St. Olaf College

St. Olaf College is very difficult to get into. Around 56% of applicants get into St. Olaf College each year. Out of 5,524 applications received in 2023, 3,116 students were offered admission.

If you are applying to St. Olaf College, the deadline for Fall 2024 admissions is 1/15 and there is no application fee, which means it is free to apply.

Students who submit their applications to St. Olaf College for fall semester should receive an admissions decision no later than March 10.

St. Olaf College Admissions Stats at a Glance

Here's an overiew of some of St. Olaf College's admissions stats.

St. Olaf College 2023	Admissions Statistics
Mean Unweighted GPA	3.7
Admitted Students in Top 10% of Graduating Class	39%
Mean SAT Score	1380
Admissions Test Policy	Test Optional
Applicants Who Submit SATs	15%
Applicants Who Submit ACTs	37%
Waitlist	Yes

St. Olaf College Application Deadlines

These are the application deadlines for St. Olaf College.

Application Type	Offered	Application Deadline	Notification Deadline
Early Decision I	Yes	November 1	December 5
Early Decision II	Yes	January 15	February 10
Early Action	Yes	November 1	December 23
Regular Decision	Yes	1 15	March 10

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Considering Applying Early to St. Olaf College?

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St. Olaf College offers early decision and also offers early action. Early decision is binding, meaning you must attend if you are admitted, while early action allows you to apply early without committing.

🗓️ Early Decision I applications are due by November 1 EDI applicants should receive a decision by December 5.

🗓️ Early Decision II applications are due January 15. ED II Applicants will recieve their decision before February 10.

🗓️ The Early Action deadline is November 1. St. Olaf College will release EA admissions decisions no later than December 23.

The early decision acceptance rate at St. Olaf College is 48%, compared to an overall acceptance rate of 56%. In 2022, St. Olaf College admitted 168 of the 347 students who applied early decision.

Some students apply to college early to boost their chances of being offering admission. When you apply early, your application is considered before all the regular decision applicants apply. Applying early may increase the chance of admission, since it shows that you are very interested in a school.

➡️ Discover a list of some competetive colleges that accept significantly more applicants during early decision or early action than during regular admission.

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More on St. Olaf College Admissions

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How To Get Into St. Olaf College

St Olaf College is a very difficult school to get into. St Olaf College evaluates applicants carefully based on multiple criteria to decide who to admit, and who to deny or waitlist.

In 2022, St Olaf College accepted 56% of all applicants, around 3,116 of the 5,524 students who applied.

Schools that are very difficult to get into, like St Olaf College, accept fewer than 60% of all applicants. At least 50% of all admitted students have GPAs in the top 10% of their high school class and scored over 1230 on the SAT and over 26 on the ACT.

Transferring to St. Olaf College

Transfer student admissions is very difficult.

For Students Waitlisted to St. Olaf College

St. Olaf College has not reported data for waitlisted and admitted students.

What's Most Important for Getting Into St. Olaf College?

Colleges consider a range of factors when choosing who to admit for their next incoming class. Each college has a different way of determining which factors are they consider most important in the admissions process. When assembling your list of schools to apply to, you may want to consider your strengths and any possible weaknesses in your application, and apply to colleges that put the most emphasis on the admissions factors where you shine.

Admissions Factors at St. Olaf College

Wondering what factors are considered by St. Olaf College during the admissions process? Take a look at the list below to see which factors are most important during the admissions process.

Admissions Factor	Level
Application Essay	Very Important
Academic GPA	Very Important
Rigor of Secondary School Record	Very Important
Character/Personal Qualities	Important
Class Rank	Important
Extracurricular Activities	Important
Interview	Important
Recommendation(s)	Important
Talent/Ability	Important
Level of Applicant's Interest	Important
Alumni/ae Relations	Considered
Geographical Residence	Considered
Racial/Ethnic Status	Considered
Religious Affiliation/Commitment	Considered
Standardized Test Scores	Considered
State Residency	Considered
Volunteer Work	Considered
Work Experience	Considered
First Generation	Considered

Make sure to check with St. Olaf College for more information on admission factors.

St. Olaf College Application Requirements

To apply to St. Olaf College, all applicants must submit the following items. Check in with St. Olaf College's admissions department to confirm all application materials and requirements.

