St Olaf College vs Luther College

St. Olaf College and Luther College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions rooted in the Lutheran tradition, offer distinct educational experiences. St. Olaf, located in Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a slightly higher acceptance rate (63%) compared to Luther's 59%. While both colleges share a strong emphasis on the humanities, St. Olaf excels in music, with a renowned music program that attracts talented musicians from around the world. Luther, on the other hand, is known for its exceptional science and nursing programs, preparing students for careers in healthcare and research. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, popular majors, graduation rates, and more, to determine which college best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Luther College	St Olaf College
Overview
Location	Decorah, Iowa	Northfield, Minnesota
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	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	76.1%	47.4%
Application fees
SAT range	1088 - 1318	1240 - 1430
ACT range	22 - 29	28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	37.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	2,495	6,494
Total number of admissions given out	1,898	3,080
Admitted students who chose to enroll	444	755
Yield rate	23.4%	24.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$61,175	$66,570
Average net price	$25,929	$27,729
Tuition	$46,130	$52,670
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,870 Meal plan: $5,490	Room/dormitory: $5,720 Meal plan: $6,280
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $34,281	100.0% Average amount $37,281
Students receiving federal student loan	69.0% Average amount $5,292	49.0% Average amount $5,006
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $13,652	9.0% Average amount $15,087

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,744 Men 43.4% Women 56.6%	2,988 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	70.5%	N/A
International students	9.9%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,156	2,703
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	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.5%	85.0%
Dropout rate	27.4%	3.9%
Transferred out	N/A	11.0%
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	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,475 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $85,264 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,389 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $67,970 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,177 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $61,505 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,461 Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: $48,934 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,797 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $47,009 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,149 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $45,715 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,228 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $44,563 Sociology and Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,528 Year 2: $31,708 Year 3: $42,811 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,398 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $41,551 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,226 Year 2: $23,166 Year 3: $38,521

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