BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofit

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Plains·luther.edu
6-yr Graduation
71%
+5.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
1,384
peer median 1,290
Avg net price
$25,635
+$3.2k vs Baccalaureate
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
2,632
2,632 candidates competed
Admitted
1,883
71.5% acceptance rate
Enrolled
375
19.9% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
71%+5.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
61%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
71%
Full-time retention
77%

Pell equity

6.0pp gap
Pell recipients
58%
Non-Pell
64%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 6.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 41 Title IV programs, 16 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 25 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
41
Passing
16
39.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

41programs
  • Passing16 · 39.0%
  • No Data25 · 61.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
16
No data
25

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

16
History
Bachelor Degree · History
+31.4%
$45,737 vs $34,808
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+32.5%
$46,116 vs $34,808
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+36.9%
$47,660 vs $34,808
Germanic Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
+43.0%
$49,769 vs $34,808
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+44.1%
$50,164 vs $34,808
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+45.3%
$50,580 vs $34,808
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+46.4%
$50,947 vs $34,808
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+49.1%
$51,913 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

16
History
Bachelor Degree · History
59%
$26,940 debt · $45,737 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
59%
$27,000 debt · $46,116 earn
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
57%
$27,000 debt · $47,660 earn
Germanic Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
54%
$26,777 debt · $49,769 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
54%
$27,000 debt · $50,164 earn
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
53%
$27,000 debt · $50,580 earn
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
53%
$27,000 debt · $50,947 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
52%
$27,000 debt · $51,913 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1915Next review Aug 2029

Programmatic accreditations · 3

Action history · 3

  1. Apr 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  2. Jun 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  3. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$16,937
$30–48k$17,977
$48–75k$22,180
$75–110k$25,995
$110k+$31,047

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$25,635
+$3,157vs Baccalaureate median $22,479
Federal loans
60.4%
In-state tuition
$50,320
Out-of-state
$50,320

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 321 students received $1.8M in Pell grants, alongside $7.0M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
321
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$1.8M
$1,820,443 total
Direct Loans
$7.0M
1,420 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.3M
538 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.1M
793 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.6M
89 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 501 borrowers who entered repayment, 3 (0.5%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.5%
-1.8pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
501
Defaulted
3
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
2.4%
2017
2.2%
2018
1.8%
2019
0.5%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Luther College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs43
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

307 total completions
01Health Professions
6220.2%
02Visual/Performing Arts
4815.6%
03Business
4514.7%
04Biological Sciences
3511.4%
05Social Sciences
299.4%
06Foreign Languages
247.8%
07Computer Sciences
196.2%
08Physical Sciences
154.9%
09Multi/Interdisciplinary
154.9%
10Natural Resources
154.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
1,384
12-mo unduplicated
1,488
Undergraduate
1,488
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
46%690
Women
54%798

Race / ethnicity composition

White
73.4%
Non-resident
12.7%
Hispanic
6.5%
Black
3.6%
Asian
1.6%
Unknown
0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.6%
Two or more
0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.3%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
534
338 M · 196 W
Women athletes
36.7%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$4.6M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$58K
$17K
Head-coach salaries
$38K
$31K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 12

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
121 M · 82 W
$412K
Football
80 M ·
$555K
Soccer
38 M · 34 W
$363K
Swimming and Diving (combined)
22 M · 36 W
$158K
Basketball
28 M · 24 W
$276K
Baseball
48 M ·
$226K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
4.97
8 offenses · 1,610 students

3-year trend

7.772 yrs ago5.731 yr ago4.97Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
32
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
28
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Fondling
6
Rape
2

By location

8total
  • On campus8

Includes 6 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

1
Domestic violence
2
Dating violence
4
Stalking
7 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs00
Liquor015

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
9.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
143

Luther College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Luther College selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectLuther College
71%1,384$25,635Baccalaureate
Wartburg College
64%75.8%1,483$22,604Baccalaureate
Coe College
66%64.0%1,195$19,155Baccalaureate
Central College
66%86.2%1,084$22,353Baccalaureate
Grinnell College
88%14.5%1,788$15,608Baccalaureate
Cornell College
62%79.9%1,094$25,079Baccalaureate
Peer group median66%75.8%1,290$22,479

Frequently asked questions about Luther College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Luther College.

What is the graduation rate at Luther College?

Luther College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 71% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Luther College?

Luther College reports a total enrollment of 1,384 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Luther College?

The average net price at Luther College is $25,635 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Luther College?

Luther College's yield rate is 19.9%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Luther College located?

Luther College is located in Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045.

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