The Wall Street Journal recognizes St. Olaf College in 2026 Best Colleges in America
St. Olaf College is featured in The Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges in America edition. The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2026 rankings measure how well colleges set graduates up for financial success.
The Wall Street Journal recognized St. Olaf for the quality of its learning facilities, excellent student outcomes, learning opportunities, and career preparation. This recognition aligns with the robust support St. Olaf students receive from the Piper Center for Vocation and Career, where advisors and career coaches connect students to more than 5,000 internship possibilities, undergraduate research experiences, and various hands-on opportunities at a breadth of organizations ranging from nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies across the United States.
“With The Wall Street Journal rankings focusing on student outcomes and the learning environment, I’m proud that St. Olaf is one of the top-ranked colleges in the upper Midwest,” says Associate Vice President for Enrollment Chris George. “It is a testament to the support our community provides in helping students navigate their path to making an impact on the world.”
Ninety-three percent of St. Olaf graduates in the Class of 2025 report being employed, attending graduate school, or engaged in full-time service work. One of these outstanding alumni, Aubrey Nistler ‘25, was selected for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals program, a prestigious fellowship that sends just 65 Americans each year to live, study, and work in Germany. She joins the ranks of other accomplished alumni like Sam Heupel ’20, who teaches at Two River High School in Mendota Heights. He was named a cohort member of the Knowles Teacher Initiative, which focuses on providing resources and professional development for science and mathematics teachers.
“America’s Best Colleges 2026 ranks undergraduate institutions by the value they provide to their students. This value is assessed based on the learning environment, years to pay off the net price, degree completion rates, the likelihood of higher salaries post-graduation, and diversity,” the authors of the ranking note in The Wall Street Journal.