Cost & financial aid brief
St Olaf College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does St Olaf College cost after financial aid?
Aid changes the cost picture most for families in the lower income bands, rather than reducing published charges by the same amount for everyone. Against a published cost of $71,843 (an average across living arrangements), the average net price is $23,874, a sticker-to-net difference of $47,969 for aid recipients.
Aid covers about 67% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The band pattern runs from $10,404 for the lowest-income families to $33,166 for the highest-income families, with $20,367 in the upper-middle band.
That pattern shows aid targeting lower-income recipients, though these averages do not determine an individual family’s package.
The published cost of attendance at St Olaf College is $71,843 (an average across living arrangements), and the amount left after aid differs across family-income bands. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $10,404 for the lowest family-income band, $11,342 for the lower-middle band, $12,584 for the middle band, $20,367 for the upper-middle band, and $33,166 for the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $22,762. Azimuth ranks the college #1,056 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 67% of the published cost. The average net price across all aid recipients is $23,874, with $47,969 offset against the sticker price.
The peer median net price, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $27,371, placing the college $3,497 below that benchmark. Published tuition and fees are $59,760, and room and board are $13,630.
The aid offset and lower-than-peer average net price point in the same direction for aid recipients. Borrowing is common here: 95.4% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $26,000. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $24,199, placing the college’s median $1,801 above that figure.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $40,568.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal loans are used by 95.4% of federal aid recipients. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $24,199; St Olaf College's median is $1,801 above it.
For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $40,568. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 58% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $28,377 in cumulative borrowing per borrower.
That reporting includes 53% of graduates with federal loans averaging $21,370. It also includes 11% of graduates with private loans averaging $41,981.
At St Olaf College, mobility is the strongest pillar, but earnings and borrowing figures make the investment picture less favorable. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn median earnings of $56,323 four years after completion.
Azimuth places those earnings in the 37th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what expects for similar students, are also low.
Graduates earn about $18,457 less than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places this measure in the 5th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios range from $44,203 in the downside case to $87,316 in the upside case, with $56,323 in the typical scenario. Median federal debt is $26,000, which is $1,801 above the $24,199 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 a month if repaid over ten years. Debt above peers sits alongside earnings below both the model and comparable institutions.
Parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $40,568. For student borrowers, that median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $40,568
- Estimated parent payment
- $515/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 30.4% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 13.6% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 6.5% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 4.3% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $26,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $40,568
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $295/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $515/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $810/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $56,323, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
10.9% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.