Luther College
Decorah, Iowa · Also known as Luther Norse · Website
$59,850
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$59,850
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Luther College is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Decorah, Iowa with 1,379 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $23,097 a year (tuition and fees $52,120). It admits 72% of applicants and 71% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $59,850 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $27,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$23,097
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$52,120
US median $11,837
Admission rate
72%
US median 78%
Completion rate
71%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$27,000
About $286 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$59,850
Rank 805 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $23,097
- Tuition and fees
- $52,120
- Cost of attendance
- $65,461
- Students with a need-based grant
- 20%
- Students with federal loans
- 65%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $12,517
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $12,835
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $19,351
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $22,204
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $29,376
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $39,190 in 2015-16 to $52,120 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 72%
- Average SAT
- 1,218
- SAT reading, middle
- 579
- SAT math, middle
- 624
- ACT, middle
- 26
- Undergraduates
- 1,379
- Part-time students
- 0.8%
- Women
- 52%
- Students per teacher
- 9
- Completion rate
- 71%
- Retention rate
- 77%
- Highest degree
- Bachelor's degree
- Programs
- 43
- Endowment
- $204.5M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 805 of 5,094 US colleges and 9 of 69 in Iowa (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $23,097 | $17,730 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $52,120 | $20,270 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 72% | 80% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 71% | 65% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 77% | 74% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $27,000 | $14,745 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $49,541 | $39,099 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $59,850 | $42,793 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 83% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 81% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
43 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | $26,391 | $29,359 | $63,998 | $57,214 |
| MusicBachelor's | Bachelor's | 33 | $27,000 | $45,367 | $50,947 | $42,892 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 31 | $27,000 | $75,533 | $77,569 | $88,910 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 31 | $27,000 | $49,491 | $68,510 | $68,257 |
| Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 22 | $27,000 | $38,490 | $46,116 | $48,590 |
| Information Science/StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 21 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $85,294 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | $27,000 | $21,358 | $53,510 | $63,293 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | $27,000 | $63,760 | Withheld | $107,009 |
| Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | $27,000 | $30,372 | $47,660 | $51,790 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | Withheld | $19,239 | $52,296 | $55,012 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | $27,000 | $45,691 | $50,164 | $47,382 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | $50,580 | $61,296 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | $27,000 | $60,068 | $75,341 | $76,194 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | $45,737 | $50,680 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | $27,000 | $42,012 | $52,905 | $56,359 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $52,657 |
| Neurobiology and NeurosciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $62,451 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| ChemistryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,120 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $82,686 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | $27,000 | Withheld | Withheld | $55,000 |
| AnthropologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $46,676 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,367 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Decorah and Iowa on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Iowa
- Homes: Homes for sale in Iowa
Questions and answers
How much does Luther College cost?
$23,097 a year is the average net price at Luther College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $52,120, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $65,461. Families earning under $30,000 pay $12,517 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Luther College?
72% of applicants are admitted to Luther College. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,218 and the middle ACT score is 26. The median admission rate of colleges in Iowa is 80%.
How much do Luther College graduates earn?
$59,850 a year is the median pay of former Luther College students who work, 10 years after they started ($49,541 after 6 years). That ranks 805 of 5,094 US colleges and 9 of 69 in Iowa. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's) at $75,533.
How much student debt do Luther College graduates have?
$27,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Luther College graduates, about $286 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 65% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Luther College?
71% of first-time, full-time students at Luther College finish within 6 years. 77% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Luther College?
Biology, General (37 bachelor's graduates), Music (33 bachelor's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (31 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 43 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.