Understanding Central College Tuition Fees and Financial Aid

Choosing a college is a significant decision, and understanding the costs involved is a crucial first step. This article provides a detailed overview of the tuition fees, room and board expenses, and financial aid options available at Central College. It aims to help prospective students and their families make informed decisions about financing their education.

Tuition and Fees: An Overview

Students entering the fall semester 2025-2026 will be charged tuition (based on a flat amount for 12-18 credits), room, board, and fees. The charges given in the table below are for 2025-2026. Central College's tuition is $21,934. Compared with the national average cost of tuition of $50,159, Central College is cheaper.

Tuition at Central College for the 2025-2026 academic year is structured as follows:

Full-time Tuition: A flat rate of $10,967.00 is charged for students taking between 12 and 18 semester hours.
Part-time Tuition: Students taking fewer than 12 semester hours are charged $914.00 per semester hour. For example, a part-time student who elects to carry 10 semester hours of credit will be charged $9,140.00 for tuition (10 x $914.00).
Overload Tuition: Students exceeding 18 semester hours will be charged an additional $914.00 per semester hour for each credit beyond the 18-hour limit.

Room and Board Expenses

In addition to tuition, students need to factor in the cost of room and board. Central College offers several options for on-campus living and meal plans:

Housing: The basic charge for all on-campus residence units is $2,900 per semester. The general rule is two persons per room.
Meal Plans: Three meal plans are offered: a 19-meal plan, a 14-meal plan, or a 10-meal plan. The 2025-26 rate for the 19-meal plan is $3,130 per semester; the 14-meal plan is $2,980; the 10-meal plan is $2,680.
Commuter Meal Plan: A commuter meal plan is available for students living off campus. A commuter meal plan can be purchased for $495 and includes 50 meals.

Detailed Meal Plan Information

The 19 Meal Plan is $3,130 per semester for 19 swipes per week or up to 4 swipes per day. A maximum of two swipes may be used per meal period. Students will also receive $150 in Dutch Guilders per semester for meal purchases at the Market, Fred’s or the Café.
The 14 Meal Plan is $2,980 per semester for 14 swipes per week or up to 4 swipes per day. A maximum of two swipes may be used per meal period.
The 10 Meal Plan is $2,680 per semester for 10 swipes per week or up to 4 swipes per day. A maximum of two swipes may be used per meal period.

Additional Fees

*Fees applied to courses are noted on the searchable schedule prior to registration. Video & A.V. Additional course fees may be applied for courses including a travel component. Fees differ by institution and may fund library services, student gym facilities, student centers, technology resources and campus health centers.

Read also: Explore Pharmacy Studies at UCF

Understanding the Total Cost of Attendance

As you’re comparing costs of different institutions, also consider the total cost and the net price. The total cost is the sticker price, plus the cost of food and housing, books and supplies, and transportation and personal expenses. At Central College, the total cost is $37,773.

Financial Aid Opportunities

Central College is committed to making education accessible and offers various forms of financial aid to assist students in covering the costs of attendance.

Need-Based Aid

The average need-based scholarship or grant awarded to first-year students at Central College was $17,171. Additionally, 63% of first-year students received need-based financial aid in fall 2023. Need-based scholarships take a student’s financial status into account.

Need-based self-help aid includes federal loans and work-study. The average need-based self-help aid awarded to first-year students was $2,946.

Merit-Based Aid

Merit-based aid, also called non-need-based aid, is awarded for a specific talent or academic achievement. The average non-need-based scholarship or grant awarded to first-year students at Central College - excluding any athletic scholarships, if applicable - was $10,330.

Read also: Navigating Student Central

Central College's Commitment

Central College met 79% of its students’ financial aid need. Read below to learn more about the types of aid available. Applied for need-based aid Received need-based financial aid Received need-based self-help aid Average percent of need met.

Scholarships and Grants

Scholarships are a type of funding that you don’t need to pay back. Some students receive enough in scholarship money to cover their tuition and living expenses. See the types of scholarships and grants available at Central College below. Types of need-based scholarships/grants available Average Need-Based Scholarship or Grant Award (First-year Students).

Student Loan Debt

How much student loan debt you accumulate can affect your financial life long after college ends. Ideally, your total student loan debt should fall below your anticipated starting salary once you graduate. At Central College, the median federal loan debt among borrowers who completed their undergraduate degree is $26,984. The median monthly federal loan payment (if it were repaid over 10 years at 5.05% interest) for student federal loan borrowers who graduated is $286.

Additionally, 19% of graduating students at Central College took out private loans. Students with private loans had an average of $31,228 in private loan debt at graduation.

Average Total Indebtedness of 2024 Graduating Class $40,389. Graduating students who have borrowed (any loan type, 2024) 73%. Graduating students who have borrowed (state loans, 2024) Graduating students who have borrowed (private loans, 2024).

