Central College vs. Southwestern Adventist University

Central College vs. Southwestern Adventist University comparison

	Central College	Southwestern Adventist University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Central College	Southwestern Adventist University
Location	Pella, IA	Keene, TX
Setting	Distant Town	Distant Town
Enrollment	1,095	817
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#548
Religious Affiliation	Reformed Church in America	Seventh Day Adventists	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	central.edu	swau.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Central College	Southwestern Adventist University
Tuition (In State)	$20,988	$23,928
Tuition (Out of State)	$20,988	$23,928
Room & Board	$12,220	$9,032
Avg Net Price	$22,499	$20,198
Avg Grant Aid	$12,678	$14,534
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	99%

Admission	Central College	Southwestern Adventist University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,978	1,468
Admitted	1,562	815
Acceptance Rate	79%	55.5%Open
Enrolled %	17.5%	19.5%Open
Avg High School GPA	3.52	3.3
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Easy	Easy
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	19/25	17/25
SAT Range	935/1205	910/1200
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		Aug 1, 2025

Academics	Central College	Southwestern Adventist University
Student to Faculty Ratio	12:1	12:1
Popular Majors	Business (17%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (13%) Social Sciences (12%) Biology (8%) Foreign Languages (7%)	Health Professions (29%) Business (22%) Education (13%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (12%) Psychology (8%)
Outcomes	Central College	Southwestern Adventist University
Graduation Rate	63%	38%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$48,000	$42,600
Making Student Loan Payments	78%	49%
Median Student Loan Debt	$27,000	$26,000
Median Loan Payment	$279	$268

Diversity	Central College	Southwestern Adventist University
% Men	1%	0%
% Women	2%	0%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Very High
HBCU	No	No
% White	87%	21%
% Black	2%	14%
% Hispanic	4%	41%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	2%
% Two or More Races	1%	4%
% International	0%	14%
% Unknown Race	3%	2%

Students	Central College	Southwestern Adventist University
% In-State	72%	77%
% Out-of-State	28%	20%
Campus	Central College	Southwestern Adventist University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	No
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Central College is larger than than Southwestern Adventist University based on total student enrollment (1,095 students vs. 817 students)

Central College vs. Southwestern Adventist University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Central College or Southwestern Adventist University?

• Southwestern Adventist University is 14% more expensive to attend than Central College for in-state tuition ($23,928.00 vs. $20,988.00)
• Out of state tuition is 14% higher at Southwestern Adventist University than Central College ($23,928.00 vs. $20,988.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwestern Adventist University than Central College ($20,198 vs. $22,499)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwestern Adventist University are 35.3% lower than costs at Central College ($9,032 vs. $12,220)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Central College than Southwestern Adventist University (100% vs. 99%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Southwestern Adventist University students is 14.6% larger than aid received Central College ($14,534 vs. $12,678)

Central College vs. Southwestern Adventist University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Central College (1068) is 164 points higher than at Southwestern Adventist University (904)
• Incoming Central College students have a 3 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at Southwestern Adventist University (20)
• Accepted freshman Central College students have a 0.22 point higher average high school GPA (3.52) than students at Southwestern Adventist University (3.3)
• Central College has a higher acceptance rate (79%) than Southwestern Adventist University (55.5%)

Central College vs. Southwestern Adventist University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Central College or Southwestern Adventist University? 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 Southwestern Adventist University and Central College.

• The graduation rate at Central College is higher than Southwestern Adventist University (63% vs. 38%)
• Graduates from Central College earn on average $5,400 more per year than Southwestern Adventist University graduates after ten years. ($48,000 vs. $42,600)
• Southwestern Adventist University students graduate with a $1,000 lower median federal student loan debt than Central College graduates. ($26,000 vs. $27,000)
• Southwestern Adventist University graduates are paying $11 less per month on federal student loans than Central College graduates. ($268 vs. $279)
• More Central College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southwestern Adventist University students, three years after graduation. (78% vs. 49%)

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