A college located in Decorah, Iowa. Luther is an independent, liberal arts college that was founded by Norwegian Lutheran immigrants in 1861 admist the turmoil of the Civil War. Luther only admitted men until 1936, when it was decided the school would become coeducational. On the school's centennial in 1961, the student body numbered 1,357 with a full-time staff of 74 persons. Much work has been done from 1960 to the present and includes extensive renovations to the campus including many new buildings, theatres and residence halls.
he main quad sits on 175 acres of land and is surrounded by an additional 625 acres. Luther has affiliations with the Lutheran church of America.
The students at Luther college number come from 37 states and 41 countries from around the world. The student body is 2,600 strong. 38% of these students are from Iowa, with a significant portion also coming from Minnesota and Wisconsin. Of note, 52% of the students attending Luther are, in fact, Lutheran. Luther has 165 full-time faculty and boasts a 13 to 1 student to faculty ratio.
While primarily a liberal arts college, Luther offers many special degree programs ranging environmental biology and nuclear medicine to preprofessional programs including medicine and engineering.