That is what I am going to give you here: a complete, unvarnished, fearless reading of what the federal IPEDS system reports about this college in De Pere, Wisconsin. I am not going to tell you whether it is right for your child. No article can decide that. But when you finish reading, you will understand this school well enough to ask it the right questions—and to know which of those questions are yours to answer.
What Kind of School It Is, in One Sentence
Carnegie—the system that classifies US colleges and universities according to what they do—describes Saint Norbert College as a baccalaureate college focused on arts and sciences: small, four-year, and highly residential. Highly residential means that, at the time of the data, at least half of its undergraduate students lived in institution-owned or institution-affiliated housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 attended full time. Carnegie also places it in the selective-admission group for its undergraduate profile.
Living on campus is not the same as paying tuition. Room and board are charged separately, and that cost is almost never included in the brochure. If your child will live there, request that figure separately, including the meal plan, before comparing this school with any other.
It is a private, nonprofit institution. It offers programs through the master’s level, although that is an institutional fact: it does not say whether your child’s specific major has an undergraduate-to-graduate pathway. Do not choose or rule it out based on the list price. The number that matters is the one you receive in the financial aid letter.
And something worth saying right away: Saint Norbert College has none of the three designations recorded by the government—it is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. That does not say which communities it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask about that directly by talking with someone who already attends the college.
Where It Is and How Far It Is From Your Life
It is in De Pere, Wisconsin, in Brown County, within the Green Bay metropolitan area. Its census code classifies it as suburban: within the urbanized area but outside the principal city. That does not tell you what living there is like; you find that out by going there.
If your child plans to live at home and drive every day, do not rely on the map. Make the trip on a weekday at the exact time of their classes. The actual travel time is almost never what Google Maps promises.
A Small Community, With Few Latino Students and Almost No Older Students
Here we reach one of the figures that matters most to many families who read my work. Among the undergraduate students Saint Norbert College reported in fall 2023, 5 out of every 100 are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority. Compared with 941 similar private schools—four-year institutions with selective admission—that report this data, it falls in the bottom quarter: three out of every four of those schools reported a higher share.
Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, and having many would not make it good. This number only counts who is enrolled. If your child will be one of the few, the question is not rhetorical: ask which student groups exist, which cultural center exists, and who in the office speaks Spanish. Talk with a Latino student there before deciding. The number is for the entire school; your child’s specific major may feel different.
Two more facts about who shares the classroom with your child: there are more women than men—56 out of every 100 are women—and almost no adults returning to school: only 1 out of every 100 is between the ages of 25 and 64. And slightly more than half of incoming students, 73 out of every 100, were from Wisconsin when they applied.
In absolute numbers, the school has 2,165 students enrolled, making it midsized within its comparison group. Of those, 2,089 are undergraduates and only 76 are graduate students: this is primarily a bachelor’s-degree college. Being midsized does not say whether your child will receive more or less attention. Ask about that by program, not by the size of the entire institution.
How the Academic Year Is Organized and Which Credits It Recognizes
The academic year is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The school reported that it accepts credit for AP exams and military training, but it did not indicate that it awards credit for life experience. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit, both within and outside formal dual-enrollment programs.
Here is a hard truth worth stating plainly: saying that it accepts AP does not mean it awards credit for every exam or every score. We do not know what scores it requires or whether those credits apply to your child’s major. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not count on the savings until you have it in hand.
What Students Study There
In the most recent year reported, Saint Norbert College awarded 390 bachelor’s degrees across 20 fields of study. But the distribution is uneven: business and management accounted for 128 of those 390 degrees, or 33 out of every 100. It is the school’s most concentrated field, accounting for between 30 and 50 out of every 100 degrees awarded annually in that one area.
Twenty fields represented in the report do not mean twenty actual majors or twenty strong options: one field can group several programs, and some may report no graduates that year. If your child has a major in mind, ask about that exact program, not the school’s overall offerings.
The reported student-to-faculty ratio is 12 to 1. Compared with similar schools, it is low on the overall scale but above the median for its own group—both are true at the same time. And here is something this ratio does not tell you: the actual size of first-year classes. It is an institutional average, not a promise of a small classroom.
What the Institution Reports as Academic Opportunities
Saint Norbert College reports offering study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, and pathways to teacher certification, including state approval of its teacher-preparation program. Their inclusion in the report confirms that they exist as institutional offerings; it does not confirm availability, cost, or whether they apply to the program your child wants.
