Luther College vs Buena Vista University

Luther College and Buena Vista University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Luther College, nestled in Decorah, Iowa, boasts a lower acceptance rate of 72%, indicating its selectivity in admissions. Buena Vista University, located in Storm Lake, Iowa, has a higher acceptance rate of 84%, making it a more accessible option. While Luther College excels in the liberal arts and sciences, Buena Vista University offers a wider range of programs, including business, education, and health sciences. Luther College's student body is predominantly White, while Buena Vista University's student body is more diverse. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Luther College's rate at 78% and Buena Vista University's rate at 68%. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve deeper into the differences between these two esteemed institutions and discover which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Buena Vista University	Luther College
Overview
Location	Storm Lake, Iowa	Decorah, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	73.0%	84.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.0%	76.1%
Application fees
SAT range	963 - 1140	1088 - 1318
ACT range	18 - 25	22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	57.0%	37.0%
Total number of applicants	1,749	2,495
Total number of admissions given out	1,154	1,898
Admitted students who chose to enroll	237	444
Yield rate	20.5%	23.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$53,162	$61,175
Average net price	$18,532	$25,929
Tuition	$37,518	$46,130
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,114 Meal plan: $5,256	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)	100.0% Average amount $31,137	100.0% Average amount $34,281
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $5,750	69.0% Average amount $5,292
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $5,551	13.0% Average amount $13,652

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,506 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	1,744 Men 43.4% Women 56.6%
Graduate students	453 Men 16.3% Women 83.7%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	39.4%	70.5%
International students	0.5%	9.9%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	836	2,156
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Iowa Texas Nebraska Minnesota Arizona	Minnesota Iowa Wisconsin Illinois California

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.8%	72.5%
Dropout rate	36.8%	27.4%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,501 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $61,003 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,278 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $52,709 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,249 Year 2: $45,455 Year 3: $48,387 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,936 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $46,768 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,901 Year 2: $47,494 Year 3: $46,501 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,530 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $45,327 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,042 Year 2: $40,089 Year 3: $45,181 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,301 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $44,742 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,198 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $43,790 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,262 Year 2: $37,819 Year 3: $37,074	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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