BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofit

Gustavus Adolphus College

Saint Peter, Minnesota·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Plains·gustavus.edu
6-yr Graduation
77%
Total enrollment
1,906
peer median 1,921
Avg net price
$26,895
-$274 vs Baccalaureate
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
5,294
5,294 candidates competed
Admitted
3,229
61.0% acceptance rate
Enrolled
490
15.2% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
77%
4-year graduation
64%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
77%
Full-time retention
88%

Pell equity

3.0pp gap
Pell recipients
73%
Non-Pell
76%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 3.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 38 Title IV programs, 15 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 23 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
38
Passing
15
39.5% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

38programs
  • Passing15 · 39.5%
  • No Data23 · 60.5%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
15
No data
23

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

15
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+28.8%
$46,987 vs $36,491
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+30.5%
$47,629 vs $36,491
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
+33.8%
$48,822 vs $36,491
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
+36.4%
$49,758 vs $36,491
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+46.0%
$53,277 vs $36,491
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+48.5%
$54,202 vs $36,491
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+58.6%
$57,870 vs $36,491
Romance Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
+69.9%
$62,016 vs $36,491

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

14
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
58%
$27,000 debt · $46,987 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
57%
$27,000 debt · $47,629 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
55%
$27,000 debt · $48,822 earn
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
54%
$27,000 debt · $49,758 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
50%
$27,000 debt · $54,202 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
49%
$26,264 debt · $53,277 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
47%
$27,000 debt · $57,870 earn
Political Science and Government
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
43%
$27,000 debt · $62,218 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1915Next review Aug 2033

Programmatic accreditations · 3

Action history · 4

  1. Apr 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  2. Sep 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  3. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs
  4. Aug 2013Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$15,799
$30–48k$14,251
$48–75k$17,611
$75–110k$26,149
$110k+$34,227

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$26,895
-$274vs Baccalaureate median $27,169
Federal loans
55.5%
In-state tuition
$54,310
Out-of-state
$54,310

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 465 students received $2.6M in Pell grants, alongside $7.8M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
465
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.6M
$2,586,048 total
Direct Loans
$7.8M
1,609 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.6M
614 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.5M
905 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$54K
3 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.7M
87 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 514 borrowers who entered repayment, 4 (0.7%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.7%
-1.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
514
Defaulted
4
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
1.4%
2017
1.5%
2018
1.2%
2019
0.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Gustavus Adolphus College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs50
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

431 total completions
01Biological Sciences
6114.2%
02Business
6114.2%
03Social Sciences
5312.3%
04Psychology
5212.1%
05Parks/Recreation
399.0%
06Physical Sciences
388.8%
07Visual/Performing Arts
368.4%
08Education
317.2%
09Health Professions
317.2%
10Natural Resources
296.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
1,906
12-mo unduplicated
1,970
Undergraduate
1,970
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
45%895
Women
55%1,075

Race / ethnicity composition

White
79.8%
Hispanic
5.5%
Two or more
4.5%
Non-resident
4.4%
Asian
2.5%
Black
2.3%
Unknown
0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
681
426 M · 255 W
Women athletes
37.4%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$5.6M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$34K
$12K
Head-coach salaries
$50K
$43K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 12

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
146 M · 134 W
$407K
Football
118 M ·
$697K
Swimming
42 M · 49 W
$428K
Soccer
53 M · 27 W
$433K
Baseball
66 M ·
$289K
Ice Hockey
32 M · 28 W
$576K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.45
3 offenses · 2,072 students

3-year trend

4.042 yrs ago2.671 yr ago1.45Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
18
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
19
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
4

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
2
Fondling
1

By location

3total
  • On campus3

Includes 3 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
2
Stalking
2 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs03
Liquor321

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
12.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
155

Gustavus Adolphus College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Gustavus Adolphus College selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectGustavus Adolphus College
77%1,906$26,895Baccalaureate
Concordia College at Moorhead
61%62.6%1,935$25,651Baccalaureate
Carleton College
90%20.4%2,128$27,320Baccalaureate
Macalester College
87%28.5%2,138$29,980Baccalaureate
Saint Johns University
75%90.6%1,572$27,018Baccalaureate
College of Saint Benedict
77%91.5%1,429$28,065Baccalaureate
Peer group median77%62.6%1,921$27,169

Frequently asked questions about Gustavus Adolphus College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Gustavus Adolphus College.

What is the graduation rate at Gustavus Adolphus College?

Gustavus Adolphus College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 77% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Gustavus Adolphus College?

Gustavus Adolphus College reports a total enrollment of 1,906 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Gustavus Adolphus College?

The average net price at Gustavus Adolphus College is $26,895 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Gustavus Adolphus College?

Gustavus Adolphus College's yield rate is 15.2%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Gustavus Adolphus College located?

Gustavus Adolphus College is located in Saint Peter, Minnesota 56082-1498.

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