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Is St Olaf College worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for St Olaf, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Workable
St Olaf lands in the workable band for a typical family. Median debt of $26,000 can be carried by median long-run earnings of $65,543, but the margin is not huge. For context, St Olaf's net price runs about 19% above the typical 4-year, private nonprofit school. This is the kind of school where your actual aid offer can move the answer meaningfully.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 1237 similar 4-year, private nonprofit schools
This school
$27,282
/yrAverage school like this
$22,837
/yrThis weighs on your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $4,445 more per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $18,000 in extra cost.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price sits in a range that leaves more room for family cash flow and lower borrowing.
Outcome
40% weight
The outcome data is workable, but not so strong that it erases financing risk.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$23,874
Median earnings 10 years out
$65,543
Median debt at graduation
$26,000
Graduation rate
84%
At St Olaf, a typical graduate carries about $26,000 in student debt and earns roughly $65,543 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $296 per month, or 5% of pre-tax income. That sits inside a borrower comfort range for many graduates.
What this means for your family
St Olaf is a private nonprofit four year school in Northfield, MN. Private pricing can swing more dramatically based on aid, so your personalized score matters more here than the national average view alone.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
Private nonprofit 4-year
Augsburg
Minneapolis, MN
Worth-It Score: 55/100
Median net price: $23,873
Private nonprofit 4-year
Concordia College at Moorhead
Moorhead, MN
Worth-It Score: 61/100
Median net price: $24,902
Private nonprofit 4-year
Gustavus Adolphus
Saint Peter, MN
Worth-It Score: 72/100
Median net price: $22,900
Private nonprofit 4-year
Carleton
Northfield, MN
Worth-It Score: 82/100
Median net price: $25,407
Private nonprofit 4-year
Saint Johns
Collegeville, MN
Worth-It Score: 76/100
Median net price: $25,672
Common questions about St Olaf
The median net price at St Olaf is $23,874 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
Looking at private colleges options in Minnesota? See the most affordable private colleges in Minnesota →
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →