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Luther College
Most applicants get into Luther College — 71.5% were admitted — so the real questions are cost, fit and outcomes, covered below.
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Luther College anchors the college town of Decorah, IA, where the private campus and town largely share a footprint. The school maintains its Evangelical Lutheran Church affiliation, which threads through campus life to a degree that varies by program.
Its highest-earning path is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, where graduates median $77,569 four years out. Faculty pay averages $97,380 a year here — a rough proxy for what the school spends on the teaching itself. With 1,379 undergraduates and a residential core, weekends happen on campus — and 77% of first-years come back for a second year.
Submitters admitted here typically landed between 1098 and 1318 — above the IA middle for four-year schools. Put your own practice estimate on Luther College's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.
Admissions
Luther College is test-optional: scores are considered when submitted but not required. The 1098–1318 range below describes admitted students who chose to submit — typically Luther College's stronger testers — so treat it as the higher end of what gets in.
| Score | 25th | 50th | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Reading & Writing | 550 | 610 | 650 |
| SAT Math | 548 | 600 | 668 |
| ACT Composite | 22 | 26 | 29 |
Percentiles are among students who submitted scores (Fall 2023 admissions cycle).
In the Fall 2023 cycle, Luther College received 2,447 applications and admitted 1,793 (73.3%), with 352 enrolling.
How Luther College compares
| Luther College | Iowa median | National median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 71.5% | 80.1% | 77.2% |
| Tuition (in-state) | $52,120 | $36,684 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $59,850 | $55,396 | $53,781 |
Ten years after enrolling, the median Luther College student earns $59,850 — 8% above the Iowa median of $55,396 for college-goers.
Cost, size & completion
Luther College lists tuition at $52,120 for everyone — private schools don't do residency pricing. Luther College's sticker and net price can differ sharply after aid; treat $52,120 as the ceiling, not the bill.
With 1,379 undergraduates, Luther College is small enough that class size and faculty access are structural, not marketing claims.
71.1% of Luther College students finish a bachelor's within six years — 16.3 points above the national 54.9% — and the single best predictor that the $52,120 price above buys a degree, not just enrollment.
Top majors by earnings at Luther College
| Bachelor's program | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $77,569 |
| Accounting and Related Services | $75,341 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $68,510 |
| Biology, General | $63,998 |
| Psychology, General | $56,469 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | $54,821 |
| Political Science and Government | $53,510 |
| Communication and Media Studies | $52,905 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | $52,296 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | $51,913 |
| Music | $50,947 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | $50,580 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $50,164 |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | $49,769 |
| Social Work | $47,660 |
| English Language and Literature, General | $46,116 |
| History | $45,737 |
Median earnings for these 17 Luther College programs come from a different federal cohort than the campus-wide $59,850 above — compare rows to each other, not to that 10-year figure. 26 additional Luther College programs have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA and test scores do you need for Luther College?
Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored 1098–1318 on the SAT. There's no published GPA cutoff — pair these ranges with the 71.5% admission rate to judge your odds.
What is Luther College's acceptance rate?
73.3% in the Fall 2023 cycle — 1,793 admitted from 2,447 applicants.
How much does Luther College cost?
At Luther College, published tuition is $52,120 — net price after aid usually comes in lower. That number is Luther College's ceiling, not a quote.
What do Luther College graduates earn?
Federal data puts median earnings at $59,850 ten years after enrolling. The table above breaks this down by major.
Similar colleges in Iowa
- Morningside University — 71% admitted
- University of Iowa — 83.6% admitted
- Mount Mercy University — 82.5% admitted
- Northwestern College — 80.4% admitted
Run your own numbers
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01. Figures reflect the latest federal cohorts, which lag the current admissions cycle.