many credits it awards. Ask for the course-equivalency evaluation in writing before your child counts those savings in the budget.
As for what people study there: Central College awarded 219 bachelor’s degrees in the most recent year reported, spread across 17 fields of study. But the distribution is uneven. The field with the most degrees was biological and biomedical sciences, accounting for 67 of the 219—nearly one-third of all degrees awarded that year. That does not measure the quality of any program, only its relative share of the total. With volumes this size, one year can vary considerably from another: ask for the last three years of data for the exact major that interests your child.
The official student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 12 to 1. It is a low ratio in absolute terms, and compared with similar schools it is above the median—which means it is higher than at many of them, although it remains a low figure in the broader landscape. Both things are true at the same time, which is why I am giving them to you separately. What this number does not tell you is the actual size of a class: it is an institution-wide ratio, not a head count in a first-year classroom.
Central College also reports structured academic pathways: study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, and teacher-certification preparation pathways, including state approval for initial teacher certification. If your child’s major involves any of these pathways, they are concrete points to ask about in admissions.
Getting In: How Open or Closed the Door Is
This is where many families become anxious, so let’s look at the exact numbers.
Central College does not have open admission. It reviews specific application components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marks three as required: the high school transcript, high school GPA, and an English-proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. Other components are not required but are considered if submitted: class rank, the academic course plan completed, the personal essay, and whether a family member attended the school. That last factor is something your child cannot change. If it does not apply, do not spend energy on it—spend that energy on what is within your child’s control.
Now for the number that probably matters most to you: of the 1,978 first-time applicants in the most recent cycle, 1,562 were offered admission. That is 79 out of every 100. Seven or eight out of ten received a yes. Compared with 942 similar selective private schools, that rate falls near the middle, slightly above the group’s midpoint—neither among the hardest nor among the easiest.
That does not mean admission is automatic, nor does it mean the application should be left until the last minute. And keep something important in mind: that 79% comes from a single cycle, not from a fixed rule at the school. When it is your child’s turn, check the number again for the applicable year.
Here is a figure that confuses many families if it is not explained carefully: out of every 100 admitted students, only 18 ultimately enrolled at Central College. The other 82 had a yes in hand and did not take it. That is not a stain on the school—the federal record does not explain why each person made that choice, and compared with similar schools, this proportion is in the middle of the group, neither high nor low. What it does tell you is something useful: receiving an acceptance letter is not the same as deciding to attend. Wait for your own letter with the net price—that is what the year will actually cost you, and with that number in hand, you can decide whether the school stays on your list.
Regarding standardized tests, Central College is “test optional.” The SAT and ACT are not required; if your child submits them, they are considered, but the application remains valid without them. In practice, only 8 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted SAT scores—a sample so small (22 students) that the reported ranges (between 490 and 580 in reading and writing, and between 445 and 625 in mathematics) should not be read as a threshold or a guarantee.
And regarding transfers: few students leave. Of the bachelor’s-degree-seeking cohort that entered in 2017, only 14 out of every 100 are recorded as having transferred to another school within the standard time frame. Compared with similar schools, that figure is on the low side—most of those schools saw a larger proportion of their students leave. On the other hand, in the most recent fall, 32 new students arrived after transferring from another institution. If your child ends up transferring to or from Central College, this figure says nothing about how many courses the school will accept—ask for that in writing, with the course list in hand, before your child moves.
The Price: What the Sticker Says and What Is Actually Paid
At Central College, among 27 full-time, first-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $14,745. Among 40 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $19,418; among 132 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $25,764. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (27 students) and the average for the highest-income band (132 students) is $11,019. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $22,499.
$14,745 was the average net price for the lowest-income families in academic year 2022-23. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps you determine whether it is worth requesting the financial aid letter.
None of these figures is a price quote for your child. The income bands in this profile describe full-time, first-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for students receiving grants or scholarships, when shown, describes full-time, first-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The figure that matters is the financial aid letter sent to you. In the meantime, run the net price calculator on the school’s website.
Financial Aid and Loans: The Part That Must Be Faced Directly
All degree-seeking students at Central College who were counted in the most recent year received some grant or scholarship aid that did not have to be repaid. That sounds spectacular, and to some extent it is—but “everyone received something” does not mean “everyone received the same amount.” Among students who received grant or scholarship aid, the annual average was $11,294.
The federal Pell Grant—aid directed toward lower-income families—reached 22 out of every 100 students. That is a lower proportion than the proportion receiving grants and scholarships overall, and the difference likely includes state, institutional, or other aid sources that this breakdown does not allow us to attribute precisely. Ask the school directly which programs account for that difference.
And now the hard truth, the one I do not want to soften for you: out of every 100 undergraduate students at Central College, 66 received federal student loans—nearly seven out of ten. Compared with 942 similar selective private schools, that proportion is on the high side. Here, financing with debt is common, not the exception.
Among those who borrowed, the average amount received was $6,471 in one year. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years required for the degree, the total would be around $25,884, not counting interest. That number is worth calculating before the first signature, not afterward. It is a one-year average and covers only federal loans in the student’s name—it does not include what parents might borrow separately, credit cards, or debt at graduation, which would require adding several years together, and that information is not available here.
