MLC vs. Dakota State

Martin Luther College vs. Dakota State University comparison

	Martin Luther College	Dakota State University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	MLC	Dakota State
Location	New Ulm, MN	Madison, SD
Setting	Remote Town	Distant Town
Enrollment	880	3,241
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking		#808
Religious Affiliation	Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	mlc-wels.edu	dsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	MLC	Dakota State
Tuition (In State)	$17,420	$7,616
Tuition (Out of State)	$17,420	$10,718
Room & Board	$6,880	$8,018
Avg Net Price	$22,293	$17,977
Avg Grant Aid	$6,301	$5,467
% Receiving Grant Aid	99%	92%

Admission	MLC	Dakota State
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	215	882
Admitted	180	696
Acceptance Rate	83.7%	78.9%
Enrolled %	78.9%	53.4%
Avg High School GPA	3.56	3.33
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Challenging	Average
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	20/27	19/27
SAT Range	1051/1316	940/1240
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	Dakota State
Student to Faculty Ratio	9:1	18:1
Popular Majors	Education (67%) Theology and Religious Vvocations (33%)	Computer and Information Sciences (28%) Business (25%) Education (22%) Health Professions (14%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (3%)
Outcomes	MLC	Dakota State
Graduation Rate	73%	34%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$38,000	$42,200
Making Student Loan Payments	89%	67%
Median Student Loan Debt	$23,125	$23,500
Median Loan Payment	$239	$242

Diversity	MLC	Dakota State
% Men	47%	64%
% Women	53%	36%
Racial Diversity	Extremely Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	93%	84%
% Black	1%	4%
% Hispanic	1%	4%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	1%	3%
% International	2%	1%
% Unknown Race	0%	1%

Students	MLC	Dakota State
% In-State	20%	58%
% Out-of-State	78%	39%
Campus	MLC	Dakota State
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Dakota State University is larger than than MLC based on total student enrollment (3,241 students vs. 880 students)

MLC vs. Dakota State Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, MLC or Dakota State?

• Martin Luther College is 128.7% more expensive to attend than Dakota State for in-state tuition ($17,420.00 vs. $7,616.00)
• Out of state tuition is 62.5% higher at MLC than Dakota State University ($17,420.00 vs. $10,718.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Dakota State University than MLC ($17,977 vs. $22,293)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Martin Luther College are 16.5% lower than costs at Dakota State University ($6,880 vs. $8,018)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Martin Luther College than Dakota State University (99% vs. 92%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Martin Luther College students is 15.3% larger than aid received Dakota State University ($6,301 vs. $5,467)

MLC vs. Dakota State Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Martin Luther College (1145) is 98 points higher than at Dakota State (1047)
• Incoming MLC students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Dakota State (23)
• Accepted freshman MLC students have a 0.23 point higher average high school GPA (3.56) than students at Dakota State (3.33)
• MLC has a higher acceptance rate (83.7%) than Dakota State (78.9%)

MLC vs. Dakota State Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, MLC or Dakota State? 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 Dakota State and MLC.

• The graduation rate at MLC is higher than Dakota State University (73% vs. 34%)
• Graduates from Dakota State University earn on average $4,200 more per year than MLC graduates after ten years. ($42,200 vs. $38,000)
• Martin Luther College students graduate with a $375 lower median federal student loan debt than Dakota State graduates. ($23,125 vs. $23,500)
• MLC graduates are paying $3 less per month on federal student loans than Dakota State graduates. ($239 vs. $242)
• More MLC graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Dakota State students, three years after graduation. (89% vs. 67%)

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