# St. Olaf College

> St. Olaf College is a private, residential liberal-arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, serving roughly 3,000 undergraduates with bachelor's programs, a 4-1-4 academic calendar, extensive study-away opportunities, career and vocation support, and a nationally visible music tradition. Tuition, room, board, philanthropy, and endowment support its nonprofit model; students and families are the direct customers, while employers, graduate schools, arts audiences, alumni, and community partners form the broader market around it.

- **Founded:** 1874
- **Headquarters:** Northfield, United States
- **Founders:** Bernt Julius Muus (Co-founder and founding leader), N. A. Quammen (Co-founder), Harald Thorson (Co-founder)
- **Team size:** Approximately 719 full-time-equivalent faculty and staff in fall 2024; the supplied company record lists about 2,000 employees.
- **Products:** Undergraduate degree programs, Study abroad and away, Piper Center for Vocation and Career, Music and performance, Sing For Joy
- **Notable:** Celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2024., Reports that approximately two-thirds of students participate in study abroad or away programs, with international programs spanning more than 40 countries., Reported that 95% of the Class of 2025 were working, in full-time service or pursuing further education within seven months, with a 91% knowledge rate.

## Products & services

- **Undergraduate degree programs** — Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music education across liberal arts, sciences, professional preparation and fine arts, organized on a 4-1-4 calendar.
- **Study abroad and away** — Faculty-led and partner programs through the Smith Center for Global Engagement in more than 40 countries and across the United States.
- **Piper Center for Vocation and Career** — Career coaching, employer and alumni connections, internships, graduate-school preparation and services that continue for alumni.
- **Music and performance** — Degree programs, ensembles, concerts, touring groups and public programming including the St. Olaf Christmas Festival.
- **Sing For Joy** — A weekly radio and online program of sacred choral music produced and distributed by the college.
- **Academic civic engagement** — Course-connected partnerships, community-based work study and service programs anchored by the Svoboda Center for Civic Engagement.
- **Music for Social Impact major** — An interdisciplinary major connecting musicianship with community engagement and social impact.

## Achievements

- Celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2024.
- Reports that approximately two-thirds of students participate in study abroad or away programs, with international programs spanning more than 40 countries.
- Reported that 95% of the Class of 2025 were working, in full-time service or pursuing further education within seven months, with a 91% knowledge rate.
- Received the 2024-25 Davis Cup for its commitment to Davis UWC Scholars and international understanding.
- The St. Olaf Christmas Festival, founded in 1912, brings together about 500 student musicians and more than 9,000 guests.
- The men's soccer team won the 2023 NCAA Division III national championship.
- Its fiscal 2025 financial statements reported an endowment fair value of about $863.9 million at May 31, 2025.
- St. Olaf and Carleton were estimated to contribute $289.9 million to the Northfield-area economy in a 2025 commissioned study; St. Olaf's portion was estimated at $162.9 million.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — St. Olaf announced that it received an Inuit art collection through an Associated Colleges of the Midwest bequest.
- **2026-05** — The college celebrated the Class of 2026 at commencement.
- **2026-01** — St. Olaf received a Beckman Scholars Program grant and highlighted its new music for social impact major.
- **2025-09** — The college received a $630,000, three-year grant to pilot its Character in Community initiative.
- **2025-08** — A commissioned study estimated St. Olaf's annual economic impact in the Northfield area at $162.9 million.
- **2025-07** — St. Olaf promoted an outcomes-focused career promise built around internships, research, coaching and alumni connections.

## Links

- Website: https://www.stolaf.edu/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/stolaf
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/StOlaf
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/stolaf
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stolafcollege/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stolafcollege
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stolafcollege

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/st-olaf-college
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-13