U.S. News rankings highlight strength of St. Olaf’s study abroad, teaching, innovation, and value
The St. Olaf College campus during fall. 
Graduates walk across campus while being cheered by their families and faculty members during commencement for the Class of 2024. 
Ben Hang ’27 and Abnazer Abadi ’27 lead a science experiment with students at Greenvale Elementary. Photo by Steven Garcia ’20 
Photo by Kaitlin Johnson ’23 in the Arrochar Alps during study abroad at the University of Dundee. 
Students present their individual major research in Regents Hall of Natural and Mathematical Sciences.
The newest college rankings from U.S. News & World Report place St. Olaf among the top 50 national liberal arts colleges.
The 2025 Best Colleges rankings list St. Olaf within the top 50 for five categories:
- Best Value – National Liberal Arts Colleges #11
- Study Abroad #17
- Best Undergraduate Teaching – National Liberal Arts Colleges #23
- Most Innovative Schools – National Liberal Arts Colleges #30
- National Liberal Arts Colleges #50
“At St. Olaf, we develop solution seekers who will live life on purpose for the common good. Seeing the alignment of our strategic priorities and elements within the rankings is gratifying,” says St. Olaf President Susan Rundell Singer. “As a college committed to access and meeting demonstrated financial need, being recognized as a Best Value College is core to our identity. We are committed to developing culturally competent global citizens through innovative approaches to learning in and out of the classroom, supported by an outstanding faculty.”
Now in its 40th year, the U.S. News & World Report rankings evaluate nearly 1,500 national colleges and universities on up to 17 measures of academic quality and place an emphasis on social mobility and outcomes for graduating college students.
U.S. News publishes the Best Colleges rankings each year to provide prospective students and their families with the comparative merits of the undergraduate programs at America’s colleges and universities. The rankings offer detailed information of the institutions and data on factors such as outcome measures — including graduation rates, graduate indebtedness, and post-graduate earnings.
Earlier this fall, the Princeton Review also listed St. Olaf among the Top 50 Best Value Colleges and The Wall Street Journal featured St. Olaf in a new list of Best Colleges in the U.S.