About Gustavus

Gustavus Adolphus College is a highly selective, private, coeducational, residential liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Founded in 1862, it has valued its Lutheran and Swedish heritages throughout its history. The college is guided by five core values: excellence, community, justice, service, and faith.

Distinctions

• Phi Beta Kappa
• The annual Nobel Conference®
• Three Crowns Curriculum— an integrated studies approach to general education
• Peace Education Program and MAYDAY! Peace Conference
• Fulbright, Goldwater, Marshall, Rhodes, Truman, National Science Foundation, and NCAA Postgraduate fellowship winners
• Student-faculty collaborative research opportunities
• Writing Across the Curriculum

Student Life

• More than 120 special interest groups and organizations
• Five daily Sabbath services, a Sunday worshipping community service, and one evening praise service weekly
• 12 student-run religious organizations
• Designated in 2015 by the Carnegie Foundation as a “community-engaged campus”—the highest national distinction available for higher education.
• More than 75% of Gustavus students participate in service each year, either through service programs or service-learning
• Frequent on-campus entertainment and off-campus trips sponsored by the Campus Activities Board and other recognized student groups

Giving

• Gifts and grants in support of the College for the fiscal year 2014–15 totaled more than $12 million.
• More than 18.7% of alumni actively support the College
• Campaign Gustavus ended at $170.3 million
• In 2014-15, 40% of Gustavus faculty and staff made a financial gift to Gustavus.

Campus Facilities

• 340 beautifully landscaped acres
• 21 academic and service facilities, including Christ Chapel; Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library; C. Charles Jackson Campus Center; Alfred Nobel Hall of Science (biology, chemistry, geography, geology); Olin Hall (math, computer science, statistics, and physics); Schaefer Fine Arts Center (art, music, theatre/dance); Confer and Vickner halls (languages); Lund Center (athletics, health/exercise science); Mattson Hall (education, nursing); Old Main (classics, philosophy, political science, and religion); and Beck Academic Hall (communication studies, economics/management, history, psychological science, and sociology/anthropology)
• 14 residence halls and apartment/town house complexes and 5 College-owned houses, accommodating more than 2,200 students
  on campus
• Hillstrom Museum of Art
• More than 25 bronzeworks by the late Paul Granlund, noted sculptor and alumnus, installed on the campus
• The Melva Lind Interpretive Center and the 135-acre Linnaeus Arboretum

Athletics

• Intercollegiate program of 12 women’s and 11 men’s sports, with 27% student participation
• Member of NCAA Division III; Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC); and National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA)
• Top 25 finishes 15 times in the 20-year history of the Directors’ Cup national competition for overall athletics program excellence among the more than 400 schools in Division III
• 75% participation in more than 30 intramural activities and nine club sports

Fine Arts Programs

• 40% participation in fine arts programs
• Four choral groups, eight conducted instrumental ensembles, and numerous chamber groups and combos
• Extensive theatre/dance program, offering opportunities for student-written and directed performances as well as four faculty-directed plays and a dance concert annually
• Gallery and personal art studio space available
• The Gustavus Artist Series, bringing renowned artists such as Wynton Marsalis, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Vienna Boys Choir, Shapiro & Smith Dance, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo to campus for concerts and master classes

Faculty

• Full-time faculty of 183; 51 part-time
• 77% of faculty members are tenured.
• 100% of tenured faculty members hold the terminal degree in their fields.
• Student-to-faculty ratio: 11:1
• Average class size: 17

Computing/Networking

• 30 computer labs including more than 400 student-use computers
• Wireless Internet access in all academic and residential buildings on campus
• The Technology Helpline—the first line of support for the Gustavus community: walk-up assistance, phone at 507-933-6111, email at helpline@gustavus.edu or via Twitter at twitter.com/gtshelpline.

Retention Rates

• 89% of first-year students return for the following fall semester.
• 79% graduate within 4 years.

Tuition and Expenses (Fall 2016)

• Tuition: $42,360
• Room / Meals: $5,990/$3,410
• Fees: $673 (+ one-time $480 fee for first-years)
• Books and Incidentals (estimated): $2,030

Academic Calendar

The academic year at Gustavus comprises a 4-month fall semester, a 1-month interim, and a 4-month spring semester.

Library (as of May 31, 2016)

• 279,265 volumes
• 396 print periodical subscriptions
• 271 electronic subscriptions
• 185,755 total government documents

Resources

• Annual operating budget (2015–16): $84 million
• Plant value: $399 million
• Endowment): $150 million

Academic Programs

• Majors in Accounting, Public Accounting, Art Education, Art History, Art Studio, Athletic Training, Biology, Biology/Life Science Teaching, Communication Arts/Literature Teaching, Chemistry, Classics, Communication Studies, Computer Science, Dance, Economics, Elementary Education, English, Environmental Studies, French, Geography, Geology, Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies, Health Fitness, Health Education, History, Japanese Studies, Latin American, Latino & Caribbean Studies, Management, Mathematics, Music, Music Education, Nursing, Physical Education, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Russian Studies, Scandinavian Studies, Social Studies Teaching, Sociology and Anthropology, Spanish, Statistics, Theatre.
• Pre-professional programs in Actuarial Science, Architecture, Arts Administration, Church Vocations, Dentistry, Engineering, Law, Materials Science, Medicine, Ministry, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, and Veterinary Medicine.
• 21 departmental and academic honor societies
• About 48% of 2014 graduates studied abroad during their college careers.

Alumni

• 27,130 located, living alumni (as of September 1, 2016), residing in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands as well as 58 other nations.
• Alumni Association services include college magazine, class letters, and monthly electronic newsletter; alumni board, class officers and chapters; website; reunions; career networking; Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media; and insurance programs.

Enrollment (Fall 2016)

• 2,210 undergraduates (FTE), representing 42 states and 18 foreign countries
• Gender ratio: 54% women, 46% men
• Racially underrepresented students: 339 (16%)
• International students enrolled in degree programs: 101
• Residence hall occupancy: 2,074 (97%)
• 94% of students studying on campus live in College housing.

Undergraduate Research

• The annual Celebration of Creative Inquiry, a showcase for undergraduate research that features the work of nearly 200 students
• Dedicated funding for students who attend conferences and competitions for discipline-specific research, scholarship, and creative works
• Support for faculty-student research, scholarship, and other collaborative projects through Presidential Faculty-Student Collaboration Grants.

Admission Statistics (Class of 2020)

• Applications received from 4,760 prospective students for a class of 542 first-time, full-time degree seekers
• 32% of first-year students were in the top 10% of their high school graduating classes.
• Composite ACT (middle 50%): 24–30

Financial Assistance

• More than 70% of Gustavus students receive need-based financial assistance.
• Over $50 million in institutional grant and scholarship assistance.

Post-Graduation Activities

• After graduation, 32% of the Class of 2013 enrolled directly in graduate or professional schools, based upon responses to Career Development's annual six-months-out survey.
• Six months after graduation, better than 99% of the Class of 2013 reported being situated (i.e., employed, in graduate schools, etc.).

Location

St. Peter (population approx. 10,000) is nestled in the scenic Minnesota River Valley. The community is accessible by car on U.S. 169, about 70 miles southwest of the Twin Cities and 10 miles north of Mankato. Greyhound bus line serves the area. Commercial airline service is available through regularly scheduled shuttle to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Frequently Called Numbers

See also: Contact Us