Among Central grads, 93 percent are employed, enrolled in graduate school or completing service within a year of graduation.
Central College is among the 50 most underrated colleges in America, according to a recent analysis by Business Insider.
The list was developed by comparing the U.S. News rankings of the top universities and national liberal arts colleges to PayScale’s 2013-14 College Salary Report, which ranks colleges and universities based on their graduates’ mid-career salaries.
No other Iowa colleges or universities are on the Business Insider list.
http://www.businessinsider.com/most-underrated-colleges-in-america-2015-1
The PayScale report listed Central graduates’ average starting salary at $42,900 with an average mid-career salary of $85,100. Among liberal arts colleges, Central’s salary ranking was No. 45 nationally and No. 1 in Iowa. Central is No. 192 among all U.S. colleges and universities.
Topping the underrated colleges list is New Jersey Institute of Technology. The school is ranked No. 149 by U.S. News and No. 61 by PayScale. Next is the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, followed by Florida Institute of Technology, the University of Houston, Missouri University of Science & Technology and Hofstra University.
Central is No. 28 among the most underrated schools. Business Insider notes that more than 76 percent of Central students complete at least one internship before they graduate and that more than 93 percent are employed, enrolled in graduate school or completing service within a year of graduation.
Vice President for Enrollment Management and Dean of Admission Carol Williamson adds that more than 55 percent of Central students study abroad or travel internationally as part of a college activity—compared to the national rate of 14 percent–and that 92 percent of those graduating from Central do so in four years or less.
“This affirms what our students and alumni have known all along,” Williamson said. “Central provides an affordable, high quality liberal arts education. Our students are not spectators. They are active and engage in multiple experiences which connect them to first jobs and meaningful careers. The connections students develop through their relationships with Central’s faculty and alumni give unduplicated value to their educations.”