🎓 College profile

Centenary College of Louisiana

LA · Private nonprofit · Mid-size city · 1,834 applicants 2023

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students.

✅ Best for

  • Solid academic profile (SAT 1040–1210 · ACT 21–28 middle 50% + typically a 3.7+ unweighted GPA in rigorous coursework)
  • Students drawn to Biological & Biomedical Sciences or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)
  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1040, or ACT below 21, or unweighted GPA below ~3.50 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus
Total enrollment
685
Under 1,000
In-state tuition
$41,200
sticker, before aid
Tuition
$41,200
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)
Admit rate
54.4%
Moderately selective
SAT middle 50%
1040–1210
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
21–28
composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$50,330
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$42,821
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$50,330
4-year completion
56%
Median debt (completers)
$27,000
Cost of attendance
$60,620
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
45%

💰 True ROI

5.3× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$94,496
$23,624/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$147,984
vs sticker $242,480
10-yr earnings total
$503,300
$50,330/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.9 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Centenary College of Louisiana, the average net price is $23,624/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$19,493/yr
Family income $30-48k
$19,831/yr
Family income $48-75k
$20,942/yr
Family income $75-110k
$25,412/yr
Family income $110k+
$29,862/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Centenary College of Louisiana's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Centenary College of Louisiana →

Opens on Centenary College of Louisiana's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Centenary College of Louisiana

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Centenary College of Louisiana actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Biological & Biomedical Sciences
35 degrees · 33.0%
Typical career outcomes
Biological Scientist $87k Medical & Clinical Lab Tech $61k Pharmaceutical Rep $82k Physician (post-MD) $239k
Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.
2. Business, Management, & Marketing
22 degrees · 20.8%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
3. Psychology
18 degrees · 17.0%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
4. Social Sciences
16 degrees · 15.1%
Typical career outcomes
Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.
5. Visual & Performing Arts
15 degrees · 14.2%
Typical career outcomes
Graphic Designer $59k Art Director $106k Multimedia Artist / Animator $99k Musician / Singer $39k
Highly variable. Steady-pay roles cluster in design, illustration, production. Performance careers have very wide income distributions.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Centenary College of Louisiana

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 22 — $48,525

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Centenary College of Louisiana vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Centenary College of Louisiana

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Centenary College of Louisiana doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.
University of Alabama in Huntsville
AL · Public
39 auto-merit scholarships on file
Texas Tech University
TX · Public
31 auto-merit scholarships on file
The University of Alabama
AL · Public
23 auto-merit scholarships on file
Mississippi State University
MS · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Alabama at Birmingham
AL · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
💰 Better out-of-state value
For families paying $110k+ income tuition, these schools cost meaningfully less than Centenary College of Louisiana.
Christian Brothers University
TN · Private nonprofit
$5,843/yr for $110k+ families ($24,019 less)
Fairmont State University
WV · Public
$6,945/yr for $110k+ families ($22,917 less)
United States Merchant Marine Academy
NY · Public
$9,168/yr for $110k+ families ($20,694 less)
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
NM · Public
$9,996/yr for $110k+ families ($19,866 less)
College of the Ozarks
MO · Private nonprofit
$10,426/yr for $110k+ families ($19,436 less)
🛡️ Safer in-state options
Same state, similar SAT band, but with a more forgiving admit rate — useful safety / match anchors.
Nicholls State University
LA · Public
96% admit rate (vs 54% here)
Northwestern State University of Louisiana
LA · Public
94% admit rate (vs 54% here)
Louisiana State University-Alexandria
LA · Public
93% admit rate (vs 54% here)
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
LA · Public
89% admit rate (vs 54% here)
Louisiana State University-Shreveport
LA · Public
83% admit rate (vs 54% here)

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