Luther College Admission
Luther College Undergraduate Program
Luther College Application

The Facts

Luther College is a small, private institution located in the town of Decorah, Iowa, and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The school is home to over 2,400 undergraduate students and approximately 60 graduate and part-time professional students who are able to take courses in both the liberal arts and sciences as well as preprofessional studies. The school is actually one of the oldest institutions in the state, as it was founded in the year 1861. The school’s academic programs offer a broad range of majors in the areas of biological science, business (home to a unique program in management science and management information systems), communications and the arts (which has a surprisingly good program in the performing arts), computer and physical science (home to a highly specialized program in statistics), education, health professions, and social sciences (home to a rather innovative program in Scandinavian studies). Some of the most popular majors include biology, music, English, management, and psychology.

Admission to Luther College is quite competitive among the relatively few students who apply, and the overall number of applicants has been increasing with each passing admissions cycle. Last year, over 2,000 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 1,530 of those students were accepted; of those, about 670 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1200 to 1280, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 25 to 32. Additionally, more than 81% of the admitted students were ranked in the top 10% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about a 3.8.

Luther College has a very manageable student to faculty ratio of 14:1, and most students agree that small class sizes are one of the school's most attractive qualities. It is very rare to find a lecture course, and most of the classes are firmly rooted in discussion and intellectual discourse. The professors also get very high marks from students in terms of accessibility and willingness to help students out when they may need it.

The Social Scene

The town of Decorah is quite small, and doesn’t really offer students much in the way of entertainment, and unfortunately it isn’t located near any major cities. However, the campus has plenty of activities for students to get involved in, including over 140 student groups and organizations that range from student government to a literary magazine. The college is also home to eight local fraternities and sororities that are quite popular with students. Even though the administration has a strict dry policy, the Greeks seem to maneuver around it, as their weekend parties are often filled with alcohol of many varieties...

The dating scene is surprisingly diverse and vibrant; you can find a little bit of everything at Luther...

What’s Good

“Even though we’re a small school in the middle of nowhere, we really know how to rock it, if you know what I mean...”

“The sports scene here is actually really great, and all the students have a lot of pride for their teams.”

“The parties are amazing; you wouldn’t think so when you first come, but you discover the scene pretty rapidly.”

What’s Bad

“There is nothing to do in the town, and the people aren’t terrifically enthused about having a bunch of college kids running amok.”

“There is a lot of partying here on the weekends, and things get really loud. It can be hard to study or even sleep for that matter.”

“The administration kind of pressures you into choosing a major pretty quickly. You don’t have enough time to explore your options.”

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