BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofit

St Olaf College

Northfield, Minnesota·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Plains·wp.stolaf.edu
6-yr Graduation
84%
+3.5pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
3,124
peer median 2,032
Avg net price
$22,752
-$4.2k 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
6,623
6,623 candidates competed
Admitted
3,200
48.3% acceptance rate
Enrolled
859
26.8% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
84%+3.5pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
77%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
84%
Full-time retention
92%

Pell equity

4.0pp gap
Pell recipients
78%
Non-Pell
82%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 4.0-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 40 Title IV programs, 21 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 19 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
40
Passing
21
52.5% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

40programs
  • Passing21 · 52.5%
  • No Data19 · 47.5%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
2
Safe
18
No data
19

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.

21
Religion/Religious Studies
Bachelor Degree · Philosophy And Religious Studies
+7.3%
$37,335 vs $34,808
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+21.9%
$42,439 vs $34,808
History
Bachelor Degree · History
+22.2%
$42,538 vs $34,808
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+27.2%
$44,287 vs $34,808
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+29.3%
$45,023 vs $34,808
Area Studies
Bachelor Degree · Area, Ethnic, Cultural, And Gender Studies
+37.0%
$47,677 vs $34,808
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
+38.3%
$48,137 vs $34,808
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+41.9%
$49,382 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

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

21
Religion/Religious Studies
Bachelor Degree · Philosophy And Religious Studies
62%
$23,250 debt · $37,335 earn
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
57%
$23,968 debt · $42,439 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
52%
$27,000 debt · $51,909 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
52%
$23,000 debt · $44,287 earn
History
Bachelor Degree · History
49%
$21,000 debt · $42,538 earn
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
49%
$25,000 debt · $50,611 earn
Area Studies
Bachelor Degree · Area, Ethnic, Cultural, And Gender Studies
48%
$23,000 debt · $47,677 earn
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
47%
$22,760 debt · $48,137 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 · 7

Action history · 6

  1. Feb 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  2. Oct 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 Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation · Art and Design (ART) - Degree-granting schools and departments and non-degree-granting programs
  4. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Dance, Commission on Accreditation · Dance (DANCE) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and non-degree-granting programs
  5. 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

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$9,504
$30–48k$11,927
$48–75k$15,236
$75–110k$21,245
$110k+$32,708

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

Avg net price (private)
$22,752
-$4,204vs Baccalaureate median $26,957
Federal loans
43.6%
In-state tuition
$56,970
Out-of-state
$56,970

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 776 students received $4.6M in Pell grants, alongside $9.8M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
776
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.6M
$4,615,149 total
Direct Loans
$9.8M
1,866 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

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

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$3.3M
733 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$4.3M
1,026 loan awards
Parent PLUS$2.2M
107 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 548 borrowers who entered repayment, 3 (0.5%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.5%
-1.8pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
548
Defaulted
3
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
0.5%
2017
1.0%
2018
0.8%
2019
0.5%
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 St Olaf College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs52
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

673 total completions
01Social Sciences
13820.5%
02Biological Sciences
9614.3%
03Visual/Performing Arts
8112.0%
04Mathematics
7611.3%
05Psychology
6810.1%
06Foreign Languages
527.7%
07Physical Sciences
517.6%
08Computer Sciences
426.2%
09Parks/Recreation
355.2%
10Area/Ethnic Studies
345.1%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
3,124
12-mo unduplicated
3,138
Undergraduate
3,138
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
42%1,330
Women
58%1,808

Race / ethnicity composition

White
66.7%
Non-resident
9.9%
Hispanic
9.3%
Asian
5.8%
Two or more
4.5%
Black
3.2%
Unknown
0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
565
327 M · 238 W
Women athletes
42.1%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$4.9M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$44K
$16K
Head-coach salaries
$46K
$39K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 15

Track and Field (Outdoor)
72 M · 63 W
$201K
Track and Field (Indoor)
69 M · 61 W
$185K
Football
91 M ·
$457K
Cross Country
39 M · 33 W
$219K
Soccer
31 M · 31 W
$264K
Ice Hockey
30 M · 25 W
$408K

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
4.60
14 offenses · 3,046 students

3-year trend

6.102 yrs ago6.691 yr ago4.60Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
52
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
36
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
9
Fondling
4
Arson
1

By location

14total
  • On campus14

Includes 12 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
6
Dating violence
4
Stalking
10 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Sexual orientation1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons01
Drugs013
Liquor063

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
11.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
247

St Olaf College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions St Olaf 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
SubjectSt Olaf College
84%3,124$22,752Baccalaureate
Macalester College
87%28.5%2,138$29,980Baccalaureate
Carleton College
90%20.4%2,128$27,320Baccalaureate
Gustavus Adolphus College
77%61.0%1,906$26,895Baccalaureate
Concordia College at Moorhead
61%62.6%1,935$25,651Baccalaureate
Saint Johns University
75%90.6%1,572$27,018Baccalaureate
Peer group median81%61.0%2,032$26,957

Frequently asked questions about St Olaf College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about St Olaf College.

What is the graduation rate at St Olaf College?

St Olaf College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 84% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend St Olaf College?

St Olaf College reports a total enrollment of 3,124 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at St Olaf College?

The average net price at St Olaf College is $22,752 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at St Olaf College?

St Olaf College's yield rate is 26.8%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is St Olaf College located?

St Olaf College is located in Northfield, Minnesota 55057-1098.

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