St Olaf College vs Brown University

St Olaf College and Brown University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. St Olaf, a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a tight-knit community and a strong emphasis on the liberal arts. Brown, an Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, is renowned for its open curriculum and interdisciplinary approach. With acceptance rates of 33% and 7%, respectively, these institutions cater to different levels of academic competitiveness. While St Olaf's popular majors include nursing, biology, and music, Brown's strengths lie in social sciences, engineering, and computer science. Explore the comparison table to delve into further details about these institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine the best fit for your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Brown University logo

Brown University

St Olaf College logo

St Olaf College

Overview

Location Providence, Rhode Island Northfield, Minnesota
Campus setting City: Midsize Town: Distant
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester 4-1-4
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate
Students retention rate 98.0% 91.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Evangelical

Admission

Acceptance rate 5.5% 47.4%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $75
SAT range 1460 - 1570 1240 - 1430
ACT range 33 - 35 28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score 51.0% 16.0%
Students submitting ACT score 30.0% 39.0%
Total number of applicants 46,568 6,494
Total number of admissions given out 2,568 3,080
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,705 755
Yield rate 66.4% 24.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $82,570 $66,570
Average net price $25,028 $27,729
Tuition $60,944 $52,670
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $10,054

Meal plan: $6,292
Room/dormitory: $5,720

Meal plan: $6,280
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

46.0%
Average amount $55,420
100.0%
Average amount $37,281
Students receiving federal student loan 9.0%
Average amount $5,159
49.0%
Average amount $5,006
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $27,008
9.0%
Average amount $15,087

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 7,349
Men 48.1% Women 51.9%
2,988
Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students 3,347
Men 50.0% Women 50.0%
N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students 96.5% N/A
International students 18.6% 10.2%
Campus local/setting City: Midsize Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity 5,013 2,703
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from New York California Mississippi New Jersey Texas N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Health Professions
  • Social Sciences
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Engineering
  • Social Sciences
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio 6:1 12:1
Institutional accreditation New England Commission on Higher Education Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 95.8% 85.0%
Dropout rate 3.7% 3.9%
Transferred out N/A 11.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $130,101
  • Year 2: $153,718
  • Year 3: $184,762
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $105,532
  • Year 2: $88,506
  • Year 3: $97,037
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,171
  • Year 2: $73,769
  • Year 3: $91,029
Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,583
  • Year 2: $75,921
  • Year 3: $80,783
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,028
  • Year 2: $63,302
  • Year 3: $78,949
Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,505
  • Year 2: $61,020
  • Year 3: $74,894
Medicine (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,843
  • Year 2: $61,294
  • Year 3: $73,224
International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,882
  • Year 2: $50,105
  • Year 3: $65,953
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,247
  • Year 2: $58,673
  • Year 3: $63,507
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,186
  • Year 2: $53,108
  • Year 3: $62,581
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

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