Carleton College vs Luther College

Carleton College and Luther College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Carleton, located in Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 22%, while Luther, situated in Decorah, Iowa, maintains a more accessible acceptance rate of 70%. Carleton's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate enrollment of 2,100 compared to Luther's 1,800. Both colleges offer a diverse range of academic programs, with popular majors at Carleton including Economics, Biology, and English, while Luther students commonly pursue majors in Biology, Business Administration, and Elementary Education. Carleton's graduation rate stands at an impressive 92%, while Luther's is slightly lower at 86%. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table below, highlighting key differences between these two exceptional institutions.

	Carleton College	Luther College
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Decorah, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Trimester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	76.1%
Application fees
SAT range	1408 - 1550	1088 - 1318
ACT range	31 - 35	22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	37.0%
Total number of applicants	7,915	2,495
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	1,898
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	444
Yield rate	40.0%	23.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$78,315	$61,175
Average net price	$31,718	$25,929
Tuition	$59,850	$46,130
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $4,870 Meal plan: $5,490
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $45,715	100.0% Average amount $34,281
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	69.0% Average amount $5,292
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	13.0% Average amount $13,652

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	1,744 Men 43.4% Women 56.6%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	81.5%	70.5%
International students	10.2%	9.9%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,854	2,156
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota California Illinois New York Texas	Minnesota Iowa Wisconsin Illinois California

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	72.5%
Dropout rate	8.3%	27.4%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,876 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $101,936 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,032 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $66,207 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,526 Year 2: $23,034 Year 3: $30,071 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,669 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,425 Year 2: $22,329 Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,952 Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: N/A Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,227 Year 2: $36,141 Year 3: N/A Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,625 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,774 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,301 Year 2: $33,719 Year 3: N/A	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,195 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $91,432 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,140 Year 2: $65,441 Year 3: $66,753 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,758 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $64,932 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,532 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $55,251 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,545 Year 2: $45,175 Year 3: $50,853 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,709 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $44,954 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,831 Year 2: $35,401 Year 3: $41,091 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,489 Year 2: $38,559 Year 3: $40,687 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,592 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $38,953 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,828 Year 2: $27,536 Year 3: $38,178

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Carleton College vs Luther College

Carleton College

Luther College

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Admission

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Financial Aid

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Academics

Outcome

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