Financing Your Education

St. Olaf College charges its students a comprehensive fee, which is set annually by the Board of Regents. This fee includes tuition (3.0 to 4.50 credits per semester), full board and room for on-campus students (special arrangements are made for off-campus students), the college newspaper, and admission to athletic events, artist series, and convocations.

Comprehensive Fee for 2023-24

Comprehensive Fee

Fee	Cost
Tuition	$ 56,970
Housing	$ 6,200
Meal Plan	$ 6,800
Total	$ 69,970

Full-time students who take more than 4.50 courses in any semester will be charged $895.00 per 0.25 credits above 4.50.

Above and beyond the tuition, including possible overload charge, additional costs should be anticipated for books, course fees, private lessons in music, special housing arrangements, and special courses, including study skills and study abroad or away programs. See Additional Costs and Fees for detailed information.

St. Olaf aims to maintain all published charges throughout the school year but reserves the right to make adjustments and change procedures should unforeseen conditions make it necessary.

Veterans Benefits

The Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018 added a provision to 38 USC 3679 that requires schools to allow eligible beneficiaries to attend class without penalties while awaiting payments from the VA. Contact the Registrar's Office at registrar@stolaf.edu or 507-786-3015 with any questions.

Billing Statements

All statements are issued electronically monthly.  Students will receive an email to their St. Olaf account when a new bill is generated if there is a balance due. Statements can be viewed online through the Student Information System (SIS). Parents can view statements if the student has set up Parent Access.

Parent Access

Students can authorize others to access their bills, grades, degree audit, and schedule. The student must be the one to set up access due to FERPA privacy regulations.  Students can grant parent access through the Student Information System (SIS).  Consult the Parent Access web page for more information.

Payment Options

Payments

Students pay in two installments. The first semester payment is due on August 1, 2023; the second semester payment is due on February 1, 2024. If payments are not made on time, a finance charge of .5 percent per month is assessed on the unpaid balance.  Future registration and release of official student records will not be permitted until the balance is paid in full.

St. Olaf College accepts the following forms of payment:

Cash
Students and guest payers may make cash payments in-person at the Student Financial Services Office.  Cash should never be mailed.

Check
Students and guest payers may pay their term fees via check either in-person at the Student Financial Services Office, through mail, or online using e-check/ACH.  A $30 returned payment fee will be added to the student's account for all payments returned by the bank.

Checks should be mailed to:

St. Olaf College
Business Office
1520 St. Olaf Avenue
Northfield, MN 55057

Please make sure to include the student’s name and ID number on the check.

Credit Card/Debit Card
Students and guest payers may make student account payments online with a Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express credit card. St. Olaf College cannot accept credit card or debit card payments in-person, over the phone, or through the mail.  Credit cards will only be accepted online in SIS or the Parent Portal via Flywire, a vendor contracted by St. Olaf College.

There is a 2.85%, $3 minimum credit card service fee for any domestic credit card payment made to the college.
There is a 3.95%, $3 minimum credit card service fee for any credit card payment made from a card issued outside the US.

Students and parents (with access) can log into SIS or the parent portal to view the account and make payments. 

St. Olaf College allows "quick payments" without logging in.  A payer needs the student’s name and ID number to make a payment online. 

International Wires

St. Olaf College has partnered with Flywire to offer an innovative and streamlined way to make international tuition payments.  Students can access Flywire international payment option through the payment portal in SIS.  

Monthly Payment Plan

St. Olaf partners with Flywire for our payment plan provider for the 2023-2024 academic year.  Families can split their semester payment into a maximum of 5 payments over the course of the semester.  The cost to enroll is $52 per semester.  To enroll in the plan log into SIS or the Parent Portal.  See the payment plan website for more information.

For more information contact:

The Student Accounts Office
St. Olaf College
1520 St. Olaf Avenue
Northfield, MN 55057-1098
Tel: 507-786-3296 or 866-640-4702

Payment Schedule for 2023-24

Fall semester balance is due on or before August 1, 2023.

Spring semester balance is due on or before February 1, 2024.

Advance Payment for 2023-24

All students are required to pay a $300 deposit prior to registering when they first enroll at St. Olaf.  This singular deposit will be placed in a hold account and not applied to charges.  After graduating, the deposit will be refunded to students, minus any outstanding charges.  

Each year students will be asked to confirm their intent to enroll for a subsequent term, and as part of that process, the deposit will carry forward. If a student takes a leave of absence or withdraws the deposit will be forfeited.

New students who are concerned about the deposit amount should work with their Admissions counselor.  First-Year Students – Deposits are non-refundable. They are either held until the next year or forfeited. First-Year Students must contact the Admissions Office if withdrawing.  If a student is deferring enrollment until the following year, the deposit will be held for up to one year until that student returns to St. Olaf.

Additional Costs and Fees

Books and Supplies

$1,000 average per year depending on course of study.

