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Summary
St. Olaf College is a private institution that was founded in 1874. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 3,179, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 300 acres. It utilizes a 4-1-4-based academic calendar. St. Olaf College's ranking in the 2013 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 55. Its tuition and fees are $39,560 (2012-13).
St. Olaf is an Evangelical Lutheran college and encourages students to examine and live out a life of faith. Students are required to take, at a minimum, the Bible in Culture and Community course and a class on Christian theology. All but about 175 students live on campus at this residential college, and alcohol is not allowed on the premises. There is no Greek system, but students have more than 150 other student clubs and organizations to check out. More than a third of students are active in one of the many musical organizations, including eight choirs and two orchestras, and the school broadcasts its weekly Sing for Joy music and sermon radio series across the country. Student musicians can also perform in the St. Olaf Christmas Festival, a long-standing musical tradition that is broadcast on PBS. The Oles sports teams compete in the NCAA Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in traditional college sports as well as Nordic and alpine skiing. The school mascot is a costumed lion named Ole. St. Olaf has a large, wooded campus in Northfield, Minn. and is surrounded by college-owned farmland and prairies. Carleton College is located in Northfield, too, and is St. Olaf’s main football rival. Minnesota’s Twin Cities, St. Paul and Minneapolis, are thriving college towns about 35 miles away.
In tribute to the Norwegian immigrants who founded the college, St. Olaf still offers a robust program in Scandinavian culture, including Norwegian language classes, Nordic film studies, and Viking history courses. Notable alumni of the Norwegian-influenced college include Anton Armstrong, conductor of the St. Olaf Choir, and Al Quie, former governor of Minnesota. Jay Gatsby, the main character in the fictional novel The Great Gatsby, went to St. Olaf, too.
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One of the nation's leading four-year residential colleges, St. Olaf offers an academically rigorous education with a vibrant faith tradition. Founded in 1874, St. Olaf is a liberal arts college of the church in the Lutheran tradition (ELCA). Committed to the liberal arts and incorporating a global perspective, St. Olaf fosters the development of the whole person in mind, body, and spirit. Academic excellence informs St. Olaf College's identity and characterizes its history. Through its curriculum, campus life, and off-campus programs, St. Olaf hones students' critical thinking and nurtures their moral formation. The college encourages and challenges its students to be seekers of truth, to lead lives of unselfish service to others, and to be responsible and knowledgeable citizens of the world. Widely known for its world-class programs in mathematics and music, St. Olaf is also recognized for its innovative approaches to undergraduate science education and its commitment to environmental sustainability as evidenced in such initiatives as the adoption of green chemistry principles across the science curriculum. For nearly half a century, St. Olaf has been at the forefront of global education and a pioneer in study abroad. Today, with 110 distinct international and off-campus programs in 46 countries, St. Olaf students enjoy a world of opportunities when pursuing their studies. St. Olaf is an inclusive community that welcomes people of differing backgrounds and beliefs, a community that embraces spirituality and cultivates compassion. Conversations about faith are part of campus life and numerous opportunities are provided for students to grow in their faith and discover how they are called upon to serve others. St. Olaf takes pride in its record of academic excellence. A leader among undergraduate colleges in producing prestigious Rhodes Scholars, Fulbright Fellows, and Peace Corps volunteers, St. Olaf ranks 11th overall among the nation's baccalaureate colleges in the number of graduates who go on to earn doctoral degrees, with top ten rankings in the fields of mathematics and statistics, religion and theology, arts and music, education, foreign languages, chemistry, and biological sciences. |
General Information
| School type | private, coed college |
| Year founded | 1874 |
| Religious affiliation | Lutheran |
| Academic calendar | 4-1-4 |
| Setting | rural |
| 2011 Endowment | $345,973,626 |
Applying
When applying to St. Olaf College, it's important to note the application deadline is January 15, and the early decision deadline is November 15. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due January 15. The application fee at St. Olaf College is $40. It is more selective, with an acceptance rate of 53.0 percent.
For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.
| Selectivity | more selective |
| Fall 2011 acceptance rate | 53.0% |
| Application deadline | January 15 |
| SAT/ACT scores must be received by | January 15 |
Academic Life
The student-faculty ratio at St. Olaf College is 12:1, and the school has 57.5 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at St. Olaf College include: Biology/Biological Sciences, General; Mathematics, General; Demography and Population Studies; English Language and Literature, General; and Psychology, General. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 93.0 percent.
Student Life
St. Olaf College has a total undergraduate enrollment of 3,179, with a gender distribution of 44.3 percent male students and 55.7 percent female students. At this school, 91.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 9.0 percent of students live off campus. St. Olaf College is part of the NCAA III athletic conference.
| Total enrollment | 3,179 |
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| Collegiate athletic association | NCAA III |
Campus Info & Services
St. Olaf College offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, placement service, health service, and health insurance. St. Olaf College also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Of the students at St. Olaf College, 25 percent have cars on campus. Alcohol is not permitted for students of legal age at St. Olaf College.
| Students who have cars on campus | 25% |
| Health insurance offered | Yes |
| Students required to own/lease a computer | No |
More About Campus Info & Services
Paying for School
At St. Olaf College, 65.2 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $25,267.
Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.
| Tuition and fees | $39,560 (2012-13) |
| Room and board | $9,090 (2012-13) |
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* Overview details based on 2011 data
