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.
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
- Nearest big city
- 39 miles to Des Moines, IA
- To Great Lakes shore
- 269 miles
- Nearest airport
- 39 miles to Des Moines (DSM) · major hub
How Central College compares
More selective than 33% · #19 most selective of 28 in Iowa
Higher than 44%
Higher than 70% · #11 of 30 in Iowa
Higher than 62%
Higher than 51% · #19 of 31 in Iowa
Cheaper than 34% · #18 cheapest of 29 in Iowa
Lower than 17%
Lower than 68%
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
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Knoxville, IA US station (10.7 mi from campus).
What Central 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 Central College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Central College side by side →
Northwest University
Kirkland, Washington · Large suburb · 7 mi to Seattle
- Students
- 645
- Admission
- 83%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1150
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $55k
Trinity Christian College
Palos Heights, Illinois · Large suburb · 17 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 820
- Admission
- 85%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1157
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $56k
Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Mount Vernon, Ohio · Distant town · 40 mi to Columbus
- Students
- 1,358
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1131
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $50k
University of Dubuque
Dubuque, Iowa · Small city · 61 mi to Cedar Rapids
- Students
- 1,440
- Admission
- 89%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1110
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $51k
William Jessup University
Rocklin, California · Large suburb · 20 mi to Sacramento
- Students
- 1,294
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- 1150
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $56k
Franklin Pierce University
Rindge, New Hampshire · Distant rural · 34 mi to Manchester
- Students
- 992
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 1175
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $53k
Colleges near Central College
William Penn University
Oskaloosa, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,301 students
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,729 students
Simpson College
Indianola, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,227 students
Indian Hills Community College
Ottumwa, IA · Public · Associate · 1,495 students
Grand View University
Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,486 students
Mercy College of Health Sciences
Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 867 students
UnityPoint Health-Des Moines School of Radiologic Technology
Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 16 students
Drake University
Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,543 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.












