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#3 Best Value Colleges in Minnesota

St Olaf Tuition & Cost

Northfield, Minnesota

 4 Reviews

How much does it cost to attend?

Sticker Price

$69,000
Costs for St Olaf College
Fee Cost
Tuition$54,650
Other Fees$0
Books and Supplies$1,000
Room and Board $12,450
Other Expenses Budget$900

Annual Tuition & Costs

The annual tuition to attend St Olaf College is $54,650. The cost is the same for both in-state and out-of-state students. Room and board fees are an additional $12,450. For educational materials, students should allocate approximately $1,000 for books and supplies plus $0 for other fees charged by the school. Finally, students should budget $900 for miscellaneous expenses throughout the year. With all these fees considered, the expected total cost to attend St Olaf College on a full-time basis is $69,000 per annum.

Housing Costs

On campus room and board is provided by the school at a cost of $12,450 per academic year. Students electing to live off campus elsewhere in Northfield should budget at least this amount.

Books and Supplies

The estimated annual cost for books and educational supplies is $1,000.

Other Living Expenses

If living on-campus, students should budget for $900 in additional living expenses. Off-campus students should budget for $900 in other miscellaneous living expenses.

All price data is sourced from the 2022/2023 U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics survey.
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Net Price

The average reported annual net price for St Olaf College for students receiving grants or scholarship aid was $26,171* in 2019/2020. Net price includes tuition and required fees, books and supplies, and average cost for room and board and other expenses.

Average Net Price 2019/2020

$26,171

Below is the average net price by student family income.

Net Price by Income St Olaf College
Family Income Net Price Paid
$0 to $30,000$8,659
$30,001 to $48,000$11,756
$48,001 to $75,000$13,449
$75,001 to $110,000$21,846
$110,000+$32,917

The net price provides a more realistic estimate of the true cost of attending St Olaf College, once common grants and scholarships have been taken into account. It's important to note that your net price will fluctuate based on factors such as family income, assets and individual financial need. Net price is the out-of-pocket total cost that students end up paying or financing though student loans.

*Reported Average Annual Net Price for students receiving grant or scholarship aid reported to the U.S. Department of Education's Academic Year 2019/2020 IPEDS Survey. Financial aid is only available to those who qualify. Consult this school's net price calculator for further understanding of your potential net price.

Note that for colleges with no reported on-campus room and board, the average net price has been increased to account for living expenses. This number may not only reflect the net price paid to the school for tuition.

Financial Aid

99% of full-time undergrad St Olaf College received financial aid in the form of grants, scholarships, fellowships from the institution or from Federal, State or local government agencies. This aid averaged $40,399 per student during the 2019/2020 school year. Grant and scholarship aid does not need to be paid back.

Pell Grants

22 percent of students received aid in the form of Pell Grants from the U.S. Federal Government. The average Pell Grant awarded for 2019/2020 was $5,923. To apply for a Pell Grant to attend St Olaf College, the first step is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Student Loans

43% of students received Federal Student Loans averaging $5,005 and 7% of undergrads took out private student loans averaging $11,257.

Finanical Aid St Olaf College
Type Avg./Student Students Receiving
Total Grant and Scholarship Aid $40,399 99%
Institutional Grants and Scholarships $37,940 99%
Pell Grants $5,923 22%
Other Federal Grants $2,610 7%
State and Local Grants $6,169 15%
Federal Student Loans $5,005 43%
Other Student Loans $11,257 7%

Financial Aid Mix - $69,000 Total Cost

CollegeSimply has modeled example payment coverage for the annual tuition and living expenses of $69,000. Breakdown is based on average grant aid and federal loan aid which will vary based on your family income.

59%
7%
33%

Grants and Scholarships

59% - $40,399

Money granted to you by the U.S. Department of Education, St Olaf College or other organizations. These are not loans and do not need to be repaid.

Federal Student Loans

7% - $5,005

Low interest student loans funded by the U.S. Department of Education. This amount will need to be repaid.

Out of Pocket Cost

33% -  $22,696

Covered by family savings, work or private student loans which you will have to repay.