Fees for Private Music Lessons

$615 for non-Music majors (in addition to tuition charge). One 30-minute lesson per week, per semester, in voice, piano, organ, or historical, orchestral, or band instruments. If a student drops a private music lesson after the sixth day of the semester, there is no refund of the lesson fee. If a student's schedule with overload includes a music lesson, both the music lesson fee and the overload tuition charge are required.

Health Insurance

St. Olaf requires that all students enrolled at the college have health insurance. If domestic students are not covered under a comparable health insurance policy, they will be expected to participate in the Student Accident and Sickness Insurance Plan. If a student has health insurance and is not required to participate in the insurance offered through St. Olaf, they must complete a waiver form online. This waiver must be completed each year they are enrolled at St. Olaf. If not completed prior to the 10th day of classes, the student will automatically be enrolled in the student health insurance at St. Olaf College.  International students are required to enroll in the International Health Insurance plan.

Other Tuition Charges

Students who are permitted to register for fewer than three courses are known as part-time students and will be charged at the following rates:

• Per full course: $7,125
• Per half course: $3,565
• Per quarter course: $1,785

Overload Charge

Full-time students who take more than 4.50 credits in any semester will be charged $895.00 per 0.25 credits above 4.50. If a student's schedule with overload includes a music lesson, both the music lesson fee and the overload tuition charge are required.

Transcript Fee

For information, see Transcript Requests.

Finance Charge

0.5 percent of unpaid balance/accumulated monthly.

Off-campus Nursing Program Costs

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts Nursing program must pay costs of immunizations, CPR certification, transportation to clinical sites per college policy, parking, uniforms, and a fee is assessed annually for program costs.

Other Off-Campus Programs

Many programs off-campus involve additional costs beyond the comprehensive fee. Consult the appropriate office or program advisor for details.

Postgraduate Studies Tuition Reductions

Graduates who wish to pursue nursing, student teaching, a second major, or other additional coursework may qualify for a reduced tuition. Consult the Registrar's Office for more information.

Settlement of Account

All accounts are expected to be paid according to the schedule noted above. Any variation from this schedule shall be arranged with Student Accounts.

Money due a student from loans or scholarships is applied on the student’s account and is not given in cash unless the account is paid in full. Work earnings can be credited to the student’s tuition account or bank account. The amount credited is based on the actual hours worked less taxes. Work award is not guaranteed and must be earned.

The college reserves the right to withhold registration for the next term, statements of honorable dismissal, transcripts of courses and grades, or diplomas in accordance with the financial hold policy.

Refund Policy

Tuition-Full Withdrawal or Drop

If the student withdraws before the first day of class, tuition, room, and board will be refunded 100 percent.  A student’s deposit will be forfeited.

If the student withdraws by the end of 10th day, tuition will be refunded 80 percent.

If the student withdraws within two weeks after 10th day, tuition will be refunded 40 percent.

Tuition-Partial Withdrawal or Drop

If a student drops from full-time to part-time before 10th day, their billing will be changed from full-time to part-time. Student’s financial aid is adjusted to reflect enrollment in part-time.

If a student drops from full-time to part-time after the 10th date, there will be no change to tuition charges as well as no change to Olaf or state aid.  Check with the financial aid office on if there will be any changes to federal aid.

Room

If the student withdraws from the college before the first day of class, room charges will be refunded 100 percent.

If a student withdraws from the college after these dates the student will not receive any refund for room.

Board

If the student withdraws before the first day of class, board charges will be refunded 100 percent.

If the student withdraws within the first 3 weeks of the term, board will be refunded 80 percent.

If the student withdraws within the first 6 weeks of the term, board will be refunded 60 percent.

If the student withdraws within the first 9 weeks of the term, board will be refunded 40 percent.

If the student withdraws within the first 12 weeks of the term, board will be refunded 20 percent.

There is no cost to the student for tuition, housing, or board plans if they are here for one full term in addition to January term. Thus, there will be no refund if the student does not participate in January term.

Students dismissed because of unsatisfactory work or infringement of college rules will receive refunds as determined by the schedule above.

The Withdrawal Process

In order to begin the withdrawal process, a student must contact the Dean of Students Office (verbally or in writing) to begin the paperwork necessary to withdraw or take a leave of absence from St. Olaf. For the purposes of tuition refunds and financial aid refunds, the date of withdrawal is established as the date the student notifies the Dean of Students Office of their plans to withdraw. Room and board refunds are based on when the student moves off campus.

Federal Financial Aid Refunds

If the student is the recipient of Federal Title IV funds (i.e., Federal Pell, SEOG grants or Direct Stafford or PLUS loans) and withdraws from the college before completing 60 percent of the term, federal regulations require St. Olaf to complete a Return of Title IV Calculation to determine the percentage of Title IV funds to be returned to the federal government.

Institutional Financial Aid Refunds

If a student is receiving St. Olaf gift funds, the amount of reduction of the scholarship and grant funds will be pro-rated, reflecting the percentage of the tuition refunded. For example, if 40 percent of the tuition is refunded, 40 percent of scholarships and grants will be refunded.