That is what we are going to do here. We are going to look together at the official data the United States government collects about St Olaf College—admissions, costs, financial aid, who studies there, and how likely a student is to graduate—and translate them into something you can use. Not to tell you whether your child should attend. So that, if it appears on your child’s list, you know what you are talking about.
A small arts and sciences college closely centered on its campus
The Carnegie system, which is how the United States classifies colleges based on what they actually do, categorizes St Olaf College as a bachelor’s college focused on arts and sciences. It is a small, four-year institution, and something worth emphasizing is that it is “highly residential.” That means that, according to the most recent available data, at least half of degree-seeking undergraduate students lived in housing owned by or affiliated with the institution, and at least 80 out of every 100 attended full time.
Put another way: this is not a commuter school. It is a school where students move in and live.
Carnegie also places it in its most selective admissions group. That label does not tell you how many applicants out of every hundred are admitted—we will look at that later using exact figures—but it does tell you something real: this is not an open-admission school.
St Olaf College is in Northfield, Minnesota, in Rice County. The area surrounding the campus is classified as a town, far from large urban areas. If your family does not live nearby, this matters in a very practical way: you need to calculate separately where your child would live, how your child would get to campus, and how far away everything else would be. This fact only locates the school’s address; it says nothing about your trip from home.
It is a private, nonprofit institution, and its highest reported award level is the bachelor’s degree. That does not confirm that the specific major your child is interested in is offered there or that it leads to exactly that type of degree—that must be verified program by program, not based on the school’s name.
One point worth making clear from the start: St Olaf College is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. That says nothing about which students it serves well or how your child would feel there. You find that out directly by speaking with someone who already studies on campus.
Who shares the classroom with your child
In fall 2023, St Olaf College reported that 9 out of every 100 of its undergraduate students were Hispanic or Latino. That is a small minority, and compared with the 941 selective private four-year schools in this same census, it ranks below the midpoint of the group.
I want to be direct with you here, because this truth is more valuable when stated plainly than when softened: if your child attends St Olaf, your child will probably be one of relatively few Latino students on that campus. That does not make the school bad or good. It only describes who is enrolled. What you can do during a visit is ask which student organization, cultural center, or person in the admissions office speaks Spanish and can guide your child. And speak with a Latino student who is already there before deciding.
There are also more women than men on campus: 58 out of every 100 students are women. And the percentage of students between 25 and 64 years old rounds to zero, so if your child is looking for an environment with adult students returning to college, this does not appear to be that community.
As for size, St Olaf had 3,074 students enrolled in the official fall count, all of them undergraduates. It is a medium-sized school, and compared with its selective peers, it ranks on the larger side of that group. But being large does not necessarily mean more options, and being small does not necessarily mean more attention for your child. What matters is asking about the specific major, not the entire school.
How the academic year is organized
St Olaf reported a 4-1-4 calendar: four courses over four months, followed by one month with a single course, and then another four courses over the next four months. It is a different rhythm from a traditional semester, and it is worth understanding before your child forms a mental picture of the year’s schedule.
As for incoming credit, the school accepts credit from AP exams, but it did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience. Saying that it accepts AP does not mean it awards credit for every exam or that those credits automatically count toward your child’s major. Request the transfer-equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not calculate the savings until you have it in hand.
In the reported year, the school awarded 687 bachelor’s degrees across 20 different fields of study. No field accounted for more than 17 out of every 100 degrees—social sciences was the largest, and even it did not dominate. Compared with its peers, St Olaf ranks in the quarter awarding the most degrees per year. It is a broad offering, but 20 fields with rows in the report do not mean 20 exact majors: each field groups together multiple programs. Verify the precise program your child is interested in.
The official student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 12 to 1. That is a low ratio in general terms, although compared with similar schools, St Olaf ranks slightly above the median—it is not the lowest in its group. And this is important: this ratio does not tell you the actual size of first-year classes. You have to ask about that directly.
What the school says it offers beyond the classroom
St Olaf reports several structured academic opportunities: study abroad, co-curricular undergraduate research, and pathways related to teacher certification, including state approval for initial certification programs. These are real pathways that exist in the institution’s records; what they mean for your child’s specific major must be confirmed with the appropriate department.
