Central College vs. Dakota State

Central College vs. Dakota State University comparison

	Central College	Dakota State University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Central College	Dakota State
Location	Pella, IA	Madison, SD
Setting	Distant Town	Distant Town
Enrollment	1,169	3,241
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#519	#808
Religious Affiliation	Reformed Church in America	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	central.edu	dsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Central College	Dakota State
Tuition (In State)	$19,800	$7,616
Tuition (Out of State)	$19,800	$10,718
Room & Board	$10,860	$8,018
Avg Net Price	$23,303	$17,977
Avg Grant Aid	$10,999	$5,467
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	92%

Admission	Central College	Dakota State
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,970	882
Admitted	1,561	696
Acceptance Rate	79.2%	78.9%
Enrolled %	22.5%	53.4%
Avg High School GPA	3.52	3.33
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Moderate	Average
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	19/26	19/27
SAT Range	1040/1218	940/1240
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline

Academics	Central College	Dakota State
Student to Faculty Ratio	13:1	18:1
Popular Majors	Business (17%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (13%) Social Sciences (12%) Biology (8%) Foreign Languages (7%)	Computer and Information Sciences (28%) Business (25%) Education (22%) Health Professions (14%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (3%)
Outcomes	Central College	Dakota State
Graduation Rate	63%	34%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$48,000	$42,200
Making Student Loan Payments	78%	67%
Median Student Loan Debt	$27,000	$23,500
Median Loan Payment	$279	$242

Diversity	Central College	Dakota State
% Men	52%	64%
% Women	48%	36%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	87%	84%
% Black	2%	4%
% Hispanic	4%	4%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	1%	3%
% International	0%	1%
% Unknown Race	3%	1%

Students	Central College	Dakota State
% In-State	73%	58%
% Out-of-State	26%	39%
Campus	Central College	Dakota State
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Dakota State University is larger than than Central College based on total student enrollment (3,241 students vs. 1,169 students)

Central College vs. Dakota State Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Central College or Dakota State?

• Central College is 160% more expensive to attend than Dakota State for in-state tuition ($19,800.00 vs. $7,616.00)
• Out of state tuition is 84.7% higher at Central College than Dakota State University ($19,800.00 vs. $10,718.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Dakota State University than Central College ($17,977 vs. $23,303)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Dakota State University are 35.4% lower than costs at Central College ($8,018 vs. $10,860)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Central College than Dakota State University (100% vs. 92%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Central College students is 101.2% larger than aid received Dakota State University ($10,999 vs. $5,467)

Central College vs. Dakota State Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Central College or Dakota State? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Dakota State or Central College .

• The average SAT score at Central College (1068) is 21 points higher than at Dakota State (1047)
• Incoming Central College students have at the same average ACT score (23) as students at Dakota State (23)
• Accepted freshman Central College students have a 0.19 point higher average high school GPA (3.52) than students at Dakota State (3.33)
• Central College has a higher acceptance rate (79.2%) than Dakota State (78.9%)

Central College vs. Dakota State Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Central College or Dakota State? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Dakota State and Central College.

• The graduation rate at Central College is higher than Dakota State University (63% vs. 34%)
• Graduates from Central College earn on average $5,800 more per year than Dakota State graduates after ten years. ($48,000 vs. $42,200)
• Dakota State University students graduate with a $3,500 lower median federal student loan debt than Central College graduates. ($23,500 vs. $27,000)
• Dakota State graduates are paying $37 less per month on federal student loans than Central College graduates. ($242 vs. $279)
• More Central College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Dakota State students, three years after graduation. (78% vs. 67%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/