
Sioux City, IAprivate nonprofitwww.stlukescollege.edu/
Admit rate has ranged 29%–100% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
St. Luke's College is a hyper-focused, no-frills healthcare training ground embedded directly within a hospital system in Sioux City, Iowa. It's a place where the mission—'major in Making a Difference'—is literal, not metaphorical, with a student body that is over 93% female and a curriculum laser-targeted on nursing and allied health. This isn't a traditional residential college experience; it's a direct pipeline into the medical workforce, characterized by hands-on clinical learning from day one and a staggering 100% graduation rate for its small, committed cohorts.
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
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Outcomes & value
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Campus & location
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Admissions at St. Luke's College are accessible but self-selecting, attracting applicants who are already committed to a career in healthcare. The process is straightforward and rolling, with an of 80%. The college is "somewhat selective," and admitted students typically present ACT scores between 17 and 23, or SAT scores in the 930-1140 range. Notably, the rate—the percentage of admitted students who enroll—is exceptionally high at 91.67%, suggesting that those who are admitted are highly likely to attend, a testament to the school's focused appeal. The admissions office does not appear to heavily weigh factors like class rank or a rigorous secondary school record to the same degree as a traditional liberal arts college, instead prioritizing applicants with clear motivation for the health sciences. There is no information suggesting the college considers demonstrated interest as a formal factor in admissions decisions.
Academics at St. Luke's College are singularly devoted to healthcare professions, offering a curriculum built for immediate, practical application. The college describes its mission as offering "healthcare programs with hands-on learning in a hospital setting." It seeks learners who demonstrate "scholarship, motivation, and commitment to academic and personal growth." The program offerings are narrow and deep: Nursing is by far the most popular major, accounting for 60 graduates, followed by Radiologic Technician (21), Respiratory Care Therapy (7), and Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician (2). There are no traditional liberal arts majors; every program is designed to lead directly to a specific clinical role. This focus creates an environment where every class, lab, and clinical rotation is directly tied to professional practice, fostering a cohort of students united by a common career goal from their first day on campus.
Student life at St. Luke's College is defined by its intimate scale and professional focus, not by a traditional campus experience. With a total undergraduate enrollment of 196 students as of fall 2023, the student body is overwhelmingly female (93.4%). The college states that student life "includes meaningful social interactions and activities that provide a well-rounded college experience," but reviews and data suggest this is a commuter-heavy environment. One review notes, "There is not a campus for this college. Most students live at home, an apartment, or in a house with other students. The campus activities are lacking." Social life likely revolves around shared clinical experiences, study groups, and the small cohort model rather than dormitories, Greek life, or expansive extracurricular offerings. This is a place for students who prioritize their professional training above a conventional collegiate social scene.
Outcomes are the unequivocal strength of a St. Luke's College education. The college reports a 100% graduation rate, an extraordinary figure that speaks to the intense support and focused motivation of its small student body. Financially, graduates see a strong return on investment. The median earnings for graduates six years after enrollment is $61,033, which is reported to be 40% above the national average. This high earning potential is directly tied to the college's specialized healthcare training, which places graduates into stable, in-demand professions. The combination of a perfect graduation rate and strong early-career earnings paints a picture of a highly effective vocational pipeline where students who enroll are virtually guaranteed to complete their degree and enter the workforce with valuable, marketable skills.
The for students at St. Luke's College is moderate for a private healthcare institution. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $19,820. The college states that 100% of students receive financial aid, with an average aid package of $11,387. St. Luke's also offers a "generous scholarship program" with over $112,000 awarded annually. A significant portion of the student body—46%—benefits from federal Pell Grants. The college provides a net price calculator for prospective students to estimate their individual cost. There is no information in the provided sources indicating that St. Luke's College has a policy of meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need or a no-loan policy for low-income students; financial aid packages are likely a mix of scholarships, grants, and loans.
St. Luke's College stands out as a pure, undiluted vocational engine for healthcare. It has no identity crisis; it is not trying to be a broad-based university. Its singularity is its greatest asset: every resource, every faculty member, and every square foot of its facility is dedicated to training nurses, radiologic technicians, respiratory therapists, and sonographers. This results in a stunningly effective model, evidenced by its 100% graduation rate and strong graduate earnings. The environment is intensely practical—the "campus" is a working hospital—and the student body is a self-selected group of predominantly women ready to work. For a student certain of a hands-on healthcare career, it offers a direct, efficient, and high-ROI path into the profession, bypassing the distractions of a traditional college experience in favor of immediate, immersive clinical training.