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St Olaf College

Northfield, Minnesota

3,000 Students on Campus
Northfield Location
21,316 Metro Population
3,000 Students on Campus
Northfield Location
21,316 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 St. Olaf course credit = 4 semester credits.

  • Maximum enrollment is 4.5 course credits or 18 semester credits.

  • Most courses are 1 course credit each, though some 0.5 and 0.25 credit courses are available.

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.

UNIQUE ACADEMICS PROGRAMS:
  • Nordic Studies Concentration — The Nordic Studies Concentration at St. Olaf College is designed to meet the needs of students who wish a more interdisciplinary study of the Nordic cultures than that offered through the Norwegian major. The Nordic Studies Concentration is an interdisciplinary study of the language, literature, history, and culture of the Nordic countries.
  • Norwegian Language — St. Olaf is one of a few colleges and universities where students can use Norwegian to complete their foreign language requirement — and beyond the requirements can study in depth the language, literature, culture, and history of Norway. The Norwegian major allows students to gain competence in the Norwegian language and an understanding of Norwegian society through a combination of courses in the language, literature, history, and culture of Norway.
  • Russian Language and Area Studies — The Russian Language and Area Studies Department, in keeping with the college mission to provide a “global perspective,” offers a variety of courses that build upon Russian language proficiency to give students the knowledge and tools for a successful career. Recent graduates have entered professions in higher education, business, government, the church, law, and the arts.
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):
  • Does your campus accept International Students (those already in the U.S. on a student visa)? Will accept on Home
CANADIAN EXCHANGE:
Learn More
  • Receive from Canada: Not Participating
  • Accept international students studying in Canada on a visa? - No

Tuition/Finance

Figures per Semester are current as of 05/18/2026
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 05/18/2026
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): $3575
  • 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): $3925
  • 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 and $45 flex dollars per semester. This option is ideal for students that prefer to eat three meals a day in the cafeteria. 17 Meal Plan: 17 meals per week and $180 flex dollars per semester. Ideal 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 $270 flex dollars per semester. 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 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

Direct Placement for Academic Year 26/27

Home Tuition Payment Plan

N/A

Direct placement is not available for this payment plan during Academic Year 26/27.

Away Tuition Payment Plan

N/A

Direct placement is not available for this payment plan during Academic Year 26/27.

Priority Placements for Academic Year 27/28

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: