Central College vs. Southwestern College

Central College vs. Southwestern College comparison

	Central College	Southwestern College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Central College	Southwestern College
Location	Pella, IA	Winfield, KS
Setting	Distant Town	Distant Town
Enrollment	1,169	1,174
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#519	#453
Religious Affiliation	Reformed Church in America	United Methodist	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	central.edu	sckans.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Central College	Southwestern College
Tuition (In State)	$19,800	$36,500
Tuition (Out of State)	$19,800	$36,500
Room & Board	$10,860	$9,380
Avg Net Price	$23,303	$27,003
Avg Grant Aid	$10,999	$26,047
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	100%

Admission	Central College	Southwestern College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,970	1,240
Admitted	1,561	870
Acceptance Rate	79.2%	70.2%
Enrolled %	22.5%	23.3%
Avg High School GPA	3.52	3.33
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Moderate	Very Easy
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	19/26	17/22
SAT Range	1040/1218	900/1220
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 22, 2025

Academics	Central College	Southwestern College
Student to Faculty Ratio	13:1	9:1
Popular Majors	Business (17%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (13%) Social Sciences (12%) Biology (8%) Foreign Languages (7%)	Business (44%) Education (12%) Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (11%) Computer and Information Sciences (10%) Health Professions (4%)
Outcomes	Central College	Southwestern College
Graduation Rate	63%	57%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$48,000	$53,100
Making Student Loan Payments	78%	57%
Median Student Loan Debt	$27,000	$25,750
Median Loan Payment	$279	$266

Diversity	Central College	Southwestern College
% Men	52%	65%
% Women	48%	35%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	High
HBCU	No	No
% White	87%	54%
% Black	2%	12%
% Hispanic	4%	8%
% Native American	0%	2%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	1%	3%
% International	0%	5%
% Unknown Race	3%	15%

Students	Central College	Southwestern College
% In-State	73%	36%
% Out-of-State	26%	61%
Campus	Central College	Southwestern College
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

• Southwestern College is larger than than Central College based on total student enrollment (1,174 students vs. 1,169 students)

Central College vs. Southwestern College Cost Comparison

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

• Southwestern College is 84.3% more expensive to attend than Central College for in-state tuition ($36,500.00 vs. $19,800.00)
• Out of state tuition is 84.3% higher at Southwestern College than Central College ($36,500.00 vs. $19,800.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Central College than Southwestern College ($23,303 vs. $27,003)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwestern College are 15.8% lower than costs at Central College ($9,380 vs. $10,860)
• The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Central College as Southwestern College (100% vs. 100%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Southwestern College students is 136.8% larger than aid received Central College ($26,047 vs. $10,999)

Central College vs. Southwestern College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Central College (1068) is 69 points higher than at Southwestern College (999)
• Incoming Central College students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at Southwestern College (22)
• Accepted freshman Central College students have a 0.19 point higher average high school GPA (3.52) than students at Southwestern College (3.33)
• Central College has a higher acceptance rate (79.2%) than Southwestern College (70.2%)

Central College vs. Southwestern College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

• The graduation rate at Central College is higher than Southwestern College (63% vs. 57%)
• Graduates from Southwestern College earn on average $5,100 more per year than Central College graduates after ten years. ($53,100 vs. $48,000)
• Southwestern College students graduate with a $1,250 lower median federal student loan debt than Central College graduates. ($25,750 vs. $27,000)
• Southwestern College graduates are paying $13 less per month on federal student loans than Central College graduates. ($266 vs. $279)
• More Central College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southwestern College students, three years after graduation. (78% vs. 57%)

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