Gustavus Adolphus College Admission
Gustavus Adolphus College Undergraduate Program
Gustavus Adolphus College Application

The Facts

Gustavus Adolphus College is a moderately sized, private, liberal arts and sciences Lutheran college located in the town of Saint Peter, Minnesota. The school is home to over 2,600 undergraduate students who have an incredible range of choices. The school even lets its students choose between two different core curriculum programs; one is more generalized while the other focuses on interdisciplinary studies relating to Western Civilization. The school is also known for its strong ties to Sweden (the college is named after a Swedish king) and is host to the annual Nobel Conference (as in the Nobel prize) that brings many important intellectuals together to discuss scientific progress. The school offers its students a wide range of undergraduate majors in its 27 academic; some of the most popular choices include economics, management, biology, psychology, communication studies, and English.

Admission to Gustavus Adolphus is not terribly competitive numerically; however, the applicant pool usually consists of students that have quite academically successful in the past. Last year, over 2,500 students applied to the school for admission, and approximately 1,800 of those students were accepted; of those, about 700 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1100 to 1280, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 23 to 28. Additionally, over 69% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average comprehensive GPA of about 3.64.

Gustavus Adolphus has a great student to faculty ratio of 13:1, and it is rare to find a class with more than 18 students. The teachers are known for their kindness and accessibility; however, they aren't afraid to push their students. The school also has a terrific research program with state-of-the-art facilities, and students are offered an unprecedented amount of undergraduate research opportunities.

The Social Scene

The town of St. Peter, Minnesota isn't exactly an urban hub; however, it does offer students some nice bars and cafes. The school also has a campus bus that takes student to the nearby Twin Cities and the massive Mall of America. Most students do own cars, which makes their options a bit more expansive.

The school has a good amount of fraternities and sororities that are somewhat notorious for their rowdy antics, especially around rush time. The party scene is reportedly pretty plentiful, and there are always parties happening both on and off campus. The school also has lots of student-run clubs and organizations that are popular with students. The school is also a member of the NCAA Division III, and some of the popular teams include basketball, cross-country, speed skating (it is Minnesota) and golf.

The dating scene is a good one; the campus is apparently one of the friendliest in the nation, and we all know what that means...

What’s Good

“The research opportunities here are better than I ever dreamed they would be. We have a lot of Nobel winners that come and conduct research here.”

“Everyone is so gosh-darn friendly! Everyone smiles all the time and loves to introduce themselves to strangers.”

“There are a ton of options here academically; I mean, you can major in Scandinavian studies!”

What’s Bad

“The town is really dull, and if you want any sort of excitement, you have to drive at least half an hour.”

“The housing can be pretty cramped. You really have no personal space in the dorms.”

“There is no diversity here. Everyone is pasty white, wealthy, religious, and too nice!”

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