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F A S T   F A C T S
Location | Northfield
Population | 20,347
Enrollment | 3,000
Language | English
Calendar | Semester
Canada | Home Payment

Term Dates
Fall | 09/04-12/16
Spring | 02/05-05/20

St. Olaf College

Northfield, MN

   
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.

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 10% of the 3,000 students on campus and represent over 95 countries.

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.

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.
2025-2026 Chance of Placement
Home Payment |Excellent
Understand Chances of Placement

Academics

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

Limitations
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 Academic Programs

  • Latin - Students majoring in Latin will acquire an advanced knowledge of the Latin language, the ability to translate and analyze Latin literature in at least three genres, and a basic knowledge of the ancient Roman civilization.
  • Russian Major and Russian Area Studies Concentration - Russian Area Studies is a multi-disciplinary major that introduces students to the Russian world through multiple academic disciplines. In keeping with the college’s mission to provide a “global perspective,” the major offers a variety of courses that build upon Russian language proficiency to prepare students with the knowledge and tools to pursue work in the field from a foundation of cultural literacy.
  • Greek - Students choosing a Greek major will acquire an advanced knowledge of the ancient Greek language, the ability to translate and analyze ancient Greek literature in at least three genres, and a basic knowledge of the ancient Greek civilization.
  • Norwegian Major and Nordic Studies Concentration - 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.
  • Classics - The Classics major explores the humanities, offering courses in ancient and medieval literature, history, philosophy, religion, political science, fine arts, and archaeology, both on campus and abroad. Students studying classical languages not only improve their verbal and analytical skills but also gain important tools for studying the past and evaluating the present.

Undergraduate Majors Open to NSE Students

African Studies, Ancient Studies, Anthropology... ++ show all

Conditions

GPA and Other Academic Requirements Exchange Preferences
  • Full-year exchange Accepted
  • Single term exchange Accepted
Non-Native English Speakers
  • TOEFL: must have a score of 577.00 paper or 90.00 Internet
  • IELTS: must have a score of 6.50
Summer Exchange
  • Not available
International Students (Visa Students)
  • Will accept on Home Pay
Canadian Students - learn more
  • Will accept Home Payment Pay

Tuition / Finances

Figures per Semester are current as of 12/02/24

Finances Tuition and Fees - Home Payment Students
  • Pay regular tuition to your home campus. No tuition/fees are paid to your host campus.
Maximum Credit Hours Per Semester
  • Home Payment: 18 ($935 per 0.25 per additional hour)

Financial Aid for NSE Students
Regardless of Payment Plan, financial aid is awarded by and disbursed from your home campus.

Miscellaneous Fees - Per Semester

Purpose Amount Period Plan Status
Parking Fee $130 Semester Home Optional
Course Fees / MaterialsVariesSemesterHost & HomeMandatory

Important Notes: Health insurance premium is for domestic students. Please reach out to NSE Coordinator Brittan Duffing (duffin1@stolaf.edu) for information about international student health insurance.

Room / Meals

Figures are current as of 12/02/24

On-Campus Housing Per Semester Notes About 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 available only to students with documented disability accommodations for single housing.

Meal Plans

Notes About Meal Plans
St Olaf requires all students to have a full meal plan. This consists of you having 14, 17, or 21 meals a week in the Cafeteria, plus Flex Dollars (Ole Dollars) on your Ole Card (your student ID). The number of your plan determines how many meals you will be able to eat per week in Stav Hall. Based on which meal plan you have, you will then be allotted a certain amount of Ole Dollars to fill the gaps in your meal plan. For example, if you purchase a 17-meal plan, you will receive more Flex Dollars than if you purchase 21 meals per week. You can use these Flex Dollars in our café, the Cage, in case you didn’t have time to have a meal at the Caf or simply want something different. For all meal plans, each week begins on Friday breakfast and ends after Thursday dinner. The number of meals left at the end of the week will expire, and will not add up to the following week. All flex dollars given at the beginning of the semester will expire at the end of the semester. St. Olaf campus has three places that are available for you to find meals. 1) Stav Hall: cafeteria-style dining hall which you can eat in with a swipe of your campus ID. It is commonly known as the caf. Stav Hall has a number of stations: Home (American, home-style food), Tortilla (build-your-own burrito line), Pizza, Pasta, Grill (Hamburgers and Hot Dogs), Bowls (Asian-style stir fry, egg rolls, etc.), and Grains (healthy food options and vegetarian options). Outside of the stations, there are areas to create your own sandwiches or salads, a desserts area and cereal bar. These stations rotate the choice of meal available every day and you will be able to choose between all of these stations for every meal. 2) The Cage: café-style dining, located in the main building, Buntrock Commons, below the cafeteria. The Cage offers a menu of various burgers, wraps, french-fries and sandwiches, as well as sushi, yogurt, coffee, tea, fruit, ice cream and other options. It is open pretty much all day and you pay with Ole Dollars on your ID or by credit/debit card. 3) The Lion’s Pause: is the main late night dining option on campus and is very popular on the weekends. Here you can buy a pizza, quesadillas, milkshakes, and more. The Pause takes Ole Dollars or credit/debit card. It is also a very social place, with a large seating area, billiards table, and several TVs where people watch sporting events or play video games.

Health

Figures per Semester are current as of 12/02/24

Important Notes about Health Insurance
St. Olaf requires that all students enrolled at the College have adequate health insurance coverage. This requirement is in place for the protection of our students. Students must have insurance that covers emergency care in Minnesota but are not required to have coverage based in Minnesota. Options for alternative health insurance coverage: enrolling in a parent's plan; enrolling in Minnesota's public insurance program (MNsure https://www.mnsure.org/); enrolling in public insurance through your home state; obtaining insurance through a private company.


International students are not eligible for an insurance waiver. International student health insurance is $1,000 per academic year. The international student insurance policy is offered through LewerMark. Please visit LewerMark’s designated St. Olaf website (https://www.lewermark.com/school-detail/?SID=stolaf) for details. The premium (which includes a grant to offset the cost of the premium) for the 2024-2025 academic year is $1,000 and will be billed in two installments – one installment in the fall, and one in the spring.

Additional insurance information is available here: https://wp.stolaf.edu/stuacct/health-insurance-3/

Exchange with Canada - Health Insurance
Students must purchase campus health insurance at $1,000 per year.

Requirements

Comments on Problems or Conditions for Access
St. Olaf has a Health Services office: https://wp.stolaf.edu/health/

All data in this document is the responsibility of the campus and has been provided by the campus NSE coordinator.
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