Getting into St Olaf: a lengthy application, not a quick formality
This is where many families need clarity, so let’s take it slowly.
St Olaf does not have open admission. Among the considerations it reviews before deciding, it marks six as required: the high school record, GPA, completion of the required college-preparatory curriculum, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English proficiency exam when applicable. It also considers, although it does not require, class rank, a portfolio or competency exam, work experience, and whether a family member attended the school.
On that last point, I want to be clear: if no one in your family attended St Olaf, do not spend energy worrying about it. Spend that energy on what is within your child’s control.
The published undergraduate application fee is $0. That already removes a common barrier.
Now for the hard numbers. In the 2023 cycle, St Olaf received 5,956 first-year applications. Of those, 3,106 applicants received an offer of admission: that is 52 out of every 100. Compared with its 942 selective peers, this places it on the lower side—seven out of every ten of those schools, or more, admitted a higher percentage of their applicants.
Out of every 100 applicants, 52 received an acceptance and 48 did not. Admission is not assured, but it is not a lottery either. The application is genuinely reviewed.
And here is a distinction many families overlook: being admitted is not the same as enrolling. Out of every 100 students St Olaf admitted for the first-year class of 2023, only 27 ultimately enrolled there. The other 73 had an acceptance letter in hand and chose something else. Compared with its peers, that figure of 27 out of every 100 is very common, neither high nor low. What this tells you is simple: receiving the letter is not the same as deciding to attend. When the offers arrive, what matters is placing the letters side by side and comparing net price, major, and distance—not this percentage.
Regarding standardized testing, St Olaf reported a “test optional” policy. The SAT and ACT are not required; if your child submits them, they are considered, and if not, the application remains valid. Among enrolled students, only 12 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores. Among those students, the middle half scored between 640 and 740 in reading and writing, and between 620 and 730 in mathematics. But be careful: those ranges describe students who enrolled and chose to submit their scores, not all applicants. That 640 is not a minimum that must be reached, nor is that 740 a guarantee of anything.
Regarding transfers, among the cohort that entered in 2017 seeking a bachelor’s degree, only 12 out of every 100 were recorded as having transferred to another school without completing at St Olaf. Compared with its peers, it ranks among the schools that see the fewest students leave. Separately, in fall 2023, 32 new transfer students arrived. If your child entered this way, remember that this figure does not say how many prior credits the school would accept. Request that information in writing, with the course list in hand, before moving.
The listed price and what you would actually pay
At St Olaf College, among 65 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $9,504. Among 62 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $15,236; among 201 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $32,708. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
There is a difference of $23,204 between the average for the lowest-income band (65 students) and the average for the highest-income band (201 students). These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship, the average was $27,282.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same period coverage, St Olaf ranks in the least expensive quarter for the lowest-income families after grants are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a fact that carries weight when you build the list of schools to apply to.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours comes first. 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 after grants, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The aid letter you receive is what governs.
Financial aid: almost everyone receives something
At St Olaf, 99 out of every 100 degree-seeking students receive some grant or aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something here is the norm, not the exception. Among recipients, the average was $41,368 for the year. That is a large figure, but remember: the average includes people who received much more and people who received much less. It is not your offer. What truly determines the cost is the amount left after aid—and you know that only from your own letter.
The federal Pell Grant, which goes to students with demonstrated financial need, was received by 20 out of every 100 St Olaf students.
Now, about loans—and it is worth pausing here because this is real money that someone must repay. In the 2022-23 academic year, 44 out of every 100 undergraduate students at St Olaf received a federal student loan. Compared with its selective peers, this places it on the lower side: seven out of every ten similar schools, or more, had a higher share of students taking on debt. Among those who did borrow, each took out $6,125 on average that year.
That figure—$6,125—covers only one academic year and only federal loans in the student’s name. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, bank debt, or credit cards. Nor is it the total debt someone has upon graduating, because calculating that would require adding together several years, and that figure is not in this report.
Some young people here go through the year without borrowing a cent, while others do borrow. This percentage does not determine which group your child will fall into. That is determined by the financial aid letter your child receives, in writing, before committing to the school.
St Olaf also reports a tuition installment plan for families that prefer to spread the cost throughout the year instead of paying it all at once.
Campus life: housing, sports, the library, and support services
St Olaf has institution-controlled housing with a reported capacity of 2,987 students. Not all first-time students are required to live there—the school indicated that there is no universal requirement—but that does not rule out a requirement for a specific program. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of meals per week in the largest plan. The existence of the option does not guarantee that a bed will be available or that a cost is included: ask for the exact rate for the year, the application deadline, and whether housing is guaranteed or you could be placed on a waiting list.
Regarding ROTC, St Olaf did not mark any ROTC opportunity in its report, either in the general field or for any of the three branches. Of the 1,786 four-year institutions in this guide, 926 did mark it; St Olaf was not among them. That does not prove there is no nearby pathway—it only means none was reported in this field. If that scholarship matters to your family, ask admissions directly before ruling it out.
In athletics, St Olaf does compete at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA, reporting membership specifically in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track. That is the school’s membership, not a promise for your child. If sports matter to your child’s decision, contact the coach directly: ask whether there is a place on the team, which division they compete in, and whether that sport awards athletic scholarships. Ask for written confirmation.
The library operates with paid staff, and its annual spending exceeded the government’s reporting threshold of $100,000—a sign of an operation with real resources, although the data do not say exactly how that money was used. It has physical and digital collections and participates in interlibrary lending. Ask directly how long it takes for a book requested from another library to arrive, especially considering that the campus is in a town far from large cities.
Regarding distance education, although St Olaf reports offering undergraduate distance courses, no student took an entire course load that way in the fall count. And in its report on fully distance programs, the school indicated that it does not offer a program in which all required courses can be completed that way. If this matters to your child, confirm it directly in writing with the specific major in mind.
Finally, St Olaf reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, and a published web address for disability services. The fact that these services are reported does not yet tell you how accessible or effective they are in practice—that must be asked and verified during a visit.
How likely a student is to stay and graduate
For many families, this is the question that carries the most weight: if my child enrolls, will my child finish?
The official data about St Olaf are consistent and, within what these figures can tell us, favorable. Let’s examine each one carefully, because each figure measures something different.
Retention. Of the cohort that entered in fall 2022 (867 first-time, full-time students), 785 were still enrolled at St Olaf or had already completed their bachelor’s degree one year later: 91 out of every 100. Compared with 930 similar selective schools, St Olaf ranks among those retaining the largest share of their entering cohort. But this figure combines two different groups—those still studying and those who had already finished—without separating them, and it does not say what happened to the remaining 9.
Graduation. Of the 782 students who began a bachelor’s degree in 2017, 653 had the degree in hand six years later: 84 out of every 100. At four years, the figure was already 79 out of every 100—only five percentage points lower, a small difference. Compared with its 920 selective peers, St Olaf ranks among the schools graduating the largest shares of students.
It is worth looking at the complete breakdown for that same cohort of 782 students: 653 graduated from St Olaf; 93 transferred without completing at St Olaf, which does not mean they did not graduate later elsewhere; 1 was still enrolled without having finished; and 35 fell into the “no longer enrolled” category, which does not explain the reason and may include people who graduated after the official deadline.
At eight years. From a different cohort—800 students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016—85 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from St Olaf by the August 2023 reporting date. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 81 out of every 100, five percentage points below the group without Pell. Compared with its peers, St Olaf also ranks among the schools graduating the largest shares of students over this longer period.
Now, the truth I must tell you plainly: a high percentage is not a promise for your child. It describes what happened to an entire cohort, not an individual guarantee. What is within your control and your child’s is making sure your child enters with all credits in order, knows who the academic adviser is from the first semester, and knows when registration opens for the courses required by the major. IPEDS does not decide that. The concrete decisions made during the first semester do.
What comes next
But this article alone does not decide anything. What your child wants to study and what your child has built so far are still missing. So is what your family can and is willing to pay once the actual aid letter arrives, rather than the average for other families. And something else is missing that no federal data can give you: how your child feels when stepping onto that campus, in that town, far from or close to home.
Those three pieces together—the college, the student, and the family—form a plan. This is the first piece, and now you understand it clearly. The other two are up to you.
Source note: The information in this article comes from official data reported by St Olaf College to the United States Department of Education’s IPEDS system, primarily covering the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent St Olaf College or any government agency; this article organizes and explains public data and does not constitute personalized admissions advice.