St. Olaf named a ‘Best College’ in The Princeton Review
“Ballet II” is taught by Adjunct Instructor of Dance Stephanie Fellner. Photo by Fernando Sevilla. 
Associate Professor of Chemistry Elodie Marlier writes an equation on the whiteboard. Photo by Evan Pak ’19. 
“French Intro to Literary Analysis” is taught by Associate Professor of Romance Languages Marie Vendetti. Photo by Fernando Sevilla. 
“Jazz Improvisation” is taught by Associate Professor of Music and Director of St. Olaf Jazz Joseph Jefferson. Photo by Evan Pak ’19.
In the new 2027 edition of The Princeton Review:The Best 392 Colleges, St. Olaf ranks in the Top 10 for Best Classroom Experience (#8) and Great Financial Aid (#9). St. Olaf was also named to the “Best in the Midwest” list.
“It is an exciting time to be a student on the Hill! I’m grateful that The Princeton Review recognizes our fantastic classroom experience and commitment to affordability,” says Associate Vice President for Enrollment Chris George ’94. “St. Olaf is truly a place where our community empowers Oles to navigate what’s next so they can shape the world.”
St. Olaf is among a number of select colleges in the United States that meet the full demonstrated financial need of 100 percent of our admitted students –– with 87 percent of all students earning a merit scholarship. The average first-year need-based financial aid award is $52,186.
According to The Princeton Review, only about 14 percent of America’s nearly 2,800 four-year colleges are included in The Princeton Review guidebook. The Best 392 Colleges has 50 categories of ranking lists. Each list names the top 25 schools (of those in the book) in a particular category.
Earlier this year, St. Olaf was featured among the top 25 most studious colleges in the United States in a Yahoo! Life article that covered The Princeton Review. An anonymous student told The Princeton Review, “studying is also a form of hanging out for many people.”
St. Olaf hosts three libraries –– Rolvaag Memorial Library, Hong Kierkegaard Library, and the Halverson Music Library –– and DiSCO, a creative-making space within Rovlaag where students can meet for study groups. Students can also be found studying on the campus green and within Skoglund Athletic Center, Tomson Hall, and Regents Hall of Natural and Mathematical Sciences.
The Princeton Review chose the 392 colleges for the book based on its surveys in 2025-2026 of 2,000 college administrators about their school’s academic offerings. The company also surveyed students attending the colleges in the book who rated their schools on dozens of topics and reported on their campus experiences.