Central vs College of Saint Benedict
What each college publishes, side by side. Cost, admission, graduation, earnings and debt come from federal data.
BCompass Score: Good (grade B): below the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges.Central CollegePella, IACompass Score: Good · Top 37%B+Compass Score: Very good (grade B+): the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges.College of Saint BenedictSaint Joseph, MNCompass Score: Very good · Top 23%
At a glance
- College of Saint Benedict has the higher graduation rate: 77% against 66% at Central.
- For families earning up to $30,000, College of Saint Benedict has the lower price after aid: $12,981 a year, against $16,231 at Central.
- Central has the lower average price after aid: $23,377 a year, against $26,640 at College of Saint Benedict.
Scores
Compass Score
BCompass Score: Good (grade B): below the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges. Top 37%
B+Compass Score: Very good (grade B+): the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges. Top 23%
Academic Excellence
B+Academic Excellence: Very good (grade B+): the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges. Top 25%
A-Academic Excellence: Excellent (grade A-): the top 20% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges. Top 15%
Value
B-Value: Good (grade B-): below the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges.
B-Value: Good (grade B-): below the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank among rated colleges.
The college
Category
Liberal arts colleges
Liberal arts colleges
Location
Pella, IA
Saint Joseph, MN
Setting
Town
Suburb
Students
1,095
1,451
Sports
NCAA Division III · American Rivers Conference
NCAA Division III · Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Admission
Admission rate
86%
92%
Average SAT
1147
1151
ACT middle 50%
20–26
20–27
Outcomes
Graduation rate
66%
77%
First-year retention
80%
86%
Median earnings 10 years after entry
$54,317
$63,260
Median debt
$26,984
$26,944
Cost
Average price after aid
$23,377
$26,640
Price after aid, by family income
Up to $30,000
$16,231
$12,981
$30,001–$48,000
$16,237
$14,791
$48,001–$75,000
$19,532
$20,378
$75,001–$110,000
$21,936
$24,039
Over $110,000
$27,165
$33,660
Top majors by graduate earnings
Bachelor's majors
- Computer science $89,838
- Accounting $86,868
- Business administration $68,021
- Biology $59,597
- Psychology $56,941
- Accounting $87,159
- Nursing $84,492
- Business administration $78,901
- Political science $64,777
- Writing and rhetoric $64,449
Compare with another college
The Compass Score and grades are College Compass Guide’s own ratings. Cost, admission, graduation, earnings and debt are federal data. This comparison doesn’t rank the two colleges; the figures are shown as published.