95%
of students live on campus
200+
student organizations and clubs
⅓
of our students participate in music
54%
participate in either intramural, varsity, or club sports.
Oles Can. Oles Will.
Students at St. Olaf call themselves Oles (that’s Oh-lees). Oles share a desire to create the kind of community and world we all want to live in—and the will to work toward it. Where others see problems, Oles see solutions.
Campus
Known as “The Hill,” St. Olaf College’s picturesque 300-acre campus is home to 16 academic and administrative buildings and 10 athletic facilities, along with student residences. As a residential college, 97 percent of St. Olaf students reside in one of 11 existing residence halls or one of several academic honor houses. Opening in the fall of 2022 are a new, 300-bed residence hall and 14 townhouses, each with 10 beds. Adjacent to campus are 325 acres of restored wetlands, woodlands, and native tall-grass prairie owned and maintained by St. Olaf. The college also has a utility-grade wind turbine, and 40 acres of college-owned land are blanketed with solar panels. The college’s solar subscriptions, combined with the energy generated by its wind turbine, have enabled St. Olaf to achieve 100 percent carbon-free electrical power.
Northfield
Northfield is a historic river town of 20,000 in the southeast part of Minnesota, just 45 minutes from the Twin Cities and Minneapolis/ St. Paul (MSP) international airport. Historic downtown Northfield, within walking distance of campus, features coffeehouses, sandwich shops, restaurants, gift stores, and local art galleries. Northfield is also home to Carleton College, an athletic rival whose campus is just across the Cannon River.
Twin Cities
Just 45 minutes north are the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, a thriving metropolitan area of more than 3 million people and home to world-class restaurants, museums, theaters, and a vibrant business community that includes 18 Fortune 500 companies. More than 3,000 St. Olaf alumni call the Twin Cities home, providing vital connections and opportunities for current students. The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is a quick bus ride or carpool away from campus.
Students
St. Olaf’s 3,000 students come from all over the U.S. and across the world, representing diverse backgrounds and experiences. Members of the Class of 2025 hail from 47 states and 63 countries. Eighteen percent are first-generation college students and 23 percent are domestic students of color and 15 percent are international. Oles come from a wide range of religious traditions; of the Class of 2025, the largest share of students (36 percent) have no specific religious preference. About 20% identify as Lutheran.
Faculty and Staff
The college employs more than 300 full- and part-time faculty members and has a student-faculty ratio of 12:1. In addition, St. Olaf has nearly 500 staff members who support the college’s mission and its many functions.
Music and the Arts
St. Olaf is one of just three liberal arts colleges in the country that offer fully accredited majors in art, dance, music, and theater. Its bands, choirs, and orchestras are world-renowned and central to campus life. The college has eight choirs, two orchestras, two concert bands, and dozens of smaller ensembles, from Japanese taiko drumming to jazz to lyric opera. Approximately one-third of St. Olaf students are involved in music. The three flagship ensembles — the St. Olaf Choir, St. Olaf Orchestra, and St. Olaf Band — annually tour the United States and frequently travel abroad. Student musicians perform in more than 150 recitals and concerts each year.
Athletics
Twenty-six varsity teams, 13 for men and 13 for women, participate in NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, hockey, skiing (both Nordic and Alpine), soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field (both indoor and outdoor), and volleyball. Athletic colors are black and gold, and the nickname for St. Olaf teams is the Oles.
All varsity athletic teams compete in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), with the exception of Alpine and Nordic skiing. Since the start of the 2019-20 academic year, St. Olaf has won MIAC regular-season or playoff titles in four different sports (men’s soccer, men’s hockey, women’s cross country, and softball), has made NCAA team appearances in six different sports (men’s soccer, men’s hockey, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, softball, and volleyball), and has had individual NCAA national qualifiers in men’s and women’s swimming and diving and men’s and women’s track and field.
Student Organizations
St. Olaf has 200+ registered student organizations, including academic, athletic, awareness, multicultural, political, religious, service, and other special interest groups. Club sports include men’s and women’s rugby, men’s and women’s lacrosse, badminton, cycling, judo, dance, fencing, rowing, and waterskiing, among others. The Olaf Messenger is the student newspaper and KSTO 93.1 FM is the student-operated radio station.