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Aerial view of Martin Luther College
Aerial imagery: U.S. Geological Survey (public domain). USGS

Specialized school

#4 Best small colleges in Minnesota

Martin Luther College

New Ulm, MN · Private nonprofit · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $18,463 a year

Median debt at graduation: $20,177 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

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Rankings

Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list

In America

In Minnesota

Academic Excellence

A-Academic Excellence: A- (grade A-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Excellent · Top 18%
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.72%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.85%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,090 · ACT 24.5
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.10 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$11,791

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$11,233
$30,001–$48,000$11,749
$48,001–$75,000$12,811
$75,001–$110,000$18,241
Over $110,000$22,952

Full cost of attendance before aid: $29,250 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
743
Men and women
College Scorecard, fall 2023
Men 46% · Women 54%
First-year students from another state
IPEDS, fall 2023
89%
Total students860
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$18,463
Cost of attendance (per year)$29,250
Median federal debt at graduation$20,177
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
72%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
College Scorecard, within 6 years
72%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
College Scorecard, within 6 years
63%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
College Scorecard, within 3 years
90%
First-year retention85%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$47,491
Admission rate87%
Application fee
IPEDS, 2023–24
$35
Typical rent
HUD fair market rent, FY2026
About $742 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants27%
Admitted students’ middle range:ACT 21–28
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT1090
SAT reading & writing—
SAT math—
ACT composite21–28
Test policyConsidered but not required

Value: Good · Top 48% (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Teacher education$56,435
Theology$39,949

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Liberal arts, Other education, Other theology and religious vocations, Secondary education, Special education.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Education69%
Theology and religious studies31%

Campus life

School colors
SettingTown
Part-time undergraduates17%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older20%
On-campus room and board (per year)$7,900
SportsNCAA Division III · Upper Midwest Athletic Conference
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member10 to 1
Disability servicesVisit the office’s pageThe college’s own page
Faculty who are full-time80%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student$34,156IPEDS, 2023, per student
Dorm spaceFor about 97% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus
Nearest airport with airline serviceMinneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field (MSP)About 73 miles away · about 2 hours by car
Town population14,056Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreMinneapolisAbout 75 miles away · about 2 hours 5 minutes by car
Typical weather15°F in January · 72°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from New Ulm 2 SE, MN

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.000.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary10.250.08
Motor vehicle theft0.000.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Martin Luther College’s Compass Score?
Very good (grade B+). It ranks in the top 28% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Martin Luther College cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $18,463 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Martin Luther College?
Martin Luther College admitted 87% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Martin Luther College’s graduates do?
72% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $47,491; the median federal debt at graduation is $20,177.

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