St. Ambrose University vs. BLC

Saint Ambrose University vs. Bethany Lutheran College comparison

	Saint Ambrose University	Bethany Lutheran College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	St. Ambrose University	BLC
Location	Davenport, IA	Mankato, MN
Setting	Small City	Remote Town
Enrollment	2,703	902
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#437
Religious Affiliation	Roman Catholic	Other (none of the above)	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	sau.edu	blc.edu
Team Colors

Costs	St. Ambrose University	BLC
Tuition (In State)	$35,318	$29,280
Tuition (Out of State)	$35,318	$29,280
Room & Board	$12,348	$8,270
Avg Net Price	$23,578	$19,456
Avg Grant Aid	$26,559	$20,192
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	100%

Admission	St. Ambrose University	BLC
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	3,456	881
Admitted	2,534	449
Acceptance Rate	73.3%	51%
Enrolled %	16.7%	42.3%
Avg High School GPA	3.39	3.51
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Average	Average
Applicant Competition	Low	Low
ACT Range	20/27	21/26
SAT Range	1020/1240	1000/1260
Submit Test Scores	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline		Jul 1, 2026

Academics	St. Ambrose University	BLC
Student to Faculty Ratio	11:1	12:1
Popular Majors	Business (32%) Psychology (12%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (11%) Education (9%) Health Professions (7%)	Visual and Performing Arts (18%) Business (14%) Biology (13%) Communication (13%) Psychology (10%)
Outcomes	St. Ambrose University	BLC
Graduation Rate	62%	53%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$48,300	$37,300
Making Student Loan Payments	71%	80%
Median Student Loan Debt	$25,764	$23,250
Median Loan Payment	$266	$240

Diversity	St. Ambrose University	BLC
% Men	7%	2%
% Women	15%	3%
Racial Diversity	Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	80%	88%
% Black	3%	3%
% Hispanic	6%	3%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	1%
% International	3%	3%
% Unknown Race	4%	1%

Students	St. Ambrose University	BLC
% In-State	37%	54%
% Out-of-State	60%	31%
Campus	St. Ambrose University	BLC
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	No
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Saint Ambrose University is larger than than BLC based on total student enrollment (2,703 students vs. 902 students)

St. Ambrose University vs. BLC Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, St. Ambrose University or BLC?

• Saint Ambrose University is 20.6% more expensive to attend than BLC for in-state tuition ($35,318.00 vs. $29,280.00)
• Out of state tuition is 20.6% higher at St. Ambrose University than Bethany Lutheran College ($35,318.00 vs. $29,280.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Bethany Lutheran College than St. Ambrose University ($19,456 vs. $23,578)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Bethany Lutheran College are 49.3% lower than costs at Saint Ambrose University ($8,270 vs. $12,348)
• The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Saint Ambrose University as Bethany Lutheran College (100% vs. 100%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Saint Ambrose University students is 31.5% larger than aid received Bethany Lutheran College ($26,559 vs. $20,192)

St. Ambrose University vs. BLC Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Bethany Lutheran College (1074) is 24 points higher than at St. Ambrose University (1050)
• Incoming St. Ambrose University students have at the same average ACT score (23) as students at BLC (23)
• Accepted freshman BLC students have a 0.12 point higher average high school GPA (3.51) than students at St. Ambrose University (3.39)
• St. Ambrose University has a higher acceptance rate (73.3%) than BLC (51%)

St. Ambrose University vs. BLC Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, St. Ambrose University or BLC? 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 BLC and St. Ambrose University .

• The graduation rate at St. Ambrose University is higher than Bethany Lutheran College (62% vs. 53%)
• Graduates from Saint Ambrose University earn on average $11,000 more per year than BLC graduates after ten years. ($48,300 vs. $37,300)
• Bethany Lutheran College students graduate with a $2,514 lower median federal student loan debt than St. Ambrose University graduates. ($23,250 vs. $25,764)
• BLC graduates are paying $26 less per month on federal student loans than St. Ambrose University graduates. ($240 vs. $266)
• More BLC graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former St. Ambrose University students, three years after graduation. (80% vs. 71%)

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