Admit rate has ranged 54%–64% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Centenary College of Louisiana is a small, Methodist-affiliated liberal arts college in Shreveport that punches above its weight with a surprisingly robust science pipeline (especially for pre-med students) and an intimate, residential campus culture. With a 56% acceptance rate and test-optional admissions, it attracts students who want rigorous academics without the cutthroat competition of elite liberal arts colleges—though its 55% six-year graduation rate suggests some struggle to persist.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
High school transcript
Grade point average
TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
Class rank
Letters of recommendation
Test scores (SAT/ACT)
College-prep program
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
685
In-state tuition
$41,200
Out-of-state tuition
$41,200
Athletics
NCAA D1 (Southland Conference)
Top Majors
Biology, Business
Acceptance Rate
56%
6-Year Grad Rate
55–60%
Residential Students
87%
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$50,330
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
2.1×
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Graduation rate
56%
First-year retention
70%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
72%
Pell (lower-income) share
55%
First-generation share
22%
Endowment / student
$197,296
Financial health
1.9 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Communication and Media Studies$33,459
Business Administration, Management and Operations$32,925
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
0
Per 1,000 students
0.00
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
93
Summer high
92°F
Winter low
42°F
Annual rain
52.3"
Annual snow
2.5"
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively Moderate
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
66
Scholarly works
970
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Economic mobility
Mobility rate
1.5%
Bottom → top quintile
28%
From bottom quintile
5%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at Centenary College of Louisiana?
Centenary College of Louisiana's acceptance rate is approximately 56% (Shreveport, LA), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
What SAT score do you need for Centenary College of Louisiana?
Admitted students at Centenary College of Louisiana typically score 1060–1210 on the SAT (the middle-50% range). Scores outside this band are still admitted, especially with strong applications.
How much does Centenary College of Louisiana cost?
At Centenary College of Louisiana, the average net price (after aid) is about $23,624 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend Centenary College of Louisiana?
Centenary College of Louisiana enrolls approximately 685 undergraduate students.
Where is Centenary College of Louisiana located?
Centenary College of Louisiana is located in Shreveport, LA.
Admissions
Centenary's admissions process is moderately selective, with a 56% acceptance rate (slightly below the national average) and middle-50% test scores of SAT 1053–1185 or ACT 20–25. The college is test-optional—applicants with a 3.5+ core GPA can skip submitting scores if they include a recommendation letter. Notably, gender parity in admissions is strong: 59% of female applicants and 56% of male applicants are admitted. The regular decision deadline is July 15, unusually late for a four-year college.
Centenary offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees across traditional liberal arts disciplines, with particular strength in biology (a pipeline for pre-med students) and business. The most popular majors cluster in biological/biomedical sciences and business/management, reflecting the college's dual identity as a liberal arts institution with professional leanings. Small class sizes are the norm, fostering close faculty-student relationships—a selling point emphasized in campus tours. The curriculum includes notable undergraduate research opportunities, especially in the sciences.
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
This is a highly residential campus—87% of students live in college housing, creating a tight-knit community. Student life revolves around:
D1 athletics (the college competes in the NCAA's Southland Conference)
Greek life (though not overwhelmingly dominant)
Clubs and arts events, from theater productions to community service projects
The Shreveport location provides access to urban amenities (museums, medical centers for internships) while maintaining a classic quad-and-dorms collegiate feel. Diversity programming is actively promoted, though the student body skews regional.
Graduation rates tell a mixed story: the six-year rate is 55–60% (above national averages for similar institutions), but the four-year rate dips to 43–55%, suggesting many students take longer to finish. Alumni earnings are modest—$32,432 median income one year post-graduation, rising to $42,000 by six years out. The college emphasizes professional school placement (especially medicine) as a key success metric, though hard data on those pathways isn't publicly available.
With a net price of $30,050–$32,045 after aid, Centenary is expensive for the region but offers near-universal financial support—87% of students receive aid, including merit scholarships automatically considered for all applicants. Louisiana residents can stack TOPS state grants on top of institutional aid. The college promotes payment plans to ease cash flow, acknowledging the financial stretch for many families.
Centenary is a quirky hybrid: a small liberal arts college with D1 sports, a Methodist affiliation that doesn't dominate campus culture, and a science focus unusual for its size. Its Shreveport location—a midsize city not overrun with colleges—gives students access to internships and clinical opportunities rare for undergrads. The Test-optionalA policy where you choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores. If you don't, the rest of your application carries more weight. policy and July 15 deadline make it accessible for late-deciding students. Just know the sticker price requires careful aid negotiation, and the graduation rates hint at academic support challenges.
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