---
title: St Olaf College — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Northfield, MN
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# St Olaf College

Northfield, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $65,543 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $46,256 – $88,706 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $23,250 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,250 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 84% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $71,843 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 82% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.35× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $37,543 | derived |

**84% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $23,250 (≈ 36% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $19,226 to $73,475 across 18 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Computer Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $73,475 | $23,125 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,389 | $27,000 |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $56,177 | $26,671 |
| Mathematics. | Bachelor's Degree | $47,797 | $23,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $40,461 | $27,000 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,398 | $24,250 |
| Chemistry. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,149 | $24,988 |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,183 | $27,000 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,564 | $25,000 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,831 | $24,000 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,228 | not reported |
| Area Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,650 | $21,000 |
| Music. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,029 | $23,500 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,927 | $25,000 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,695 | $24,830 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $20,439 | $23,635 |
| Sociology and Anthropology. | Bachelor's Degree | $19,528 | $24,644 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $19,226 | $25,715 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore St Olaf College by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?174844

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/st-olaf-college-mn.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`