What does Concordia look for in an applicant?
Concordia is an academic community.
Concordia is also a social, cultural, and recreational community.
Our communities are formed from students with a rich mix of personalities and experiences from all over the country, pursuing academic studies in a wide variety of disciplines taught by experienced professors and assisted by a dedicated support staff. All of our communities exist in a Christ-centered atmosphere. The purpose of this effort and this atmosphere is to give our students the best opportunity for success here at Concordia, which we hope will lead to full and satisfying lives and careers.
Our admission process is designed to identify students who will be successful here at Concordia, students who will thrive and flourish in our classrooms, who will contribute to the life of our community and who will be happy and successful after they leave Concordia.
Application process
To be considered for acceptance, freshman applicants must submit an application along with a high school transcript with a record of grades through the junior year and ACT/SAT test scores. Since the university uses a rolling admission process, students are encouraged to submit an application as soon as possible.
In most cases, to be admitted as a freshman student, the applicant must:
- graduate from an accredited high school or its equivalent
- have average or better grades and test scores (18 ACT/870 SAT – 3.0 GPA)
- rank in the upper half of their class
- demonstrate good moral character, social adjustment and emotional stability
Recommended high school program
Applicants are required to graduate from an accredited high school or its equivalent with 16 units or 160 semester hours. Even though no definite courses are required, students are encouraged to plan a comprehensive college preparatory program in high school that
includes the following:
| English | four years |
| Mathematics | three years |
| Social Studies | three years |
| Science (biology and either | two years |
| chemistry or physics) | |
| Art | |
| Music | |
| Physical Education | |
| Foreign Language | |
What if I don’t meet all of these requirements?
Test scores and GPA’s are not always enough
We recognize that there are students who do not meet our academic standards but for whom transcripts and test scores do not tell us the whole story. They cannot measure the motivation of an art student who is consumed by their talent and is just beginning to understand how to balance all the important things in their life. They cannot measure the motivation of a student who has overcome adversities of one kind or another to even finish high school. They cannot measure the drive of a student who has wanted to be a teacher since the fourth grade and who has taught Sunday school and been involved in tutoring to get some experience.
We want to hear your story
We especially want to hear from those students where simply looking at a transcript or at test scores does not give us a complete picture of their likelihood for success in our academic community. After you have submitted an application please send the admission office a 150 word essay on “Why you are a good fit for Concordia”. We will add this essay to your application and our admission committee will view it along with all other submitted material.
How would I compare to the current class?
- Applicants: 1409
- Admitted: 1080
- Enrolled: 264
Academic profile
- GPA – 3.51
- ACT – 23.7
- SAT – 1037
- High School Rank: 51% in top quarter of graduating class
Program profile
Concordia's top ten majors
- Education – 92 students
- Business – 20
- DCE – 19
- Pre-Seminary – 12
- Sports Management – 12
- Music – 12
- Graphic Design – 9
- Psychology – 8
- Exercise Science – 6
- Art – 5
Personal profile
Student origin
- Nebraska: 35%
- Other states: 65%
Religious affiliation
- Lutheran: 71%
- Catholic: 6%
- Other: 22%
Activities
- Athletics: 44%
- Intramurals: 50%
- Art, music and drama: 55%
- Clubs and organizations: 60%