Luther College
Luther College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Luther College Featured Rankings
About Luther College
According to Wikipedia, Luther College is a private Lutheran liberal arts college in Decorah, Iowa. Established as a Lutheran seminary in 1861 by Norwegian immigrants, the school today is an institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The upper campus was listed as the Luther College Campus Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.
Luther College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,447 | 72% | 77% | 65% | 1242 | 25 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Luther College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $54,250 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $15,244 |
| 30K - 48K | $15,061 |
| 48K - 75K | $16,942 |
| 75K - 110K | $21,299 |
| 110K+ | $29,332 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Luther College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Luther College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $61,821 a year, and 95% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Luther College 's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads |
|---|---|
| 1,488 | 1,488 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Luther College ?
Luther College is located at 700 College Drive, Decorah, IA 52101-1045.
How Safe is Luther College ?
Relative to its enrollment, Luther College has a violent crime rate of 0.07% and a property crime rate of less than 0.01%. Decorah has a violent crime rate of 0.12% and a property crime rate of 0.22%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Luther College Known For?
Luther College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Philosophy
- Religious Studies
- Psychology
- Anthropology
- Literature
- Communications
- History
- Mathematics
- Economics
- Biology
- Education
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Medical
- Political Science
- Computer Science
- Nursing
Luther College 's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Luther College 's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Luther College ranks #440 in the U.S. and #1436 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesLuther College ranks #450 in the U.S. and #1964 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesLuther College ranks #568 in the U.S. and #1480 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesLuther College ranks #598 in the U.S. and #1858 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesLuther College ranks #619 in the U.S. and #1874 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesLuther College ranks #798 in the U.S. and #2996 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesLuther College ranks #807 in the U.S. and #2472 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesLuther College ranks #808 in the U.S. and #3195 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesLuther College ranks #885 in the U.S. and #5024 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesLuther College ranks #921 in the U.S. and #3951 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesLuther College ranks #971 in the U.S. and #4216 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesLuther College ranks #976 in the U.S. and #4025 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesLuther College ranks #986 in the U.S. and #4208 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesLuther College ranks #1018 in the U.S. and #2456 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesLuther College ranks #1049 in the U.S. and #3420 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesLuther College ranks #1073 in the U.S. and #3692 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesLuther College ranks #1122 in the U.S. and #4843 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesLuther College ranks #2027 in the U.S. and #7941 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesLuther College ranks #2179 in the U.S. and #5585 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesWho Are Luther College 's Most Influential Alumni?
Luther College 's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Philosophy, Psychology, and Literature. Here are some of Luther College 's most famous alumni:
- Ole Ivar Lovaas
- A Norwegian-American psychologist .
- Michael Osterholm
- An American epidemiologist.
- Terence E. Fretheim
- An Old Testament scholar.
- J. C. M. Hanson
- A Norwegian-American librarian.
- Loyal Rue
- An American philosopher and writer .
- Rasmus B. Anderson
- An American diplomat, translator, and scholar.
- Lynn Steen
- An American mathematician.
- Ludvig Hektoen
- An American pathologist .
- Robert Preus
- An American Lutheran Pastor, theologian, Seminary President, Professor of Systematic Theology.
- Gerhard Forde
- An American theologian .
- Herbjørn Gausta
- A Norwegian-American artist .
- Hans Gerhard Stub
- An American theologian .
