Lake Forest College vs Luther College

Lake Forest College and Luther College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Lake Forest, nestled in a charming Chicago suburb, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on experiential learning, with 98% of students participating in internships or research. Luther, located in the vibrant city of Decorah, Iowa, emphasizes its Lutheran heritage and offers a close-knit community, with 99% of students living on campus. While Lake Forest has a higher acceptance rate (68%) compared to Luther's (59%), both colleges share a commitment to academic excellence and personalized attention, with average class sizes of 15 and 17 students, respectively. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' unique offerings, including popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, to find the ideal fit for your academic aspirations and personal growth.

	Lake Forest College	Luther College
Overview
Location	Lake Forest, Illinois	Decorah, Iowa
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	87.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.4%	76.1%
Application fees	$50
SAT range	1130 - 1345	1088 - 1318
ACT range	26 - 31	22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	15.0%	37.0%
Total number of applicants	4,358	2,495
Total number of admissions given out	2,808	1,898
Admitted students who chose to enroll	417	444
Yield rate	14.9%	23.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$66,400	$61,175
Average net price	$25,126	$25,929
Tuition	$50,100	$46,130
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,540 Meal plan: $5,958	Room/dormitory: $4,870 Meal plan: $5,490
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $38,182	100.0% Average amount $34,281
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,895	69.0% Average amount $5,292
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $15,800	13.0% Average amount $13,652

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,661 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%	1,744 Men 43.4% Women 56.6%
Graduate students	29 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	45.4%	70.5%
International students	15.7%	9.9%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,236	2,156
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Arizona California Colorado Minnesota	Minnesota Iowa Wisconsin Illinois California

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures Psychology	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	73.0%	72.5%
Dropout rate	4.8%	27.4%
Transferred out	22.2%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,498 Year 2: $44,468 Year 3: $58,948 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,662 Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $50,604 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,515 Year 2: $40,647 Year 3: $46,215 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,630 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $42,995 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,945 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $37,497 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,373 Year 2: $23,807 Year 3: $32,580 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,153 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,832 Year 3: N/A Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,544 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,197 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,195 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $91,432 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,140 Year 2: $65,441 Year 3: $66,753 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,758 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $64,932 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,532 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $55,251 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,545 Year 2: $45,175 Year 3: $50,853 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,709 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $44,954 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,831 Year 2: $35,401 Year 3: $41,091 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,489 Year 2: $38,559 Year 3: $40,687 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,592 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $38,953 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,828 Year 2: $27,536 Year 3: $38,178

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Lake Forest College vs Luther College

Lake Forest College

Luther College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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