Luther College vs Central College

Luther College and Central College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions in the Midwest, offer distinct educational experiences. Luther, rooted in the Lutheran tradition, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Central's selective admissions (68%). While Central's student body is slightly larger, Luther maintains a lower student-to-faculty ratio, fostering closer interactions between students and professors. Both colleges excel in academics, with popular majors spanning the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. However, Luther has a slightly higher graduation rate (79%) than Central (76%). Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Central College	Luther College
Overview
Location	Pella, Iowa	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	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	84.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Protestant	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	74.5%	76.1%
Application fees	$25
SAT range	1000 - 1260	1088 - 1318
ACT range	19 - 25	22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	10.0%	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	67.0%	37.0%
Total number of applicants	2,202	2,495
Total number of admissions given out	1,641	1,898
Admitted students who chose to enroll	340	444
Yield rate	20.7%	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	$34,302	$61,175
Average net price	$22,966	$25,929
Tuition	$19,250	$46,130
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,892 Meal plan: $5,660	Room/dormitory: $4,870 Meal plan: $5,490
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $10,353	100.0% Average amount $34,281
Students receiving federal student loan	73.0% Average amount $5,605	69.0% Average amount $5,292
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $12,712	13.0% Average amount $13,652

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,139 Men 51.3% Women 48.7%	1,744 Men 43.4% Women 56.6%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	70.5%
International students	0.1%	9.9%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,405	2,156
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Minnesota Iowa Wisconsin Illinois California

Academics
Popular study areas	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Communication and Journalism Education Business English Language and Literature	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	66.1%	72.5%
Dropout rate	2.5%	27.4%
Transferred out	31.0%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,045 Year 3: $57,439 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,169 Year 2: $44,542 Year 3: $50,519 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,119 Year 3: $48,234 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,721 Year 3: $41,814 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $40,707 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $37,077 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,314 Year 3: $33,927 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,790 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 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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Luther College vs Central College

Central College

Luther College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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