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Luther College

Luther College

Luther College is a private, coeducational, liberal arts college located in Decorah, Iowa, United States. It was established as a men's seminary in 1861 by Norwegian immigrants. The main campus spreads across an area of 1,000 acres. U.S. News and World Report ranked Luther College 88th among the liberal arts colleges for 2008-2009. Luther is a member institute of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Annapolis Group. The college offers a wide variety of degrees and programs in diverse areas of study.

Luther College's athletic department sponsors both men’s and women’s sports teams. They participate in sports such as softball, basketball, wrestling, and track & field. The teams are nicknamed the Norse. The college competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Overview of Luther College

Luther is found in Decorah, IA. Decorah is a rural site not far from an urban area. Applicants to the school are attracted by its Evangelical Lutheran Church identity. Luther is a private, not-for-profit institution. Students can earn degrees up to and including the Bachelor's degree at the school.

Areas of Study

Luther is known for its programs in science, mathematics, music, and art studies.

Luther Selectivity

Admission to the school is not automatic; not everyone who applies gets in. Three quarters of students in 2007-2008 had SAT verbal scores of at least 493. Half of math SAT scores of accepted students fell between 510 and 670.

Faculty

The school maintains a faculty/student ratio (full-time) which is better than most colleges. Luther has a tenure system for senior faculty. The full-time faculty at the school is well-paid, which often goes with faculty quality.

Student Body

Students numbered 2,476 in 2007-2008 at Luther.

Student Life

The school has a residential or campus feel. Luther offers dorm rooms to a higher percentage of its students than do most colleges. The school offers students meal plans. Luther values student athletics, and belongs to the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Luther

Luther College
700 College Drive
Decorah, IA 52101-1045
General Phone: (563) 387-2000
http://www.luther.edu

Luther Programs and Degrees (2008-2009)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Liberal Arts127English, Spanish language, history, political science, anthropology, economics, sociology, women's studies, ...
Business and Management77business management, accounting, MIS
Science61biology, chemistry, physics
Music60music
Education and Teaching36elementary school teaching
Therapy and Counseling34psychology
Nursing and Emergency Medicine29registered nursing
Nutrition and Exercise Therapy27health and physical education, athletic trainer
Media23communication studies
Art Studies19art studies
Religion and Philosophy13religion, philosophy
Family and Social Work13social work
Computer Science and Engineering9computer science
Mathematics8statistics, mathematics
Drama and Performing Arts6drama
Conservation and Resource Management4environmental studies

Number of programs and degrees for Luther in 2008-2009:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree54636

Luther Student Body

In 2007-2008, Luther had a total enrollment of 2,476 students (2,727 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men41%
Women59%
Full-Time100%
Part-Time0%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate100%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White86%
Black1%
Hispanic2%
Asian2%
American Indian0%
Unknown5%
(Foreign Students)4%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 181%
18-1944%
20-2144%
22-249%
25-291%
30-340%
35-390%
40-490%
50-640%

Incoming (Freshman) Students by Place of Residence:
(From available data sampling)

ResidencePercent
Minnesota37%
Iowa31%
Wisconsin12%
Illinois6%
(International Students)5%
Colorado1%
South Dakota1%
Kansas1%
Texas1%
Missouri1%
North Dakota1%

Luther Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time86 %

Luther Room and Board (2007)

Luther offers campus housing for 2,095 of its 2,727 (full-time) students. Freshmen are required to live on campus.

(Please refer to our profile of Decorah, Iowa for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other Iowa Colleges).

The school offers students a meal plan with 20 meals per week.

Luther Admissions and Selectivity

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total2,0531,64880%63038%
Men87065275%25940%
Women1,18399684%37137%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal493648
SAT Math510670
SAT Writing500630
ACT Verbal2230
ACT Math2229
ACT Composite2329

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Rankrequired
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrecommended
Recommendationsrequired
Formal Demonstration of Competencenot required
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT16%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT93%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required

Luther Expenses and Financial Aid (2008-2009)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 31,070
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 31,070
Room and board$ 5,040
Room charge$ 2,420
Board (meal plan) charge$ 2,620
Books and supplies$ 910
Other expenses$ 2,530

Financial Aid:
Luther participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 187400)

Luther Faculty

Luther has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2008-2009):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured7439
Non-tenured, but on tenure track2421
Non-tenured and not on tenure track1212

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2008-2009):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year40$80,18216$79,861
Associate professoracademic year37$65,30123$65,891
Assistant professoracademic year30$54,04927$53,819
Instructoracademic year3$46,4276$44,686
All faculty totalacademic year110$67,12972$62,701

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Luther Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
FootballIowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
BasketballIowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
BaseballIowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
TrackIowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Luther Degree Programs (2007)

ART STUDIES
Art/Art Studies, General

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Accounting
Business Administration and Management, General
Management Information Systems, General

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Science

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Studies

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Elementary Education and Teaching

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK
Social Work

LIBERAL ARTS
African-American/Black Studies
Ancient Near Eastern/Biblical Languages, Lit & Linguistics
Anthropology
Classics/Classical Languages, Lit & Linguistics, General
Economics, General
English Language and Literature, General
French Language and Literature
German Language and Literature
History, General
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Political Science and Government, General
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature
Women's Studies

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics, General
Statistics, General

MEDIA
Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric

MUSIC
Music, General

NURSING AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN)

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY
Athletic Training/Trainer
Health and Physical Education, General

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy
Religion/Religious Studies

SCIENCE
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Chemistry, General
Physics, General

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Psychology, General

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Luther Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Luther Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
% of degrees in music
(vs. all colleges)
Top 4%Luther % of degrees in music
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 4%Luther Dorm rooms per full-time student
% of degrees in mathematics
(vs. all colleges)
Top 6%Luther % of degrees in mathematics
% of degrees in science
(vs. all colleges)
Top 8%Luther % of degrees in science
% of degrees in art studies
(vs. all colleges)
Top 8%Luther % of degrees in art studies
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 12%Luther Number of degree programs
Salaries of full-time faculty
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 12%Luther Salaries of full-time faculty
Number of students
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 13%Luther Number of students
Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
(vs. all colleges)
Top 13%Luther Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
% of degrees in nutrition and exercise therapy
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 17%Luther % of degrees in nutrition and exercise therapy
Student SAT scores
(vs. all colleges)
Top 18%Luther Student SAT scores
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Evangelical Lutheran Church affiliation
Accepts some high school credits
Grants credits for AP courses
Career counseling
Student employment services
Remedial classes for students
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Offers a board (meal) plan
Tenure system for quality teaching
NCAA athletic conference member

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