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All Academic Programs Africa and the Americas American Conversations ARMS American Studies Art & Art History Asian Conversations Asian Studies Biology Biomedical Studies Biomolecular Science Chemistry Chinese Classics Computer Science Dance Economics Education English Environmental Studies Exercise Science Social Work Family Studies French German Great Conversation Hispanic Studies History Intergrative Studies Japanese Linguistic Studies Management Studies Mathematics Media Studies Middle East Studies Music Neuroscience Nordic Studies Norwegian Nursing Philosophy Physics Political Science Psychology Religion Russian/Area Studies Social Work Sociology Spanish Statistics Theatre Women's Studies

Doing the Liberal Arts

Focused, specific job skills are enormously important, but what the world will need in the coming decades goes beyond the ability to do a job well. The world will need citizens with the character and personal gifts to live with complexity.

The world will need citizens who can learn many new jobs within a single lifetime. It will need citizens and neighbors who seek that which is good with honesty and respect and people who can collaborate effectively with many different kinds of people in pursuit of solutions to complicated problems. Tomorrow's leaders will not be fooled by misrepresentations of our world by advertisers, politicians or even college professors.

A liberal arts education at St. Olaf offers programs that can help prepare students with the skills to succeed in valuable careers. But our main promise — rooted in the depth of a major course of study and the breadth of a general education — is that we can help students to become effective citizens in a increasingly fast-moving and complicated world.

Academic Calendar

St. Olaf uses the 4-1-4 academic calendar. Many students take part in an off-campus study program during January Interim.

Scores and Grades

For the Class of 2011, the median ACT composite is 29, and the median SAT score is 660 for verbal and 650 for math (and 1320 overall). The average unweighted high school GPA is 3.65.

Faculty

The student-to-faculty ratio at St. Olaf is 12.5:1, and the average class size is 22. Ninety-one percent of full-time faculty members hold a doctorate or the highest degree in their field.

Enrollment for 2007-2008

St. Olaf enrolls 3,040 students representing 43 states and 19 foreign countries. First-generation college students comprise 14 percent of the student body.