The fact that borrowing is common at this school does not determine whether your child will need it. That comes from the actual financial aid letter and the difference between the net price and what your family can pay. If debt appears in that letter, ask for the estimated monthly payment before accepting it.
Central College also reports structured payment options: a prepaid tuition plan and an installment payment plan. Both are worth asking about if your family’s cash flow requires them.
Campus Life, Athletics, and Support
Central College has its own housing and does not require all first-time students to live there—although that does not tell you whether a specific program does. The reported maximum capacity of institutional housing is 1,405 students. It also offers meal plans with a fixed number of meals per week in its largest option. Ask in writing for the annual rate, the housing application deadline, and whether a space is guaranteed or you will be placed on a waiting list.
Regarding ROTC, Central College did not mark any ROTC opportunity in its report, either in the general category or for any of the three branches. Among the four-year institutions in this guide, 926 out of 1,786 did mark one; Central College is not among them. That does not prove there is no nearby pathway—it only means none was reported in this field. If that scholarship matters to your family, ask about it directly before ruling it out.
In athletics, Central College competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA, not with other associations. It reports football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field under that membership. This information does not tell you which division each sport competes in or whether scholarships are awarded—ask the coach of the sport that interests your child directly, and request written confirmation.
Regarding distance education, the school does offer online undergraduate courses, but in the most recent count, no student took an entirely distance-based course load—everyone took at least one in-person class. Central College also explicitly reported that it does not offer any complete program that can be finished entirely through distance education. If this interests your family for a particular reason, confirm it in writing for the specific major.
The library operates with paid staff, and its annual expenditures exceeded the $100,000 threshold recorded by the federal government. It has physical and digital collections and participates in interlibrary lending. What the data does not tell you is how long a book requested from another library takes to arrive or what the library’s hours are—ask directly.
Finally, Central College reports combined academic and career counseling services, employment services for current students, placement services upon program completion, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program for veterans, and a published web address for services for students with disabilities.
Those Who Stay and Those Who Leave With a Degree
This may be the section most worth reading slowly, because this is where hope and the numbers have to coexist without one crushing the other.
Of the cohort that entered in the fall of 2022 seeking a bachelor’s degree for the first time and attending full time—351 students—255 met the official retention criterion the following year: they were still enrolled there or had already graduated. That is 73 out of every 100. Compared with 930 similar schools, that figure falls slightly below the group’s midpoint—more similar schools retained a higher proportion of their students.
That number does not tell you what happened to everyone else. Not returning is not the same as leaving school: someone who transferred to another college or university and continues studying there is counted the same way, in this measure, as someone who stopped studying altogether. The record does not separate those two stories.
Regarding graduation: of the 321 full-time, first-time students who began pursuing a bachelor’s degree in 2017, 222 had graduated from Central College within six years. That is 69 out of every 100. Using the shorter four-year time frame, the figure falls to 59 out of every 100—a ten-point difference that likely represents students who did finish, but took a little longer. Compared with 920 similar schools, that six-year rate is above the group’s midpoint.
What this number cannot precisely reconstruct is what happened to everyone else: with the available data, we do not know how many transferred, how many remain students but are on a break, or how many left college. A blank space in the data is not equivalent to zero and does not authorize us to assume any of those stories.
There is one final, longer-term perspective: among a cohort that entered between July 2015 and June 2016—including both first-time students and students with prior college experience, attending full time and part time—by the August 2023 reporting date, eight years later, 67 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from Central College. Compared with similar schools, that proportion is also above the group’s midpoint.
And here is the part I will not stay silent about: within that same cohort, students who received Pell Grants—that is, students from lower-income families—graduated at a rate of 56 out of every 100 over those eight years. That is 16 points below the group that did not receive Pell Grants. That gap is real and deserves a direct question in admissions: what specifically is available for those students—an assigned advisor, emergency aid, and whether the institutional scholarship renews every year. Ask for the answer in writing, not verbally.
What This Information Can and Cannot Do for You
Everything you have just read describes Central College as an institution: its admissions, price, financial aid, people, and outcomes. It is a real and necessary piece of the map. But it is only one piece.
What the school actually is and offers—you now have that in your hands, with concrete numbers. What your child wants to study, what your child has built so far, and where your child wants to go—your child knows that, and your role is to listen, not decide on your child’s behalf. And what your family can and is willing to pay—you know that, and no one else can resolve it from the outside.
No figure in this article tells you whether Central College is the right school for your child. No graduation rate predicts what your child will do with four years there. What you can do, with what you now know, is enter the family conversation without guessing, without empty brochures, and without fearing the numbers. Put this piece together with the other two. A real plan comes from that combination—not from a single figure or a single brochure.
Source note: The information in this article comes from data reported by Central College to the US Department of Education’s IPEDS system, corresponding primarily to the 2022–23 and 2023–24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Central College or the US government; this article organizes and explains public data and does not constitute personalized admissions advice.