Sterling College vs St Olaf College

Sterling College and St Olaf College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Sterling College, nestled in the picturesque town of Craftsbury Common, Vermont, prides itself on its intimate learning environment, with an acceptance rate of 80% and an average class size of 12. St Olaf College, located in the vibrant city of Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 49% and an average class size of 20. While Sterling College excels in Environmental Science and Sustainability, St Olaf College shines in Music and Nursing. Sterling College's student body is predominantly White (87%), while St Olaf College's student body is more diverse, with 78% White, 7% Asian, and 5% Hispanic. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Sterling College at 75% and St Olaf College at 84%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two
St Olaf College logo

St Olaf College

Sterling College logo

Sterling College

Overview

Location Northfield, Minnesota Sterling, Kansas
Campus setting Town: Distant Rural: Distant
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system 4-1-4 4-1-4
Degrees offered Undergraduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 91.0% 55.0%
Common app member Yes No
Religious affiliation Evangelical

Admission

Acceptance rate 47.4% 47.4%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $25

Graduate: $25
SAT range 1240 - 1430 996 - 1166
ACT range 28 - 33 18 - 25
Students submitting SAT score 16.0% 12.0%
Students submitting ACT score 39.0% 33.0%
Total number of applicants 6,494 2,574
Total number of admissions given out 3,080 1,220
Admitted students who chose to enroll 755 206
Yield rate 24.5% 16.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $66,570 $42,886
Average net price $27,729 $22,377
Tuition $52,670 $27,000
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $5,720

Meal plan: $6,280
Room/dormitory: $3,516

Meal plan: $5,608
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

100.0%
Average amount $37,281
100.0%
Average amount $18,158
Students receiving federal student loan 49.0%
Average amount $5,006
70.0%
Average amount $5,750
Students taking out private loans 9.0%
Average amount $15,087
8.0%
Average amount $11,649

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,988
Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
686
Men 59.0% Women 41.0%
Graduate students N/A 14
Men 14.3% Women 85.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students N/A N/A
International students 10.2% 5.3%
Campus local/setting Town: Distant Rural: Distant
Dormitory capacity 2,703 635
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Social Sciences
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Health Professions
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Law Enforcement and Firefighting
  • Education
  • Business
Students to faculty ratio 12:1 10:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 85.0% 43.2%
Dropout rate 3.9% 25.2%
Transferred out 11.0% 30.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $73,475
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $85,264
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,389
  • Year 2: $60,623
  • Year 3: $67,970
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,177
  • Year 2: $52,107
  • Year 3: $61,505
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,461
  • Year 2: $42,123
  • Year 3: $48,934
Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $47,797
  • Year 2: $46,478
  • Year 3: $47,009
Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $36,149
  • Year 2: $38,829
  • Year 3: $45,715
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $27,228
  • Year 2: $35,060
  • Year 3: $44,563
Sociology and Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $19,528
  • Year 2: $31,708
  • Year 3: $42,811
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $38,398
  • Year 2: $38,289
  • Year 3: $41,551
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $19,226
  • Year 2: $23,166
  • Year 3: $38,521
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $25,167
  • Year 2: $29,685
  • Year 3: $34,697
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $38,026
  • Year 2: $36,745
  • Year 3: N/A
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $29,685
  • Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs La Sierra University La Sierra University
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Pepperdine University Pepperdine University
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Scripps College Scripps College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Connecticut College Connecticut College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Wesleyan University Wesleyan University
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Rollins College Rollins College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois Wesleyan University
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Lake Forest College Lake Forest College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Wheaton College Wheaton College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs DePauw University DePauw University
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Saint Mary's College Saint Mary's College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Grinnell College Grinnell College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Luther College Luther College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Bethany College Bethany College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Berea College Berea College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Bowdoin College Bowdoin College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Colby College Colby College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Harvard University Harvard University
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Williams College Williams College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Calvin University Calvin University
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Hope College Hope College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Bethel University Bethel University
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Carleton College Carleton College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Concordia College at Moorhead Concordia College at Moorhead
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Macalester College Macalester College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs North Central University North Central University
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Millsaps College Millsaps College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Dartmouth College Dartmouth College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Bard College Bard College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Hamilton College Hamilton College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Vassar College Vassar College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Duke University Duke University
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Kenyon College Kenyon College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Lewis & Clark College Lewis & Clark College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Reed College Reed College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Swarthmore College Swarthmore College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Brown University Brown University
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Trinity University Trinity University
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Middlebury College Middlebury College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs University of Richmond University of Richmond
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs University of Puget Sound University of Puget Sound
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Carthage College Carthage College
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Concordia University-Wisconsin Concordia University-Wisconsin
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Lawrence University Lawrence University
St Olaf College St Olaf College vs Stanford University Stanford University
Sterling College Sterling College vs Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Occidental College Occidental College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Pomona College Pomona College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Scripps College Scripps College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Connecticut College Connecticut College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Wesleyan University Wesleyan University
Sterling College Sterling College vs Blackburn College Blackburn College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Knox College Knox College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Earlham College Earlham College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Grinnell College Grinnell College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Bethany College Bethany College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Central Christian College of Kansas Central Christian College of Kansas
Sterling College Sterling College vs McPherson College McPherson College
Sterling College Sterling College vs University of Saint Mary University of Saint Mary
Sterling College Sterling College vs Berea College Berea College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Hampshire College Hampshire College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Pine Manor College Pine Manor College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Smith College Smith College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Williams College Williams College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Finlandia University Finlandia University
Sterling College Sterling College vs Carleton College Carleton College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Macalester College Macalester College
Sterling College Sterling College vs St Olaf College St Olaf College
Sterling College Sterling College vs York College York College
Sterling College Sterling College vs University of the Southwest University of the Southwest
Sterling College Sterling College vs Bard College Bard College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Barton College Barton College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Kenyon College Kenyon College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Reed College Reed College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Haverford College Haverford College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Swarthmore College Swarthmore College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Trevecca Nazarene University Trevecca Nazarene University
Sterling College Sterling College vs Bennington College Bennington College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Middlebury College Middlebury College
Sterling College Sterling College vs Lawrence University Lawrence University