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.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,878 undergradsFringe townAccessible · 61% admitNCAA Division III with football · Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

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
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

Selectivity61.0%

More selective than 75% · #9 most selective of 35 in Minnesota

SAT average1290

Higher than 78%

Graduation rate77%

Higher than 87% · #6 of 39 in Minnesota

First-year retention88%

Higher than 82%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$65,607

Higher than 78% · #7 of 38 in Minnesota

Average net price$22,900

Cheaper than 36% · #22 cheapest of 39 in Minnesota

Median debt at graduation$26,774

Lower than 19%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment1,878

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

1,879students
  • Undergraduate1,878100%
  • Graduate10%

Undergraduates by gender

1,878undergrads
  • 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)

All students
64%
Low-income (Pell)
74%
First-generation
74%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)315
Football139
Swimming100
Tennis88
Soccer77
Baseball69
Ice Hockey68
Basketball55
Golf44
Softball23
Gymnastics22
Volleyball20

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.

4.3reported offenses a year
4.0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.3
Fondling
1.3
Robbery
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

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.

< $30k
$12,015
$30–48k
$10,783
$48–75k
$13,875
$75–110k
$19,015
$110k+
$29,674

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.

Est. total to a degree
$58,962

$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.

96%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$34,539
average award, among those who get one

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.

Solid value

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.

Women
$64,211
Men
$69,926

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

HighLow
-10°40°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, ST Peter, MN US station (0.3 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near Gustavus Adolphus College

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.