Getting In: What It Requires, How Easy It Is, and How Likely Students Are to Stay
There are several pieces here that should be separated carefully because each answers a different question.
What it requires for admission. It does not have open admission. Of the nine considerations reviewed in the report, four are required: the high school record, high school GPA, personal essay, and English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. Five others are not required but are considered if submitted: class rank, college-preparatory coursework, letters of recommendation, a portfolio or competency exam, and work experience. The published application fee is $0.
At this college, gathering documents is not enough: the essay is required. Have your child start it in the summer, not during the week of the deadline. The first draft is never the one to submit.
How selective it really is. In the 2023 cycle, of 3,338 applicants, 3,076 received an offer of admission. That is 92 out of every 100. Compared with 942 similar selective private schools, it is on the more accessible side: seven out of every ten of those schools accept an equal or smaller percentage.
Being likely to get in does not make what follows easy. That 92 does not say how much it will cost, how many students finish, or whether your child’s specific major has its own internal screening process. Ask those three questions separately.
How likely accepted students are to attend. Out of every 100 students admitted in 2023, only 16 enrolled. The other 84 had a place but did not take it. Do not read this as a blemish: the federal record does not say why each person made that choice. What you need to do is wait for your own letter with the net price—what the year would actually cost—before deciding whether this school stays on the list.
About standardized tests. The SAT and ACT are not required. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains valid. Only 5 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted SAT scores—a sample so small, at 24 students, that the reported ranges, between 533 and 610 in each section, should not be read as a threshold or a guarantee. It is official data, but from a small sample.
About transfers. Of the bachelor’s-degree-seeking cohort that entered in 2017, 21 out of every 100 transferred to another school without completing here. Transferring is not failing, but if it is a possibility, your child should know in advance how to request the records needed to leave. On the other hand, in fall 2023, transfer enrollment from other institutions totaled just 26—a modest number of arrivals. That figure does not say how many credits were accepted: request that in writing, with the course list in hand, before anyone moves.
The List Price: What It Costs Before Any Aid
Here comes the number that carries the most weight. For the 2023–24 year, Saint Norbert College’s total cost of attendance for a first-time, full-time student living on campus was $59,308. The same price applies whether your family is from Wisconsin or another state.
Broken down, that was $44,432 for tuition and fees, $12,698 for housing and food, and $810 for books and supplies. The rest is the financial aid office’s own estimate of personal expenses.
Compared with 888 similar private schools, this total falls above the midpoint of the group. It is an expensive school within its own comparison universe.
But—and this matters more than any other sentence in this section—this number is the list price, not your family’s bill. Complete the FAFSA. Request the financial aid letter in writing. Until you have it in hand, you do not know what this school will cost your family.
The Net Price: What Families Like Yours Actually Paid
At Saint Norbert College, among a first-time, full-time, credential-seeking population of 31 that received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $19,944. Among 47 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $19,828; among 125 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $30,490. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band, comprising 31 students, and the average for the highest-income band, comprising 125 students, is $10,546. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship, the average was $27,236.
$19,944 was the average net price for families in the lowest-income band in academic year 2022-23. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps you decide whether it is worth requesting the financial aid letter.
None of these figures is a quote for your child. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for students receiving grants or scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The figure that matters is the financial aid letter you receive. In the meantime, use the net price calculator on the school’s website.
Grants, Pell, and Loans: How This Is Paid for in Practice
At Saint Norbert College, 97 out of every 100 degree-seeking students received some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something is the norm here, not the exception. Among recipients, the average was $26,300 per year—but it is an average: it includes people who received much more and people who received much less.
Here is a contrast worth confronting directly. Pell, the federal aid program for low-income families, reached only 17 out of every 100 students. That means at least 80 out of every 100 aid recipients received aid from another source—from the school itself, the state, or somewhere else. The report does not distinguish which one. Ask directly: who provides that grant or scholarship, who qualifies, and what is required to renew it each year.
About loans: 45 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in 2022-23, averaging $6,431 per student that year. Compared with similar schools, this share is on the low side—seven out of every ten similar schools had a higher share of students with loans.
But calculate the full amount, not just one year. If your child borrowed something similar in each of the four years of the degree, the total would be around $25,724, not including interest. That number should be considered before the first signature, not at the end. And this average does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, credit card debt, or bank loans. Nor is it the debt someone leaves with at graduation: determining that would require adding all four full years, and that data is not in this report.
The institution also offers an installment tuition payment plan if you prefer to spread out the cost instead of paying it all at once.
