Centre News

No other school offers students a promise like Centre’s: a
guaranteed internship, study abroad experience and graduation
in four years—or the College will provide up to an additional year
of study tuition-free.

About 85 percent of Centre students study abroad; here, John
Hester '12 views the mountains surrounding the "Hanging
Monasteries" in Meteora, Greece, during a CentreTerm 2011 trip.

Centre College offers its students many things: personal education leading to extraordinary success, a small student/faculty ratio, unique courses, opportunities to attend remarkable Broadway performances and concerts by renowned orchestras.

But the pledge of outstanding education doesn’t stop there. Through the Centre Commitment, the College guarantees every student who meets Centre’s academic and social expectations an internship, study abroad experience and graduation in four years—or the College will provide up to an additional year of study tuition-free.

And in 2009, an additional component was added to the Centre Commitment. The new initiative, called “Centre’s Your Passport,” provides reimbursement for all first-year students to get a passport if they do not already own one.

“The program is important to Centre because it highlights the importance of all Centre graduates being ‘globally fluent,’ says Dr. Milton Reigelman, director of international programs, J. Rice Cowan Professor of English and special assistant to the president. “Only about 14 percent of our recent graduates haven’t studied abroad at least once; this program might help to reduce even that small number.”

Centre’s study abroad program is among the top three programs in the nation, and unlike most schools, the College completely runs and staffs its long-term programs. These, held in London, England; Strasbourg, France; and Merida, Mexico, are led by Centre professors. Other long-term programs are held in Shanghai, China; Yamaguchi, Japan; Lleida, Spain; and Northern Ireland.

Shorter, three-week study abroad programs are offered during the College’s CentreTerm in January, as well as in the summer.

Internships, another benefit guaranteed by the Centre Commitment, play an important role in the college experience. Through them, students not only learn to thrive in the workplace but make connections that often lead to jobs upon graduation.

The third component of the Centre Commitment, graduation in four years, is one that not many colleges or universities can promise. At Centre, this is the norm—in fact, nearly 87 percent of this year’s graduating class completed their college career in four years.

To learn more about the Centre Commitment and how it prepares students for extraordinary success, click here.