Student Loans

To gauge a more realistic picture of what it really could cost you out of pocket to go to St Olaf College, we've modeled a ten year student loan with an original principal value of $104,684. The loan balance of $104,684 is a four year multiple of the $26,171 average net price. This is a estimate of what you could owe upon graduation if you were to qualify for average financial aid and what a degree really may cost. Should you not qualify for financial aid, you may owe significantly more when you graduate. Based on these assumptions, a monthly repayment of $1,190 could be required to pay off your student loan. The total of all payments including interest would sum $142,831.70.

Please note that financial aid is not guaranteed and is only available for qualifying students. Federal Student Loans are not grants and must be repaid with interest. The current Stafford loan interest rate is 6.53%.

Example Loan $104,684
Stafford Loan Interest Rate 6.53%
Time to Pay Off Student Loan 10 years
Example Monthly Payment $1,190.26
Total Interest Paid $38,147.70
Sum of All Loan Payments $142,831.70

Student Loan Affordability

In order to afford student loan payments and still meet all your other costs of living, it is recommended not to borrow more than you can pay back using 10% of your monthly income earned after graduation. If you're considering attending St Olaf College, should consider if it will be realistic to make the post graduation loan payments based on your expected salary.

Using the 10% of salary threshold, an annual income of $142,831.70 would be needed to afford a $1,190.26 monthly payment in the example $104,684.00 loan modeled above. This assumes a repayment over 10 years. You can change the terms of this example loan using the student loan calculator below. View statistics about St Olaf College student loan debt and graduate salaries under student outcomes.

Projected 4 Year Degree Price

4 Year Sticker Price

$276,000
Year All Residents
1 $69,000
2 $71,595
3 $74,288
4 $77,081

Based on published tuition prices, we estimate the current cost of a 4 year bachelor's degree and living expenses at St Olaf College to be $276,000 - assuming graduation in normal time. The estimation assumes a 3.8% annual increase over the next 4 years which has been the recent trend for this school.

Credit Hour Cost and Price per Class

Credit Hour and Class Costs at St Olaf College
Price Per Credit 3 Credit Class 4 Credit Class
All Residents $1,646 $4,938 $6,584

Estimated cost for a class at St Olaf College based on published credit hour prices. Note that not all schools allow single class enrollment. These prices should be used for comparison purposes as to how much it may cost to take a class at St Olaf College versus other colleges.

Tuition Payment Plans Available

St Olaf College Payment Plans
Tuition Payment Plan Yes
Prepaid Tuition Plan No
Alternative Tuition Plan Yes
Guaranteed Tuition Plan No

Tuition History

Historical tuition and price increases for St Olaf College.

YearTuitionAnnual Increase
2021$52,6702.4%
2020$51,4503.5%
2019$49,7103.9%
2018$47,8404%
2017$46,0004.1%
2016$44,1802.9%
2015$42,9403%
2014$41,7002.5%
2013$40,7006.7%
2012$38,1503.7%
2011$36,8003.7%
2010$35,5003.5%
2009$34,30012.1%
2008$30,6008.5%
2007$28,2006.4%
2006$26,5005.4%
2005$25,1506.3%
2004$23,6506.5%
2003$22,2004.3%
2002$21,2809.7%
2001$19,4006.3%
2000$18,2506.5%
1999$17,1403.9%
1998$16,5005.1%
1997$15,7004.7%
1996$15,0004.5%
1995$14,3505.8%
1994$13,5606.4%
1993$12,7505.5%
1992$12,0807.9%
1991$11,20010.3%
1990$10,15010.7%
1989$9,16511.6%
1988$8,2156.3%
1987$7,725

Is it Worth the Cost?

To make a comparative assessment if St Olaf is worth the price, measures of it's relative value for tuition dollar can be examined. We've calculated an academic national percentile rating of 74.32/100 for St Olaf College. Considering an average net price paid of $26,171, this leads to an overall value ranking of 67/100. This places the school 77th on our national Best Value Colleges ranking as a provider of a very high value education compared to actual overall price paid.

College Savings Calculator

Plan and Save for College

Discover how much will you need to start saving now to afford St Olaf College in the future.

Student Loan Calculator

Estimate Loan Payments

Modify the loan assumptions to fit your financial situation and likely tuition price. Then calculate your payoff and loan payments for a St Olaf College student loan.

Prepayment Option

Costs for Similar Colleges 

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Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=174844 IPEDS survey data for St Olaf College.

Last updated February 24, 2024