MLC vs. Cairn

Martin Luther College vs. Cairn University comparison

	Martin Luther College	Cairn University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	MLC	Cairn
Location	New Ulm, MN	Langhorne, PA
Setting	Remote Town	Large Suburban
Enrollment	860	1,056
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking		#703
Religious Affiliation	Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	mlc-wels.edu	cairn.edu
Team Colors

Costs	MLC	Cairn
Tuition (In State)	$17,770	$31,881
Tuition (Out of State)	$17,770	$31,881
Room & Board	$7,280	$12,234
Avg Net Price	$21,072	$27,603
Avg Grant Aid	$8,222	$17,852
% Receiving Grant Aid	99%	83%

Admission	MLC	Cairn
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	218	505
Admitted	180	422
Acceptance Rate	82.6%	83.6%
Enrolled %	83.3%	61.6%
Avg High School GPA	3.56	3.31
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Average	Average
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	22/27	23/27
SAT Range	1078/1256	1050/1260
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline

Academics	MLC	Cairn
Student to Faculty Ratio	10:1	11:1
Popular Majors	Education (67%) Theology and Religious Vvocations (33%)	Philosophy and Religious Studies (71%) Education (13%) Business (8%) Human Services (6%) Visual and Performing Arts (2%)
Outcomes	MLC	Cairn
Graduation Rate	73%	63%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$38,000	$37,000
Making Student Loan Payments	89%	69%
Median Student Loan Debt	$23,125	$27,000
Median Loan Payment	$239	$279

Diversity	MLC	Cairn
% Men	6%	9%
% Women	8%	10%
Racial Diversity	Extremely Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	93%	72%
% Black	1%	14%
% Hispanic	1%	7%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	1%	2%
% International	2%	2%
% Unknown Race	0%	0%

Students	MLC	Cairn
% In-State	11%	60%
% Out-of-State	89%	36%
Campus	MLC	Cairn
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	No
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Cairn University is larger than than MLC based on total student enrollment (1,056 students vs. 860 students)

MLC vs. Cairn Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, MLC or Cairn?

• Cairn University is 79.4% more expensive to attend than MLC for in-state tuition ($31,881.00 vs. $17,770.00)
• Out of state tuition is 79.4% higher at Cairn than Martin Luther College ($31,881.00 vs. $17,770.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Martin Luther College than Cairn ($21,072 vs. $27,603)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Martin Luther College are 68% lower than costs at Cairn University ($7,280 vs. $12,234)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Martin Luther College than Cairn University (99% vs. 83%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Cairn University students is 117.1% larger than aid received Martin Luther College ($17,852 vs. $8,222)

MLC vs. Cairn Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, MLC or Cairn? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Cairn or MLC .

• The average SAT score at Martin Luther College (1145) is 169 points higher than at Cairn (976)
• Incoming MLC students have a 4 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Cairn (21)
• Accepted freshman MLC students have a 0.25 point higher average high school GPA (3.56) than students at Cairn (3.31)
• Cairn has a higher acceptance rate (83.6%) than MLC (82.6%)

MLC vs. Cairn Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, MLC or Cairn? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Cairn and MLC.

• The graduation rate at MLC is higher than Cairn University (73% vs. 63%)
• Graduates from Martin Luther College earn on average $1,000 more per year than Cairn graduates after ten years. ($38,000 vs. $37,000)
• Martin Luther College students graduate with a $3,875 lower median federal student loan debt than Cairn graduates. ($23,125 vs. $27,000)
• MLC graduates are paying $40 less per month on federal student loans than Cairn graduates. ($239 vs. $279)
• More MLC graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Cairn students, three years after graduation. (89% vs. 69%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/