Central: Where Academic Rigor Meets Empathy and Personal Excellence

• Located in Pella, Iowa – 40 minutes southeast of Des Moines
• Founded in 1853
• Campus includes nearly 50 major buildings on 200 acres
  • Douwstra Auditorium has been a gathering place for concerts, lectures, convocation and more.
  • The Roe Center is a platinum LEED-rated (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building and houses education, political science, psychology, and sociology programs.
  • Vermeer Science Center earned Iowa’s first LEED rating, a silver medal, from the U.S. Green Building Council.
  • Maytag Student Center features a fireside lounge, fitness center, Fred’s café and Central College Spirit Shoppe and student support offices.
  • McKee Hall, an apartment-style residence hall, earned Central’s second LEED rating, a gold medal.
  • Scholte Hall is Central’s largest residence hall.
  • Weller Center for Business and International Studies features many environmentally friendly classrooms and offices.
  • Central Market is Iowa’s most original dining hall with a unique European marketplace design.
  • Ron Schipper Fitness Center is a state-of-the-art fitness center available to all students. It’s located in the A.N. Kuyper Athletics Complex.
  • Geisler Library holds 160,000 volumes and is home to the Global Café at Geisler, which offers coffee, and snacks.
  • Kruidenier Center hosts two performance theatres where numerous performances and productions showcase our musical theatre majors.
  • Lubbers Center for the Visual Arts includes a glassblowing studio. Central is the only four-year institution in Iowa with glassblowing as a regular course offering and is the only private school in Iowa with glassblowing.
  • The Chapel is home to Central’s Campus Ministries program, which is open to all.
  • P.N. Kuyper Athletics Complex was recently transformed and includes:
    • H.S. Kuyper Fieldhouse with an indoor track and tennis, volleyball, and basketball courts
    • Ron Schipper Fitness Center
    • Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium
    • Competition soccer field with separate men’s and women’s practice fields
    • Ryerson Golf Practice Range, one of the only golf practice facilities on a college campus in Iowa
    • 8,000-meter cross- country course on campus
    • P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium
    • Baseball and softball game fields
    • Poortinga Family Courts- pickleball and tennis courts
    • Wrestling Center

 

National Accolades and Recognition:

• • #2 Best Value College in Iowa — Niche, 2026
  • #4 Best Liberal Arts College in Iowa—Niche, 2026
  • #4 Best College Athletics in Iowa—Niche, 2026
  • #6 Best Christian College n Iowa—Niche, 2026
  • One of America’s Best Colleges—Money Magazine, 2025
  • Top 25% of Best Colleges #54—Wallet Hub, 2026
  • #131 National Liberal Arts Colleges—U.S. News and World Report, 2025
  • One of the Best College Food in Iowa—Niche, 2026
  • One of the Top 10 Private University in Iowa—Niche, 2026
  • One of the Best Value and Most Affordable Colleges in Iowa—Research.com, 2026
  • One of the Best Value Colleges in America for Accounting and Business Management—College Factual, 2024
  • One of the Best Colleges for Environmental Science in Iowa—Edu/Rank, Niche, Universities.com, Appily 2024
  • One of the Best colleges for Education in Iowa—Appily, Niche, 2024
  • One of the Best Undergrad Engineering Programs—U.S. News and World Report, 2024
  • Once of the Best Colleges or Universities in Iowa—Wallet Hub, U.S. News and World Report, 2024

• Accredited by
  Higher Learning Commission (org; 800-621-7440)
  • State of Iowa Board of Education
  • Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET
  • National Association of Schools of Music
  • Council on Accreditation of Strength and Conditioning
  • Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
  • Certified by the American Chemical Society

Students

• Total enrollment: 1,051
• Number of states represented in student body: 22
• Foreign countries represented in student body: 5
• Average aid (including scholarships, grants, work study and federal loans) awarded to all incoming freshman in 2025-26: $20,201
• 6-year graduation rate: 64%

Faculty 

• Total full-time and part-time faculty: 95
• Ph.D. degree or terminal degree: 79.7 percent
• Faculty-student ratio: 13:1
• Average class size: 16

New, first-year student admission profile (Fall 2025)

• Total applications: 1,706, total acceptances: 1;470, final enrollment: 316 (162 men; 154 women)
• Reformed Church in America students: 34
• Percent in top 10 percent of high school class: 19 percent
• ACT composite score average: 23.9
• Average HS GPA: 3.58
• Percentage entering with AP or college credit: 67 percent.

Financial aid profile, entire student body

• Receiving need-based aid: 55.43 percent
• Receiving scholarship and grant aid: 99.24 percent

Music program

• Central’s music department is committed to providing both majors and non-majors a variety of musical performance opportunities: A Cappella Choir, Chamber Singers, College-Community Chorus, College-Community Orchestra, Flying Pans Steel Drum Band, Pep Band, Dutch Boom Drumline, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and more.
• Performances are held in the Cox-Snow Recital Hall, Douwstra Auditorium, and the Chapel.

 

Athletics program

• Central College is affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Division III) and the American Rivers Conference for men and women. Central student-athletes have captured 11 NCAA Division III championships, 38 NCAA Division III national individual titles, 190 conference team championships, 83 national top-10 team finishes, 80 CSC Academic All-America®, 26 NCAA postgraduate scholarships and 10 NCAA Division III player of the year awards.