Private nonprofit · College

Central College

Pella, Iowa · Distant town

86.2%
Admit rate
$23,377
Avg net price
66%
Graduation rate
$54,317
Median earnings

Central College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Pella, Iowa (distant town setting), enrolling 1,070 undergraduates. It has a Reformed Church in America religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,070 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 86% admitNCAA Division III with football · American Rivers ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Central College's admitted students.

Admit rate
86.2%
SAT (mid 50%)
1056–1120
Avg GPA (est.)
3.29

Enter a test score to see where you land against Central College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Central College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Pella, Iowa

Pella is a city in Marion County, Iowa, United States. In 1847, 800 Dutch immigrants led by Dominee (Minister) Hendrik "Henry" P. Scholte settled the area known as Pella. The Vermeer Mill is a fully functional 1850s-style windmill, reaching 134 ft (41 m) high. The Vermeer Mill grinds wheat into flour using only wind power and is the tallest working windmill in the United States. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
To Great Lakes shore
269 miles
Nearest airport
39 miles to Des Moines (DSM) · major hub

How Central College compares

Selectivity86.2%

More selective than 33% · #19 most selective of 28 in Iowa

SAT average1147

Higher than 44%

Graduation rate66%

Higher than 70% · #11 of 30 in Iowa

First-year retention80%

Higher than 62%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$54,317

Higher than 51% · #19 of 31 in Iowa

Average net price$23,377

Cheaper than 34% · #18 cheapest of 29 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$26,984

Lower than 17%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment1,070

Larger than 39%

Percentiles compare Central College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Iowa.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

1,070undergrads
  • Women52449%
  • Men54651%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White88%
  • Black2.0%
  • Hispanic4.5%
  • Other or multiracial5.2%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,070
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
22%
First-generation students
21%
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$81,192
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$70,020
Endowment
$98,924,047

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 274 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Iowa72%
  • Other U.S. states28%

Most first-years stay in state — Central College draws overwhelmingly from Iowa.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
86.2%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1056–1120
SAT average
1147
SAT reading
528–560
SAT math
528–560
ACT composite
20–26
Average GPA (estimated)
3.29

Cost

In-state tuition
$20,988
Room & board
$12,060
Books & supplies
$1,335
Total cost of attendance
$37,773
Average net price
$23,377

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)
66%
Graduated on time (4 years)
57%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
30%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$49,115
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$54,317
Median debt at graduation
$26,984
Students with federal loans
70%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
73%

About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
57%
Low-income (Pell)
53%
First-generation
55%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,405
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$5,800
Meal plan (year)
$6,260
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
American Rivers Conference
Varsity athletes
803 (522 men · 281 women)

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%.

Varsity sports (13)

Football152
Track and Field (Indoor)107
Track and Field (Outdoor)106
Soccer74
Basketball60
Cross Country59
Wrestling54
Baseball48
Tennis41
Volleyball33
Golf32
Softball28
Other Sports9

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
6.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
21
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,084 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

7.0reported offenses a year
7.0 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
4.3
Fondling
2.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$16,231
$30–48k
$16,237
$48–75k
$19,532
$75–110k
$21,936
$110k+
$27,165

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$82,271

$19,532/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$7,390
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 100% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $7,390. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 351 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$54,317
Typical debt at graduation
$26,984
Debt vs. one year's pay
50%
Out-earn a HS grad
72%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$49,528
Men
$59,144

Men out-earn women by $9,616 (19%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
85°F
Winter low
12°F
Annual rain
37.5″
Annual snow
28.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Knoxville, IA US station (10.7 mi from campus).

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 Central College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Central College side by side →

Colleges near Central College

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.