Private nonprofit · College

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa · Remote town

71.5%
Admit rate
$23,097
Avg net price
71%
Graduation rate
$59,850
Median earnings

Luther College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Decorah, Iowa (remote town setting), enrolling 1,379 undergraduates. It has a Evangelical Lutheran Church religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,379 undergradsRemote townAccessible · 72% admitNCAA Division III with football · American Rivers ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Luther College's admitted students.

Admit rate
71.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
1078–1406
Avg GPA (est.)
3.49

Enter a test score to see where you land against Luther College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Luther College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Decorah, Iowa

Decorah is the largest city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. Decorah was the site of a Ho-Chunk village beginning circa 1840. Several Ho-Chunks had settled along the Upper Iowa River that year when the U.S. Army forced them to remove from Wisconsin. Each July, Decorah hosts Nordic Fest, a celebration of Norwegian culture. Decorah is also the home of the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, the largest Norwegian museum in the United States. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
To Great Lakes shore
196 miles
Nearest airport
48 miles to La Crosse (LSE)

How Luther College compares

Selectivity71.5%

More selective than 61% · #8 most selective of 28 in Iowa

SAT average1218

Higher than 63%

Graduation rate71%

Higher than 80% · #6 of 30 in Iowa

First-year retention77%

Higher than 52%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$59,850

Higher than 67% · #8 of 31 in Iowa

Average net price$23,097

Cheaper than 35% · #17 cheapest of 29 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio9 : 1

Lower than 83%

Undergraduate enrollment1,379

Larger than 47%

Percentiles compare Luther College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Iowa.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

1,379undergrads
  • Women72352%
  • Men65648%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White71%
  • Black4.4%
  • Hispanic6.4%
  • Asian1.2%
  • Other or multiracial17%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,379
Student–faculty ratio
9 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
20%
First-generation students
13%
Students over 25
0%
Median family income
$92,364
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$73,035
Endowment
$204,542,420

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 352 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Iowa28%
  • Other U.S. states59%
  • International14%

A national draw — only 28% of first-years come from Iowa; 59% arrive from other states.

14% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
71.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1078–1406
SAT average
1218
SAT reading
550–668
SAT math
528–738
ACT composite
22–29
Average GPA (estimated)
3.49

Cost

In-state tuition
$52,120
Room & board
$11,530
Books & supplies
$1,040
Total cost of attendance
$65,461
Average net price
$23,097

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
71%
Graduated on time (4 years)
61%
First-year retention
77%
Transferred to another college
13%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$49,541
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$59,850
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
65%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
80%

About 10% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
61%
Low-income (Pell)
65%
First-generation
64%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,156
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$5,280
Meal plan (year)
$5,900
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
American Rivers Conference
Varsity athletes
650 (422 men · 228 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (12)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)193
Football76
Soccer70
Swimming and Diving (combined)59
Basketball53
Baseball49
Wrestling43
Softball26
Tennis24
Golf22
Volleyball22
Bowling13

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
5.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
22
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,384 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

7.3reported offenses a year
7.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
4.0
Rape
3.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$12,517
$30–48k
$12,835
$48–75k
$19,351
$75–110k
$22,204
$110k+
$29,376

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$81,604

$19,351/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$35,751
average award, among those who get one

Luther College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $35,751. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 400 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$59,850
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
45%
Out-earn a HS grad
69%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$57,210
Men
$63,014

Men out-earn women by $5,804 (10%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
84°F
Winter low
10°F
Annual rain
37.6″
Annual snow
37.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.06.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Decorah, IA US station (0.7 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Luther College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Luther College side by side →

Colleges near Luther College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.