Are you a prospective student of St Olaf College and you are on a quest to know some vital information about the school? Then this guide is for you because it covers all your need to know about the school.
St. Olaf College which is located in Northfield, MN, is a moderately selective school in terms of admission.
We will be discussing the Olaf College Acceptance Rate, St Olaf College Tuition, Admission Requirements, and tips for St Olaf College Students in this article, read on to learn more about it
What are St. Olaf College’s admission requirements?
As a result of St. Olaf College being moderately selective, a lot of applicants send in their applications to the school for admission, so it is very necessary you focus on the most important things to improve your chances of getting admitted into the school.
St. Olaf College most important requirements include;
- GPA requirements
- Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
- Application requirements
In this article, we will make known all the necessary things you need about St Olaf most important requirements to help you gain admission into the school and also have a strong application.
As an applicant in the school, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This enables you to know how competitive the school is and how serious its requirements are.
St. Olaf College Acceptance Rate.
The acceptance rate at St. Olaf College is 49.9%. It is necessary to note that, For every 100 applicants, 50 are likely to be admitted.
This shows the school is moderately selective. You are expected by the school to meet their GPA requirement and SAT/ACT scores, but they are more flexible than other schools.
If you pass their requirements, you have an excellent chance of being admitted. But if you do not, you might be one of the applicants who gets rejected by them.
You are expected by St. Olaf College to be above average in your high school class. You will need at least a mix of A’s and B’s, with more A’s than B’s.
You can compensate for a lower GPA with harder classes, like AP or IB classes. This will show that you are able to handle more difficult academics than the average high school student. Check Yale Medical School Acceptance Rate.
If you are a junior or senior presently, your GPA is hard to change in time for college applications. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.67, you will need a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate. This will help you stand out effectively against other applicants who have higher GPAs than you.
See:
- Allegheny College Acceptance Rate, GPA and Admission Requirements
- Swarthmore Acceptance Rate and GPA Requirements
SAT and ACT Requirements
Every school has diverse requirements for standardized testing. Most schools require the SAT or ACT, and many also require SAT subject tests.
You are expected to take either the SAT or ACT to submit an application to St. Olaf College. More importantly, you need to do well to have a strong application.
St. Olaf College SAT Requirements
Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school’s average score.
Average SAT: 1300
The average SAT score composite at St. Olaf College is a 1300 on the 1600 SAT scale.
This score makes St. Olaf College Moderately Competitive for SAT test scores.
Below is the St. Olaf’s College SAT score Analysis
St. Olaf College SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)
The 25th percentile New SAT score is 1190, and the 75th percentile New SAT score is 1410. In other words, a 1190 on the New SAT places you below average, while a 1410 will move you up to above average.
Here is the breakdown of new SAT scores by section:
Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
Math | 650 | 590 | 710 |
Reading + Writing | 650 | 600 | 700 |
Composite | 1300 | 1190 | 1410 |
SAT Score Choice Policy
The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.
St. Olaf College ACT Requirements
Just like the SAT, St. Olaf College likely does not have a difficult ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get rejected.
Average ACT: 29
The average ACT score at St. Olaf College is 29. This score makes St. Olaf College Moderately Competitive for ACT scores.
The 25th percentile ACT score is 25, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 32.
Despite the fact that St. Olaf College likely says they have no minimum ACT requirement, if you apply with a 25 or below, you will have a very difficult time getting into the school unless you have something else very impressive in your application.
There are so many applicants scoring 29 and above that a 25 will look academically weak.
ACT Score Sending Policy
If you are taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.
Note this: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have complete control over which tests you send.
You could take 10 tests and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.
This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school’s ACT requirement of 29 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can.
When you have the final score that you are happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.
ACT Superscore Policy
However, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.
We were not able to find the school’s exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore.
Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send to St. Olaf College, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 29.
St. Olaf College considers the SAT Essay/ACT writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration.
You do not need to worry too much about Writing for this school, but other schools you are applying to may require it.
SAT Subject Test Requirements
Each school has different SAT subject test requirements. Normally, selective schools tend to expect them, while most schools in the country do not.
We did not find information that St. Olaf College requires SAT subject tests, and so most likely it does not.
At least 6 months before applying, you should still double-check just to make sure, so you have enough time to take the test.
Because this school is moderately selective, strong academic performance will almost guarantee you admission. Scoring a 1410 SAT or a 32 ACT or above will nearly guarantee you admission.
Note: Your admission decision does not depend on your GPA and SAT/ACT scores alone, but also on your coursework difficulty, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. This tool provides only a simplistic estimate of your chances of admission.
Instead of treating this tool as a crystal ball, we recommend you consider the big picture of what your chance means:
- 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
- 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
- 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
- 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
- 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in
We recommend you apply to schools across a range of chances. Applying to some safety schools will guarantee you have a college to go to while applying to some reach schools will give you a shot at getting into the school at the top of your range.
How would your chances improve with a better score?
Take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve.
Application Requirements
Every school needs an application with uncovering essentials – high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information.
Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We’ll cover the exact requirements of St. Olaf College here.
Application Requirements Overview
- Common Application: Accepted, supplemental forms required
- Universal Application: Not accepted
- Electronic Application: Available
- Essay or Personal Statement: Required for all freshmen
- Letters of Recommendation: 1
- Interview: Not required
- Application Fee: No fee required for domestic applicants
- Fee Waiver Available?: None
Testing Requirements
SAT or ACT: Required
SAT Essay or ACT Writing: Optional
Scores Due in Office: January 15
Coursework Requirements
- Subject
- Science
- Foreign Language
- Social Studies
- History
- Electives
- Deadlines and Early Admissions
- Offered? January 15
- Deadline Notification: March 20
- Regular Admission: Yes
- Early Action: No
- Early Decision: Yes
- Prep: For All Students
Conclusion
As a result of this school being moderately selective, strong academic performance will likely give you admission. Scoring a 1410 SAT or a 32 ACT or above will nearly guarantee you admission.
Because the school admits 49.9% of all applicants, being far above average raises the admission rate for you to nearly 100%.
If you can achieve a high SAT/ACT score, the rest of your application essentially will still need to be met.
Your GPA should not be too far off from the school average of 3.67. But you will not need extracurriculars and letters of recommendation to get in. You can get in based on the merits of your score alone.
But if your score is a 1190 SAT or a 25 ACT and below, you have a good chance of being one of the unlucky few to be rejected. You can drop your questions in the comment if you have any about the Olaf College acceptance rate.
Last Updated on June 26, 2023 by Admin