Read also: STEM Careers at UCF

Work Opportunities

Working while in school can help lessen the burden of your student loans. Schools offer work-study programs to those who qualify and campus jobs to students looking to earn money in their free time. Some institutions match students with work-study positions, while others require them apply to the positions, like they would for any other job. Begin your job search by checking whether your college has in-person or online job boards.

Net Price and Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

Finally, we get to the bottom line: what will Central College actually cost YOU? Above, we've covered Central College's Cost of Attendance (tuition, room and board, books, and more). The Net Price is the total cost minus the total aid given. In other words, this is the price you have to pay to the school out of pocket.

The US government has come up with a standardized way to calculate how much a typical family can afford to pay without help. Colleges use this number as a guideline to decide how much aid to give you, but it's just a guideline. So we're going to calculate your EFC and compare it to Central College's Net Price. If the Net Price is higher than the EFC, the school will cost more than you can typically afford.

Additional Considerations

*Institution is G.I. Bill certified Yes. Institution participates in Yellow Ribbon Program Yes. Types of need-based scholarships/grants available Application Deadline for Financial Aid Student Loan Debt for Central College.

Turn your educational goals into reality at Central Washington University (CWU). We offer high-quality academics at an affordable cost, removing financial barriers and increasing accessibility. Ready to get started? Learn how a CWU education empowers you to chart a new course and what types of financial assistance and resources you can use to pay for college. Start planning for your time at Central today. Use our Net Price Calculator to get a general idea of how much your CWU education may cost.

Centre is consistently named one of the best values among the nation's top colleges. We believe that a transformative education should be within reach for everyone. That's why we're proud to meet 100% of your calculated financial need-it's called the Centre Promise. And with our commitment to helping you graduate in four years, you can enter your career or pursue further studies on time. The return on investment you get from Centre is a dividend that will pay you back for the rest of your life. Cost of Attendance 2025-2026 AnnualTuition $54,890 Housing $7,425 Food $7,425 Student Fee $600 TOTAL $70,340. Included in tuition, housing, and food is access to physical and mental health care at Centre’s Student Health & Counseling center. At Centre, you are our greatest investment. Understanding financial aid can be an overwhelming part of your college search. Centre offers a range of merit-based scholarship programs. Meeting full financial need includes different forms of aid. Centre provides a cost calculator to help you with your financial decisions. You probably know that planning for expenses is an important part of the college application process. By learning more about expenses and aid, you’re already on the right path to managing college costs. Knowing what a school costs is Step #1 in managing college costs. The "Cost of Attendance" is the total amount of money the average student has to pay, WITHOUT any financial aid, to attend a particular school. Think of it as a school’s sticker price.

This is good news - more students getting financial aid means students at Central College are likely getting a pretty good deal on their education. We’re focusing on grants and scholarships first because they’re the most important forms of financial aid. Grants and scholarships are better than loans because students don’t ever have to pay them back. Although it’s useful to know how many students get grant aid, it’s also important to know how much grant aid people tend to receive. So how much grant money do students at Central College tend to receive? Altogether, this is great news - at Central College, MORE students get financial aid, and each award size is HIGHER. The grant dollar amounts we’ve seen so far have included aid from all sources - both federal and institutional. To figure out how strong Central College’s own financial aid program is, we’ll look at how they award their own (non-federal) financial aid dollars. Because more Central College students get institutional aid, it likely offers relatively competitive financial aid. The amount of money that students actually get is just as important (if not more important) than the percent of students who get grants. Right away, it seems like Central College offers more institutional aid than other schools. On the other hand, this can also mean that the school just costs more than the typical school of its type.

Aside from grants, the other major way to pay for college is with student loans. The more student loan money you borrow, the more debt you’ll end up with after graduation. Ideally, you want to minimize your student debt as much as possible. It’s generally a bad sign if a school has many students taking out a lot of loans. First, let’s talk about how many students at Central College actually have to take out any student loans at all. It’s very common for college grads in the US to graduate with some debt, but high percentages of students taking on loans at a particular school is a big red flag. High numbers of students with loans is a red flag, and Central College is above average. To break this down further, we have to understand how much actual debt the average person takes out while in school. We’ll start with federal loans because, in general, federal loans are preferable to private loans. Federal loans tend to have low interest rates, which means they cost less in the long run. High percentages or amounts of federal loans still isn’t a great sign - again, you don’t want to see students burdened with too much debt. At Central College, 80% of all students take out federal loans. At Central College, the average annual federal loan amount is $5814. Other loans, or private loans, are the last resource students turn to when paying for college. At Central College, 15% of students take out private loans. Just as important as the percentage of students with private loans is the average loan amount. The average private loan amount at Central College is $10500. The percentage of students getting federal loans is greater than those getting private loans, which is a good sign.

Conclusion

Paying for college is a significant investment, and it's important to carefully consider all the costs and financial aid options available. Central College offers a range of financial aid programs, including need-based and merit-based scholarships and grants, to help students finance their education. By understanding the tuition fees, room and board expenses, and financial aid opportunities, prospective students and their families can make informed decisions about attending Central College.

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