Macalester College vs Luther College

Macalester College and Luther College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Macalester, located in the vibrant city of Saint Paul, Minnesota, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on international education, with over 50% of students studying abroad. Luther, nestled in the charming town of Decorah, Iowa, emphasizes its Lutheran heritage and offers a tight-knit community with personalized attention. While Macalester has a lower acceptance rate and higher graduation rate, Luther is more affordable and has a higher retention rate. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Luther College	Macalester College
Overview
Location	Decorah, Iowa	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: Large
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%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	76.1%	31.3%
Application fees		$40
SAT range	1088 - 1318	1340 - 1515
ACT range	22 - 29	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	37.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	2,495	9,046
Total number of admissions given out	1,898	2,828
Admitted students who chose to enroll	444	601
Yield rate	23.4%	21.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$61,175	$76,357
Average net price	$25,929	$30,939
Tuition	$46,130	$60,288
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,870 Meal plan: $5,490	Room/dormitory: $7,272 Meal plan: $6,270
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $34,281	87.0% Average amount $42,832
Students receiving federal student loan	69.0% Average amount $5,292	39.0% Average amount $4,799
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $13,652	29.0% Average amount $4,321

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,744 Men 43.4% Women 56.6%	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	70.5%	N/A
International students	9.9%	13.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,156	1,332
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota Iowa Wisconsin Illinois California	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Philosophy and Religious Studies	Mathematics and Statistics Foreign Languages and Literatures Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.5%	89.7%
Dropout rate	27.4%	10.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
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	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,163 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $72,135 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,896 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $56,193 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,635 Year 2: $35,274 Year 3: $43,620 Geography and Cartography (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,253 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $39,047 International/Global Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,368 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $36,933 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,116 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $34,521 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,444 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: N/A Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,129 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: N/A Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: N/A

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