Campus Life: Housing, Food, ROTC, Sports, and the Library
Saint Norbert College does have its own housing. It does not require all first-time students to live there—but that does not rule out the possibility that a specific program may require it. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by the plan selected. The reported maximum capacity of institutional housing is 1,814 students. The existence of rooms does not guarantee that a bed will be available: request the year’s rate, application deadline, and whether you are guaranteed a place or placed on a waiting list in writing.
Army ROTC is confirmed in the report. Navy and Air Force are not marked—unconfirmed is not the same as impossible, but if your child is interested in another branch, ask directly.
It competes in intercollegiate sports and is affiliated with the NCAA, with confirmed participation in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. That is the school’s membership, not a guaranteed place for your child. If your child wants to play, write to the coach directly: ask whether there is space, which division they compete in, and whether that sport provides scholarships.
Regarding distance education, the school does offer courses in that format at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but in the most recent count, 0 out of every 100 undergraduate students took their entire course load remotely. All took at least one in-person class. The institution also reported that it does not offer any complete program that can be completed entirely through distance education. If your child needs that format, confirm it in writing for their specific major.
The library has employed staff, physical and digital collections, and interlibrary lending—its annual spending exceeds the $100,000 threshold recorded by the government. That is only a floor; it does not guarantee specialized databases for your child’s major. Ask about that by program name.
Finally, the institution reports several support services: combined academic and career counseling, employment services, job placement after graduation, on-campus child care, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, a dedicated point of contact for military families, and a webpage for services for students with disabilities. Their inclusion in the report confirms that they exist as institutional services; it does not confirm how many people staff them or how well they work for a particular case.
Persistence and Graduation: The Numbers Families Ask About Most
Here we reach the part that probably interests you most: do students stay? Do they graduate?
First-year retention. Of the 476 bachelor’s-degree-seeking students who entered in fall 2022, 391 were still enrolled or had already earned a degree one year later: 82 out of every 100. Compared with similar schools, it falls slightly above the midpoint of the group. This figure does not separate those who stayed from those who graduated unusually quickly, nor does it say what happened to the rest: transferring to another college and continuing to study is counted differently from leaving education altogether, but the data does not distinguish between those two cases.
Graduation within four and six years. Of the cohort that entered in 2017, 74 out of every 100 graduated within six years. By four years, the figure was already 67 out of every 100—just seven percentage points lower, a small gap. Compared with similar schools, this rate places it in the top quarter: three out of every four similar schools reported an equal or lower share of graduates.
It is a high rate. And here is the hard truth I will not soften: a high percentage is not a promise for your child. It is what happened to the cohort that entered in 2017. What is within your control, starting with the first semester, is making sure your child begins with their credits in order and knows who their academic advisor is and when registration opens for courses in their major.
At eight years, with a broader cohort. IPEDS followed 687 students who entered between 2015 and 2016, including those who already had prior college experience. As of the August 2023 cutoff, 77 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 73 out of every 100—five percentage points below the group without Pell. Compared with similar schools, it also falls in the top quarter.
Again, this is an earlier cohort, with its own context. It does not determine whether your child will earn a credential there or how long it will take. What is useful is asking about the program’s current support services and, if possible, the outcomes of more recent cohorts.
What This Article Cannot Tell You
The data supporting this article contains no figure for how much a Saint Norbert College graduate earns, employment after graduation, or how much debt someone carries when receiving a diploma. That requires another source, and I will not invent it here.
How to Put All of This Together
You now know, in considerable detail, one of the three pieces you need to make a decision: what Saint Norbert College is according to its own official reports. It is a small, highly residential school, expensive at list price but generous in the share of students who receive some grant or scholarship aid. It admits the large majority of applicants, maintains high graduation rates compared with similar schools, and has a community with few Latino students and almost no adults returning to school.
That piece decides nothing on its own. It is missing what your child wants to study and what they have built so far. It is missing what your family can pay and is willing to commit. When you bring all three together—not before—you will have something that can truly be called a plan.
If something you read here raised a specific question—about the essay, the financial aid letter, or a particular program—that question is already worth asking the school directly. That, too, is part of the process.
This article is based on data reported by Saint Norbert College to the US Department of Education’s IPEDS system, primarily from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, with comparisons against a census of selective, private four-year institutions. Best College Aid does not represent Saint Norbert College or any government agency; this article is informational and does not replace the admission and financial aid letter the college provides to your family.