St. Olaf College
Northfield, MN · Private
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See the full analysis — freeAdmission rate
St. Olaf College admitted 48.3% of applicants university-wide (3,200 of 6,623).
| Cohort | Admit rate | Admitted | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|
| University-wide | 48.3% | 3,200 | 6,623 |
| In-state | 62.6% | 1,279 | 2,042 |
| Out-of-state | 57.8% | 1,508 | 2,609 |
| International applicants | 20.9% | 413 | 1,972 |
| Early Decision (binding) | 57.6% | 223 | 387 |
| Men | 42.6% | 1,268 | 2,979 |
| Women | 52.7% | 1,840 | 3,490 |
Early Decision applicants were admitted at 57.6%, vs 48.3% overall — ED is a binding commitment.
Also offers Restrictive Early Action (closes Nov 1) — the Common Data Set doesn't publish EA admit counts.
Of 3,200 admitted students, 859 enrolled (26.8% yield).
St. Olaf College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024 — Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.
Test scores and GPA of admitted students
- SAT (mid-50%)
- 1310–1460
- ACT (mid-50%)
- 28–32
- GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
- 3.50–3.99
Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)
St. Olaf College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024 — Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.
Cost and financial aid
Published cost of attendance: $78,600/yr.
| Out-of-state tuition | $62,700 |
| Fees, housing, food, books & other | $15,900 |
| Sticker cost of attendance | $78,600/yr |
Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)
| Under $30k | $10,404 |
| $30k–48k | $11,342 |
| $48k–75k | $12,584 |
| $75k–110k | $20,367 |
| Over $110k | $33,166 |
US applicants
Need- and merit-based aid available.
- Presidential Scholarship — $35,000 per year (Presidential)
- Dean's Scholarship — $30,000 per year (Merit)
- Faculty Scholarship — $25,000 per year (Merit)
- St. Olaf Scholarship — $20,000 per year (Merit)
- Music Performance Scholarship — Up to $10,000 per year (Departmental)
- Regents' Scholarship — Up to $10,000 per year (Merit)
- Fine Arts Scholarship — Up to $5,000 per year (Departmental)
- Art Scholarship — Up to $4,000 per year (Departmental)
- Dance Scholarship — Up to $4,000 per year (Departmental)
- Theatre Scholarship — Up to $4,000 per year (Departmental)
- Buntrock Scholarship — Full tuition (Full Tuition)
- St. Olaf College Grant (Need-Based) — Varies (Need Based)
International applicants
Meets full demonstrated need for internationals.
- Presidential Scholarship — $35,000 per year (Presidential)
- Dean's Scholarship — $30,000 per year (Merit)
- Faculty Scholarship — $25,000 per year (Merit)
- St. Olaf Scholarship — $20,000 per year (Merit)
- Music Performance Scholarship — Up to $10,000 per year (Departmental)
- Regents' Scholarship — Up to $10,000 per year (Merit)
- Fine Arts Scholarship — Up to $5,000 per year (Departmental)
- Art Scholarship — Up to $4,000 per year (Departmental)
- Dance Scholarship — Up to $4,000 per year (Departmental)
- Theatre Scholarship — Up to $4,000 per year (Departmental)
- Buntrock Scholarship — Full tuition (Full Tuition)
- St. Olaf College Grant (Need-Based) — Varies (Need Based)
St. Olaf College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024
Application requirements
US applicants
- Official transcript
- Test scores (SAT/ACT) (optional)
- Letters of recommendation (recommended)
- Supplemental essays (recommended)
- Application fee
International applicants
- Official transcript
- Test scores (SAT/ACT) (optional)
- Letters of recommendation (recommended)
- Supplemental essays (recommended)
- English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
- GPA credential conversion
- Predicted Class XII marksheet
- Financial documentation (I-20)
- Application fee
St. Olaf College Common Data Set · Application requirements · 2024
Essay prompts
St. Olaf College requires essays, but this cycle's prompts haven't been posted yet. Check back once the application opens.
Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 4, 2026
Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings
- $65,543
- Median earnings · 10 years after entry
- Graduation rate
- 84%
- Within 150% of normal time
- First-year retention
- 92.2%
- Return for year two · CDS Section B
- Median debt
- $26,000
- At graduation
St. Olaf College · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023 — Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.
Published rankings
- U.S. News Liberal Arts: #50
- WSJ: #153
- Forbes: #189
- Niche: #141
Deadlines
- 2026-11-01Early Action — Non-binding early round
- 2026-11-01Early Decision — Binding early round
- 2027-01-15Regular Decision — Standard deadline
St. Olaf College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C21–C22 · 2024
Academics and campus
Largest degree fields: Social sciences (16%), Biological & life sciences (11%), Visual & performing arts (9%).
Student–faculty ratio: 12:1 · 41% of class sections have under 20 students.
St. Olaf College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024 — Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.