Luther College vs Roanoke College

Luther College and Roanoke 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. Its popular majors include biology, business, and psychology. Roanoke, a private liberal arts college in Salem, Virginia, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 85% and a smaller student body of around 2,000 undergraduates. Popular majors at Roanoke include business, biology, and psychology. Both colleges offer a diverse range of academic programs and vibrant campus communities, but their unique characteristics may appeal to different students. Explore the comparison table below to discover which college better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Luther College	Roanoke College
Overview
Location	Decorah, Iowa	Salem, Virginia
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	76.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	76.1%	80.4%
Application fees		$30
SAT range	1088 - 1318	1080 - 1230
ACT range	22 - 29	22 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	37.0%	10.0%
Total number of applicants	2,495	4,953
Total number of admissions given out	1,898	3,981
Admitted students who chose to enroll	444	465
Yield rate	23.4%	11.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$61,175	$66,888
Average net price	$25,929	$27,758
Tuition	$46,130	$46,510
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,870 Meal plan: $5,490	Room/dormitory: $6,960 Meal plan: $8,030
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $34,281	100.0% Average amount $35,752
Students receiving federal student loan	69.0% Average amount $5,292	68.0% Average amount $5,678
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $13,652	12.0% Average amount $17,112

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,744 Men 43.4% Women 56.6%	1,863 Men 45.8% Women 54.2%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	70.5%	47.6%
International students	9.9%	2.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,156	1,540
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota Iowa Wisconsin Illinois California	Virginia Maryland North Carolina Pennsylvania New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Philosophy and Religious Studies	Social Sciences Education History Natural Resources and Conservation Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.5%	69.6%
Dropout rate	27.4%	6.9%
Transferred out	N/A	23.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,923 Year 2: $36,938 Year 3: $48,275 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,545 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $40,065 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,241 Year 2: $35,600 Year 3: N/A Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,514 Year 2: $27,476 Year 3: N/A Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,889 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,147 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,496 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,311 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,873 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,658 Year 3: N/A

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