Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Cedarville University, Luther College, Valparaiso University. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | Cedarville UniversityCedarville, OH | LutherDecorah, IA | Valparaiso UniversityValparaiso, IN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 65.3% | 71.5% | 89.4% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1130–1360 | 1078–1406 | 1060–1280 |
| Average net price | $24,46815.2% on Pell grants | $23,09720.4% on Pell grants | $18,57827.3% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $37,150Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $52,120Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $48,450Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 72.5% | 71.1% | 70.4% |
| First-year retention | 89.6% | 77.0% | 75.4% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 15.2% | 20.4% | 27.3% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $55,443 | $59,850 | $63,191 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $20,937 | $27,000 | $26,942 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 15:1 | 10:1 | 11:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 4,024 | 1,379 | 2,083 |
| Consensus percentile | 53Lower is better | 55Lower is better | 50Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 87 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 85 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 50 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Cedarville University | Luther | Valparaiso University |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #15 of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)Regional Universities (Midwest) · 2026 | #108 of 210Liberal arts collegesNational Liberal Arts Colleges · 2026 | #198 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #478 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #489 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #323 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #1114 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #853 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #991 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #386 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #286 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #283 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #256 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #341 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #419 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| QS | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
Students comparing Cedarville University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Luther College on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Valparaiso University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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