Private nonprofit · Community college
Centra College
Lynchburg, Virginia · Small city
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- —
- Avg net price
- 100%
- Grad / completion
- $60,122
- Median earnings
Centra College is a private nonprofit associate-granting institution in Lynchburg, Virginia (small city setting), enrolling 219 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States. Monacan Indian Nation and other Siouan Tutelo-speaking tribes had lived in the area for over 10,000 years, driving the Virginia Algonquians eastward to the coastal areas. Of Virginia's larger metro areas, Forbes Magazine ranked Lynchburg the fifth best place in Virginia for business in 2006, with Virginia being the best state in the country for business. In the same survey, Lynchburg achieved the rank of 109th in the nation. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 43 miles to Roanoke, VA
- To the ocean
- 104 miles
- Nearest airport
- 6 miles to Lynchburg Regional Airport - Preston Glenn Field (LYH)
How Centra College compares
More selective than 10% · #8 most selective of 8 in Virginia
Higher than 98% · #1 of 65 in Virginia
Higher than 95% · #7 of 62 in Virginia
Lower than 13%
Lower than 99%
Larger than 47%
Percentiles compare Centra College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Virginia.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women20292%
- Men178%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White74%
- Black15%
- Asian1.4%
- Other or multiracial10%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 219
- Student–faculty ratio
- 3 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 47%
- First-generation students
- 56%
- Students over 25
- 50%
- Median family income
- $27,508
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $63,414
- Endowment
- $77,116
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $12,983
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,373
- Total cost of attendance
- —
- Average net price
- —
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 100%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 92%
- First-year retention
- —
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $60,052
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $60,122
- Median debt at graduation
- $15,250
- Students with federal loans
- 69%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 72%
About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $60,122
- Typical debt at graduation
- $15,250
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 25%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 81%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 85°F
- Winter low
- 24°F
- Annual rain
- 43.6″
- Annual snow
- 12.4″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lynchburg #2, VA US station (3.6 mi from campus).
What Centra College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Centra College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Centra College side by side →
Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Cape Girardeau, Missouri · Small city · 98 mi to St. Louis
- Students
- 200
- Tuition
- $11k
- Transfer
- 13%
- Earnings
- $61k
Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Large city · 3 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 164
- Tuition
- $13k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $56k
St. Peter's Hospital College of Nursing
Albany, New York · Midsize city · 3 mi to Albany
- Students
- 123
- Tuition
- $15k
- Transfer
- —
- Earnings
- $63k
Marian University-Ancilla
Plymouth, Indiana · Distant rural · 25 mi to South Bend
- Students
- 226
- Tuition
- $20k
- Transfer
- —
- Earnings
- $59k
Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing
Troy, New York · Small city · 7 mi to Albany
- Students
- 129
- Tuition
- $15k
- Transfer
- 50%
- Earnings
- $64k
Cox College
Springfield, Missouri · Midsize city · 1 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 540
- Tuition
- $15k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $57k
Colleges near Centra College
University of Lynchburg
Lynchburg, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,577 students
Virginia University of Lynchburg
Lynchburg, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 125 students
Randolph College
Lynchburg, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 658 students
Sylvain Melloul International Hair Academy
Lynchburg, VA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 175 students
Central Virginia Community College
Lynchburg, VA · Public · Certificate · 2,249 students
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 50,012 students
Sweet Briar College
Sweet Briar, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 443 students
Southern Virginia University
Buena Vista, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 936 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.