Centra College
Centra College is a private nonprofit college in Lynchburg, VA, with about 199 students on campus.
Centra College, in brief
Every degree Centra College awards is in health professions
Centra College awards degrees in a single field, health professions. Majors ↓
Nearly all students are women
91% of Centra College’s undergraduates are women. The students ↓
Many students are adults coming back to school
50% of undergraduates are 25 or older, and 87% study part-time. Graduation rates count only first-time, full-time students, so they leave many of these students out. The students ↓
Centra College is very small
About 199 students attend on campus. With classes this small, a handful of students can move the graduation rate from one year to the next. The students ↓
Loan payments are a small share of pay
The typical graduate owes $15,250, about $162 a month over ten years. That’s 3.2% of a typical former student’s monthly pay six years after starting. Outcomes ↓
This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard; graduation rates count only first-time, full-time students; at a college this small, rates can swing from year to year.
What students study, and what it pays
Share of degrees by field
Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates
And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).
How hard is it to get into Centra College?
of applicants admitted
About 20 of every 20 applicants get in.
Test scores of admitted students
No SAT or ACT ranges reported. Centra College is likely test-optional and admits nearly everyone who applies.
Do students finish, and does it pay off?
Debt vs. the paycheck
The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting
$162 a month against about $5,004 a month in pay.
Paying back loans
Federal student loans, this college
of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 89% of U.S. colleges.
Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).
Earnings by family background
Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment
The students
219 degree-seeking undergraduates.
By race and ethnicity
Women and men
Living in Lynchburg
22% of Lynchburg’s 81,347 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Lynchburg pages.
Other colleges within 30 miles
Straight-line distances from Centra College; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.
Ask around
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.