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Admissions & selectivity

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# St Olaf College Acceptance Rate & Admissions

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/st-olaf-college/)[Cost & aid](/school/st-olaf-college/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/st-olaf-college/outcomes/)Admissions[Majors](/school/st-olaf-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/st-olaf-college/similar/)

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## What is the acceptance rate at St Olaf College?

St Olaf College’s reported acceptance rate is 48.3%.

**Acceptance rate · Fall 2024**
48.3%

Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.

First-year applicants and admitted students · CDS 2024-25

**Applicants**
6,622

**Admitted**
3,199

Source: St Olaf College Common Data Set 2024-25, C1 · first-time, first-year students.

How to interpret the acceptance rate

With an admission rate of 48.3%, St Olaf College admits a smaller share of applicants than comparable institutions. That rate is below the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the college reported 6,622 first-year applicants and 3,199 admitted applicants.

## What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled St Olaf College students report?

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported a 3.73 average high-school GPA among enrolled first-year students. This is an average of those who reported, not a cutoff.

Among enrolled first-year students who submitted SAT scores, the middle half scored between 1310 and 1460; only 11% submitted SAT scores. For ACT submitters, the middle half scored between 28 and 32, and 29% submitted ACT scores.

Applicants can compare their own scores with these ranges, keeping in mind that they describe the middle half of enrolled students who submitted scores, not a minimum for admission.

The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at St Olaf College. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.

**11% of entering students submitted SAT scores**

SAT: reported composite scores

**25th percentile**
1310

**Median**
1380

**75th percentile**
1460

CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

**29% of entering students submitted ACT scores**

ACT: reported composite scores

**25th percentile**
28

**Median**
30

**75th percentile**
32

CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Source: St Olaf College Common Data Set 2024-25, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.

## Who enrolls at St Olaf College?

**Pell Grant recipients**
21.2%

**Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group**
2.3%

**First-year retention**
92.2%

Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.

About these student measures

The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 150 degree-seeking transfer applicants, 41 admitted, and 20 enrolled. That transfer snapshot sits alongside an estimated 2.3% share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group, pointing to a smaller transfer route within the undergraduate population.

Federal enrollment data list 3,093 undergraduates, and 21.2% receive Pell Grants. The mix includes students using federal grant aid as well as those continuing coursework begun elsewhere, without indicating how applications are evaluated.

The first-time, full-time cohort at St Olaf College shows strong persistence and completion. First-year retention is 92.2%, and the [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) is 84.0%.

Both figures sit above the medians for comparable institutions, which are 83.4% and 68.8%. Pell Grant recipients in that cohort complete at a rate of 88.3%, which is 4.3 percentage points above the overall six-year graduation rate.

For an enrolled student, the numbers suggest a place where the institution does not lose many students along the way. Pell recipients finish above the rate for the cohort as a whole.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).