Area	Required	Recommended	Required for Some	Details (If Any)
Interview	–	√	–	–
Letter(s) of Recommendation	1	–	–	–
Written Essay or Personal Statement	√	–	–	–
Transcript of High School Record	√	–	–	–

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GPA and Testing

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What GPA Do I Need To Get Into St. Olaf College?

Students admitted to St. Olaf College have an average unweighted GPA of 3.7.

Out of all students that were admitted, 37% submitted a class rank. At St. Olaf College 39% of students ranked in the top 10% of their graduating class in high school, 69% were in the top 25% and 94% were in the top 50%.

GPAs of Admitted Students

At St. Olaf College, student GPAs fall in the following ranges.

GPA	Percent of Students
4.0 GPA	15%
3.75 and 3.99	42%
3.50 and 3.74	23%
3.25 and 3.49	12%
3.00 and 3.24	6%
2.50 and 2.9	2%
2.00 and 2.49	–

This chart depicts the percentage of all enrolled, degree-seeking, first-time, first year (freshmen) students who had high school grade point average within the given ranges.

Note: Some schools choose not release this information. If you have any questions regarding missing numbers, be sure to reach out to St. Olaf College directly.

About GPAs

Your high school grade point average (GPA) is a number that highlights your high school academic performance. A weighted GPA or an unweighted GPA are the two possible GPA scores considered by colleges.

An unweighted GPA is an average of your scores from each class on a four-point scale. Unweighted GPAs range from 4.0 to under 1.0. A weighted GPA considers your average grade and the difficulty of your classes. A weighted GPA boosts your average by adding extra points for honors or Advanced Placement courses.

Standardized Test Scores

St. Olaf College is a test optional school. Test optional schools allow students to choose if they want to submit ACT or SAT scores with their applications or not.

In 2022, 15% of St. Olaf College's first-year students submitted their SAT scores with their application. 37% of admitted applicants sent ACT scores.

What is a Good SAT Score for St. Olaf College?

To be competitive with other St. Olaf College applicants, you should aim to score between 1300 and 1460 (or higher!) on the SAT. At St. Olaf College 25% of admitted students scored higher than 1460 and 25% of scored lower than 1300, but the majority of students scored somewhere in between these two numbers.The mean composite SAT score for a St. Olaf College student is 1380.

On the SAT Math Section, 25% of St. Olaf College students scored 750 or higher and 75% of students scored 660 or higher. On the SAT Critical Reading section (formerly called the Verbal section), 25% of St. Olaf College students scored 730 or higher, and 75% scored a 660 or higher.

To be most competitive at St. Olaf College, you should strive to earn between 28 and 33 on the ACT.

An ACT score of 33 means you fall in the 75th percentile for St. Olaf College's admitted students. One out of every four students scored above a 33, and three out of four students scored lower than 33 on the ACT.

A 28 on the ACT is the 25th percentile for St. Olaf College students. Only one out of every four students scored below 28.

More Information on Transferring to St. Olaf College

For transfer students, it is very difficult to get admitted to St. Olaf College.

For transfer students wishing to start in the fall, the deadline to apply is April 1. Transfer applications are processed on a on a rolling basis as they are received.Applicants should hear back by May 1.

Transfer students can enroll in St. Olaf College during the following terms:

• Fall Term

• Winter Term

• Spring Term

• Winter Term

• Summer Term

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St. Olaf College Admissions FAQs

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Can I defer my acceptance to St. Olaf College?

✅ Yes, admitted students can defer their admission to St. Olaf College.

Does St. Olaf College accept transfer credits?

✅ St. Olaf College accepts eligible transfer credits from accredited institutions.

Does St. Olaf College accept Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) credits?

✅ St. Olaf College accepts International Baccalaureate credits (IB) credits.

Do I have to submit test scores to St. Olaf College?

❌ No, St. Olaf College is test optional, so it's up to you if you want to submit test scores or not. If your scores are higher than the school's average, you should strongly consider submitting them. If your scores are average or below average, you it might make sense to leave them out of your application.

What is St. Olaf College's acceptance rate?

✅ St. Olaf College's acceptance rate is 56%.

What is the early decision acceptance rate at St. Olaf College?

✅ St. Olaf College's early decision acceptance rate was 48% in 2021.

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