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St Olaf College

Northfield, Minnesota

3,000 Students on Campus
Northfield Location
Metro Population
3,000 Students on Campus
Northfield Location
Metro Population

About This Campus

St. Olaf College is a nationally ranked liberal arts and sciences college, located in Northfield, Minnesota (a safe, small town of 20,000 people) 45 minutes south of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area and the Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport (MSP). Students can choose from over 40 majors and while 40% of the students have a major in one of the sciences or mathematics, one third of the students are involved in music. St. Olaf ranks 11th in the United States among baccalaureate colleges in the number of students who go on to earn doctoral degrees in all fields. A highly residential campus, 95% of students live on campus all four years and as a result get very involved in the active campus community through athletics, the fine arts, community service, and student clubs. International students make up over 10% of the 3,000 students on campus and represent over 100 countries.

A geographically diverse community - students from all 50 states & 95 countries.

An intentionally residential community - 95% of students live on campus.

Strengths in sciences & mathematics, humanities, social sciences and fine arts.

Helpful Information

NSE students register after St. Olaf upper division students have registered - course selections may be limited.

St. Olaf uses course credits, rather than semester credits. Each course credit = 4 semester credits. Maximum enrollment is 4.5 course credits or 18 semester credits. Most courses are 1 course credit.

Location Information

Northfield is a historic river town of 20,000 in the southeast part of Minnesota, just 45 minutes from the Twin Cities and Minneapolis/ St. Paul (MSP) international airport. Historic downtown Northfield, within walking distance of campus, features coffeehouses, sandwich shops, restaurants, gift stores, and local art galleries. Northfield is also home to Carleton College, which is located just across the Cannon River.

Academics

REGISTRATION:
TERM DATES:

Fall Start Date: 09/10/2026 - Fall End Date: 12/22/2026

Spring Start Date: 02/10/2027 - Spring End Date: 05/18/2027

CLOSED PROGRAMS:

Computer Science; Economics; Education; Math; Music; Nursing; Social Work; Statistics; Study Abroad/Away Programs

RESTRICTED/LIMITED PROGRAMS:

Creative Writing - limited upper division courses available; Dance - limited courses available/permission from the instructor required; Psychology - limited upper division courses available; Studio Art - limited courses available, portfolio/resume required; Theater - limited courses available.

OPTIONS:

Honors Access: No

UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS OPEN TO NSE STUDENTS:

Conditions

GPA AND OTHER ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS:
EXCHANGE PREFERENCES:
  • Full Year Exchange: Accepted
  • Single Term Exchange: Accepted
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS (Visa Students):
  • Receive from Canada: Not Participating
  • Does your campus accept International Students (those already in the U.S. on a student visa)?Home
CANADIAN EXCHANGE:
Learn More
  • Accept international students studying in Canada on a visa? - No
  • Accept Canadian students on J1 visa or F1 visa? -

Tuition/Finance

Figures per Semester are current as of 12/01/2025
TUITION:
  • Campus Budget
  • Fees are subject to change without notice
  • Home Tuition Payment: Available
  • Away Tuition Payment: Not Available
MAXIMUM CREDIT HOURS PER SEMESTER:
  • Home Payment: 18
  • Host Payment: 18
Financial Aid for NSE Students. Regardless of Payment Plan, financial aid is awarded by and disbursed from your home campus.

Room/Meals

Figures per Semester are current as of 12/17/2025
ON-CAMPUS HOUSING PER SEMESER:
  • Is on-campus housing available? Yes
  • Is on-campus living required? Yes
  • Number of reserved housing spaces: 0
  • Average Room Cost (per term): $3410
  • On-Campus Housing
Off-CAMPUS HOUSING:
NOTES ABOUT ON-CAMPUS HOUSING:

On campus housing is guaranteed for accepted NSE students. Students will live in a residence hall in a double or triple room. Single rooms may be available only to students with documented disability accommodations for single housing.

NOTES ABOUT OFF-CAMPUS HOUSING:

Off-campus housing is prohibited.

MEAL PLANS:
  • Are meal plans available on campus? Yes
  • Is a meal plan purchase required for on-campus, non-apartment residence halls? Yes
  • Average Meal Plan Cost (per term): $3740
  • Campus Meal Plans
NOTES ABOUT MEAL PLANS:

There are three "Full Meal Plan" options (21, 17, and 14): 21 Meal Plan: 21 meals per week, no flex dollars. For students that prefer to eat three meals a day in the cafeteria. 17 Meal Plan: 17 meals per week and $380 flex dollars per year. For students who will eat the majority of their meals in the cafeteria, but may miss a couple meals here and there. This plan allows the students to get the bulk of their meals through the cafeteria, but also enables students to occasionally eat meals or have snacks in other locations using their flex dollars. Students receive $170 flex dollars each semester and $40 for January Term. 14 Meal Plan: 14 meals per week and $540 flex dollars per year. For students who only eat two meals a day in the cafeteria. This plan is best for students whose schedules may conflict with the cafeteria hours or who prefer to have more flex spending dollars at locations other than the cafeteria. Students receive $240 flex dollars each semester and $60 for January Term. Students get a certain number of meals per week based on their selected plan. Each week begins at Friday breakfast and ends after Thursday dinner. Any unused meals for the week are forfeited and do not carry over. Two of the meal plans include flex dollars, which are extra funds that can be used at the Cage and Stav Hall,. Students should carefully budget their flex dollars, so they don’t spend them all early in the semester and then not have the flex dollars to supplement the cafeteria meals when needed.

Fees are subject to change without notice.

Chance of Acceptance

Priority Placements for Academic Year 26/27

If this is your top choice campus...

Home Tuition Payment Plan

Excellent

This campus accepts most (75%+) applicants. You may want to consider adding alternate choice campuses marked as OPEN or EXCELLENT to ensure placement.

Away Tuition Payment Plan

N/A

This campus is not accepting students on this tuition payment plan.

If this is your alternate choice campus...

Home Tuition Payment Plan

Excellent

This campus accepts most (75%+) applicants. You may want to consider adding alternate choice campuses marked as OPEN or EXCELLENT to ensure placement.

Away Tuition Payment Plan

N/A

This campus is not accepting students on this tuition payment plan.

Resources

CAMPUS SOCIAL MEDIA: