Luther College vs Bridgewater College

Luther College and Bridgewater College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Luther, a private liberal arts college in Decorah, Iowa, boasts a 98% acceptance rate and a student body of over 2,000 undergraduates. Bridgewater, a private liberal arts college in Bridgewater, Virginia, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 85% and a smaller student body of around 1,500 undergraduates. While both colleges offer a wide range of academic programs, Luther is known for its strengths in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, while Bridgewater excels in business, education, and the arts. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about the differences in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, and make an informed decision about which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bridgewater College	Luther College
Overview
Location	Bridgewater, Virginia	Decorah, Iowa
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	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	68.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Anabaptists	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.1%	76.1%
Application fees
SAT range	1065 - 1250	1088 - 1318
ACT range	22 - 28	22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	37.0%
Total number of applicants	3,388	2,495
Total number of admissions given out	2,544	1,898
Admitted students who chose to enroll	398	444
Yield rate	15.6%	23.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$52,750	$61,175
Average net price	$19,592	$25,929
Tuition	$37,500	$46,130
Room & board	$13,360	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 $32,545	100.0% Average amount $34,281
Students receiving federal student loan	66.0% Average amount $5,510	69.0% Average amount $5,292
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $14,207	13.0% Average amount $13,652

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,427 Men 46.3% Women 53.7%	1,744 Men 43.4% Women 56.6%
Graduate students	36 Men 36.1% Women 63.9%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	70.5%
International students	1.8%	9.9%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,380	2,156
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Minnesota Iowa Wisconsin Illinois California

Academics
Popular study areas	Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Communication and Journalism Liberal Arts	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.1%	72.5%
Dropout rate	37.7%	27.4%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,588 Year 2: $38,559 Year 3: $45,603 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,293 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $42,550 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,003 Year 2: $31,042 Year 3: $40,629 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,642 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $40,434 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,400 Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $40,402 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $36,416 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,542 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $35,072 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,753 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $34,515 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,038 Year 2: $32,467 Year 3: $33,797 Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: $26,916	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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Luther College vs Bridgewater College

Bridgewater College

Luther College

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Academics

Outcome

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