Centre College

Founded in 1819. U.S. News top-50 national liberal arts college. Forbes top-15 college/university in the South seven years in a row. Included in Colleges That Change Lives. Private.

We back our promise of a deeply engaging and intensely personal education with a guarantee. If you meet regular academic and social expectations, you will complete all three parts of the Centre Commitment, or the College will provide up to an additional year of study tuition-free.

85% of Centre students study abroad at least once, making us a top-three school in the nation. Our faculty go abroad too, allowing them to live on site with you, share their knowledge of the region, and plan trips and activities.

Centre recognizes how important it is for you to graduate on time. Prompt graduation is a key way in which we give students the best educational value for their dollar. In fact, U.S. News & World Reportranks Centre in the top-20 of liberal arts colleges that offer the best value in education. Although the national average time to graduation is five years, at Centre it is four. Not only do most Centre students graduate in four years, they also are able to take advantage of special opportunities such as internships and study abroad in that time.

We are a residential campus—including on the weekends—so you’ll get to know your classmates well.

Ninety-eight percent of Centre students live on campus, and that feeling of community is often the highlight of the college experience. Centre offers a variety of housing options, and starting on move-in day first-year students begin building relationships as upper-level students, faculty, staff and even the President help them move into their residence hall.

Centre is also a place where important conversations occur. Our Norton Center for the Arts hosted the nation’s only Vice Presidential Debate in both 2012 and 2000. We have speakers, concerts, plays, and athletic competitions almost every day. We also offer numerous leadership opportunities.Centre is home to a successful NCAA Division III athletics program that boasts of 38 conference championships in the last 5 years.

42% of Centre students participate in the arts. Centre also hosts 100+ musicians, performers, and speakers each year, and students are encouraged to expand their horizons through internships, work experience, and community-based events.

We pledge continuing efforts to build and strengthen a community enriched by our differences and founded upon our common humanity. Centre respects the right of all members of the community to express their individuality in a manner that is consistent with the dignity and welfare of others. Centre strives to create an environment where differences are celebrated rather than discouraged, where individuals have the opportunity to exchange ideas and share in the richness of mutual experience. By valuing the individual’s total character over any single characteristic, Centre will maintain its unique community.

Our faculty are Centre’s heart. They nurture the culture of the College—our sense of common purpose and our passion for learning—and they share it enthusiastically with our students. Each year about 16 of our faculty—from disciplines across the academic spectrum—teach their subjects in the context of another culture abroad.

Both internships and research experiences challenge students to go beyond learning about their chosen academic field by “doing” the discipline they are studying in the classroom.

Internships play a significant role in preparing students for success. In fact, most employers offer almost 10 percent higher average starting salaries to recent college graduates who have completed an internship. Not only do internships help you secure higher-paying jobs, they give you real-world experience and allow you to apply what you’ve learned in the classroom by “trying on a career.”

Centre students are often eager for intellectual challenges beyond the traditional classroom. As they become ready for a new level of discovery, the College provides them the chance to become partners in learning with Centre faculty as well as accomplished researchers elsewhere. Whatever the field, this collaborative work becomes an important bridge to graduate study or jobs after Centre.

Centre College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the Bachelor of Arts degree and Bachelor of Science degree.

Danville has been named one of the best small towns in America, with all the charm and security of a historic small town. Students are just a short walk from a coffee shop, pizza pub, smoothie place, yoga and cycle studio, community arts center, regional hospital, gift shops, ice cream shops, and cafés. And while students often take advantage of local festivals and events, they still enjoy easy access to the metro areas of Lexington, Louisville, and Cincinnati.Sports are popular at a variety of skill levels. If you want to play, we have a team for you. Centre competes in the Southern Athletic Association, a Division III conference (no athletic scholarships). Around 40 percent of students play on one or more of 23 varsity teams. Intramurals are also popular, and teams are open to all.You might even compete against your professors.