Private nonprofit · College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Saint Peter, Minnesota · Fringe town
- 61.0%
- Admit rate
- $22,900
- Avg net price
- 77%
- Graduation rate
- $65,607
- Median earnings
Gustavus Adolphus College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Saint Peter, Minnesota (fringe town setting), enrolling 1,878 undergraduates. It has a Evangelical Lutheran Church religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Gustavus Adolphus College's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 61.0%
- ACT (mid 50%)
- 24–30
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.64
Enter a test score to see where you land against Gustavus Adolphus College's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Gustavus Adolphus College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Saint Peter, Minnesota
St. Peter is a city and the county seat of Nicollet County, Minnesota, United States. St. Peter was founded in 1853 by Captain William Bigelow Dodd, who claimed 150 acres (0.61 km2) north of what is now Broadway Avenue. He named the new settlement Rock Bend because of the rock formation at the bend of the Minnesota River. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe town
- Highest degree offered
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 57 miles to Minneapolis, MN
- To Great Lakes shore
- 190 miles
- Nearest airport
- 53 miles to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field (MSP) · major hub
How Gustavus Adolphus College compares
More selective than 75% · #9 most selective of 35 in Minnesota
Higher than 78%
Higher than 87% · #6 of 39 in Minnesota
Higher than 82%
Higher than 78% · #7 of 38 in Minnesota
Cheaper than 36% · #22 cheapest of 39 in Minnesota
Lower than 19%
Lower than 59%
Larger than 56%
Percentiles compare Gustavus Adolphus College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Minnesota.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate1,878100%
- Graduate10%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,01754%
- Men86146%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White79%
- Black2.2%
- Hispanic6.2%
- Asian2.4%
- Other or multiracial10%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,878
- Graduate enrollment
- 1
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 21%
- First-generation students
- 15%
- Students over 25
- 1%
- Median family income
- $78,420
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $75,366
- Endowment
- $313,227,276
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 61.0%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- 1290
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- 24–30
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.64
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $56,076
- Room & board
- $11,804
- Books & supplies
- $900
- Total cost of attendance
- $67,613
- Average net price
- $22,900
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 77%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 64%
- First-year retention
- 88%
- Transferred to another college
- 16%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $51,546
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $65,607
- Median debt at graduation
- $26,774
- Students with federal loans
- 54%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 82%
About 13% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 2,125
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 100%+
- Housing charge (year)
- $6,980
- Meal plan (year)
- $4,310
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 1,020 (620 men · 400 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (12)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.3 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 12
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,906 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$13,875/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Gustavus Adolphus College discounts heavily: 96% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $34,539. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 464 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $65,607
- Typical debt at graduation
- $26,774
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 41%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 76%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $5,715 (9%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 82°F
- Winter low
- 3°F
- Annual rain
- 32.4″
- Annual snow
- 37.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, ST Peter, MN US station (0.3 mi from campus).
What Gustavus Adolphus College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Gustavus Adolphus College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Gustavus Adolphus College side by side →
Allegheny College
Meadville, Pennsylvania · Distant town · 33 mi to Erie
- Students
- 1,156
- Admission
- 55%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1275
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $62k
Simmons University
Boston, Massachusetts · Large city · 3 mi to Boston
- Students
- 1,670
- Admission
- 70%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1316
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $63k
Hendrix College
Conway, Arkansas · Small city · 26 mi to Little Rock
- Students
- 1,100
- Admission
- 56%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1282
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $60k
Drake University
Des Moines, Iowa · Midsize city · 2 mi to Des Moines
- Students
- 2,543
- Admission
- 64%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1292
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $72k
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Norton, Massachusetts · Large suburb · 15 mi to Providence
- Students
- 1,773
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $30k
- SAT
- 1308
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $68k
DePauw University
Greencastle, Indiana · Distant town · 38 mi to Indianapolis
- Students
- 1,905
- Admission
- 57%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1340
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $71k
Colleges near Gustavus Adolphus College
Bethany Lutheran College
Mankato, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 669 students
South Central College
North Mankato, MN · Public · Associate · 1,946 students
Minnesota State University-Mankato
Mankato, MN · Public · Bachelor's · 11,703 students
Martin Luther College
New Ulm, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 725 students
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,093 students
Crown College
Saint Bonifacius, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 796 students
Carleton College
Northfield, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,086 students
Normandale Community College
Bloomington, MN · Public · Associate · 7,044 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.













