Luther College vs Northwestern College

Luther College and Northwestern College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Luther College, nestled in Decorah, Iowa, boasts a higher acceptance rate (80%) compared to Northwestern College's 70%. While Luther College excels in the liberal arts and sciences, Northwestern College emphasizes professional programs, with popular majors in business, education, and nursing. Luther College's student body is more diverse, with 20% international students, while Northwestern College's student body is predominantly white. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Luther College at 78% and Northwestern College at 75%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more distinctions and determine which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Luther College	Northwestern College
Overview
Location	Decorah, Iowa	Orange City, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	83.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	76.1%	83.0%
Application fees
SAT range	1088 - 1318	940 - 1240
ACT range	22 - 29	20 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	37.0%	82.0%
Total number of applicants	2,495	1,172
Total number of admissions given out	1,898	973
Admitted students who chose to enroll	444	268
Yield rate	23.4%	27.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$61,175	$47,650
Average net price	$25,929	$24,848
Tuition	$46,130	$33,350
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,870 Meal plan: $5,490	$10,000
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $34,281	100.0% Average amount $21,873
Students receiving federal student loan	69.0% Average amount $5,292	69.0% Average amount $5,257
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $13,652	21.0% Average amount $10,813

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,744 Men 43.4% Women 56.6%	1,053 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
Graduate students	N/A	460 Men 24.3% Women 75.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	70.5%	N/A
International students	9.9%	2.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,156	995
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota Iowa Wisconsin Illinois California	N/A

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.5%	70.8%
Dropout rate	27.4%	6.5%
Transferred out	N/A	22.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,719 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,017 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,993 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,925 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,080 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,227 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,185 Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: N/A

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Luther College vs Northwestern College

Luther College

Northwestern College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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