Men and women who graduate from its education programs may be assigned by the WELS as teachers and staff ministers to synod churches, schools, and missions.

[4] Situated on a bluff above the Minnesota River,[5] MLC's 88-acre (36 ha) campus is a neighbor to Hermann Heights Monument and is home to the 38,000-square-foot (3,500 m2)[6] Chapel of the Christ.

The college's Gothic Revival-inspired Old Main building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 for having state-level significance in the themes of architecture, education, and religion.

[7] Martin Luther College's 16 varsity sports teams compete at the NCAA Division III level and are known as the Knights.

In 1863, the Wisconsin Synod passed a resolution to establish a college and seminary in Watertown for the training of its own ministers in America.

[15] The square-shaped building, topped by a small, square cupola, was affectionately called the Kaffeemuehle, or coffee grinder, by Northwestern's early, mostly German-speaking, students.

[17]Financial hardship marked the earliest years of Northwestern due to a lack of interest from Wisconsin Synod congregations, yet in 1868 the college built a new dormitory and added 30 acres (12 ha) to its property.

[30] Additionally, Mrs. Meta Kilgas Michelson of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, bequeathed the funds to build a campus chapel at NWC, dedicated in 1956.

[34] Dr. Martin Luther College was established in 1884 to train pastors and teachers for the Minnesota Synod,[13] one of the church bodies incorporated into the present-day WELS in 1917.

The synods resolved to exclusively train their pastors at Northwestern College and their teachers at DMLC, beginning in the 1893–1894 school year.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there were some misgivings among Wisconsin and Missouri Synod leaders about employing women to teach in their schools.

Amid the anti-German feelings of the time, and by recommendation of the Minnesota Commission of Public Safety, the mayor and city attorney of New Ulm were both removed from office.

[48] As the student body of the college continued to grow, construction began on a new classroom building, now called the Wittenberg Collegiate Center.

[61][62] The merger was completed In 1995, with the merged institution taking the name Martin Luther College starting with the 1995–1996 school year.

[63] In the same year, the Northwestern College Board of Control donated a statue of Martin Luther to the New Ulm campus.

The campaign goals included heightened recruitment efforts, increased financial aid for students, and expansion of campus facilities.

[4][71] All programs of study at Martin Luther College train students for service in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

Martin Luther College's pre-seminary program prepares students for enrollment at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.

[76] The education curriculum at MLC includes music courses so that graduates may serve as organists and choir directors in WELS congregations.

[2] After completing all graduation and Minnesota licensure requirements, students may be eligible for assignment by the WELS as teachers to synod congregations and schools.

[5][4] The 50-acre (20 ha) main campus is located at the highest point in New Ulm, between Hermann Heights Monument and Flandrau State Park.

[81][82] The Old Main was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, after being nominated as a leading example of Gothic Revival architecture in Minnesota and a distinctive symbol of local religious education.

This requirement is justified by the administration as an effort to provide students a measure of community at MLC and to develop fellowship and connections beneficial to service in the WELS.

[106] Studium Excitare is an academic journal dedicated to translating previously untranslated works of church fathers from Latin and German into English.

[112] The Martin Luther College Daylight program offers students experiential learning at WELS congregations in the United States and abroad.

[114] Men's sports include cross country, soccer, football, basketball, tennis, baseball, track and field, and golf; women's sports include cross country, soccer, volleyball, basketball, tennis, softball, track and field, and golf.

[88] At events during the early 2000s, students formed the Roo Crew, adopting an inflatable kangaroo as the college's unofficial mascot.

[117] The Male Cheerleaders perform humorous routines at home basketball games and interact with the student section and referees.

[120] Alumni of Martin Luther College and its predecessor schools serve as pastors, missionaries, chaplains, principals, teachers, staff ministers, and church leaders for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

[123] Notable alumni include Northwestern College graduates John W. O. Brenner, Franz Pieper, Winfred P. Lehmann, and various theologians and leaders within the WELS.