Costs & Value

What will you actually pay to attend Gustavus? Plug in the numbers for an estimate of how scholarships, grants, and other aid will offset your costs.

 

See Your Costs

2026-2027 Tuition

2026-2027 academic year tuition cost is $59,624.

Gustavus full-time students will be those who are registered for 12 to 19 semester credits. This means you will be charged the full-time student tuition rate if you register for any number of credits between 12 and 19.

 

2026 Summer Term Tuition

Summer Term tuition for 2026 will be $895 per credit. 

For example, a 4-credit course will be $3,580. Gustavus financial aid (scholarships and grants) will not be offered for the Summer Term courses.

Students may contact the Financial Aid Office at finaid [at] gustavus.edu (finaid[at]gustavus[dot]edu) or 507-933-7527 with any questions regarding aid.

Have you set your sights on a career as an athletic trainer? Find the details you need on tuition and other costs for this accelerated dual degree. 

 

See MAT Costs

2026-2027 Fees

Student Wellness Fee—$150
The student wellness fee supports campus initiatives that promote student well-being, including programs and resources that advance physical health, personal purpose, belonging, and environmental sustainability. Revenue from this fee helps fund fitness and recreation opportunities, campus-wide wellness initiatives, and programs that foster a healthy, engaged, and flourishing student community.

Technology Fee—$200
The annual technology fee supports the infrastructure, networks, and services that power, protect, and connect the Gustavus experience. This fee supports student technology needs like improved WiFi, important networking updates and continued and expanded support of technology services.

Student Government Activity Fee—$228
Fee added to the first semester payment for all students except international exchange students. The Student Senate and the Campus Activities Board disburse the fees collected.

Part Time Fee—$2,480 per credit
If you are registered for one to eleven credits, you will be charged the part-time tuition rate per credit.

Audit Fee—$930
If you choose to audit a course and your current registration credits for the semester are over 19 credits, you will be charged $930 to audit the course.

Late Course Change Fee—$225
The fees for processing petitions following the end of the free drop/add period.

Overload Fee—$1,860 per credit
For course loads over 19 credits per semester. Please note that if Music Lesson credits create the overload, students will not be charged for those credits specifically.

Parking Permit Fee—$330 per year
Students who wish to park a car on campus must register their motor vehicle, pay a parking permit fee, and display a current parking permit. For more information, visit Campus Safety. 

All students living on campus in singles, doubles, triples, quads, and suites are required to have a college meal plan. Students living in Norelius, North, Gibbs, Sorensen, Uhler, Rundstrom, Southwest Hall Suites, Sohre, Pittman, Carlson International Center, and Prairie View will need to select one of the following meal plans. (The cost of each plan includes a $400/semester facilities, staff, and administrative support fee, which is assessed at the beginning of each semester.)

If you're not required to have a meal plan, you can choose from three options: a Defined Meal Plan, a Create Your Own Meal Plan, or paying for meals as you go with monthly charging.

Plan Usage: For Meal Plan Options 1, 2, 3, and 4 the student meal accounts will be credited monthly allocations with the amount determined by the number of service days in the month. Up to $35 may be carried forward from month to month and students who go over the monthly allocation will automatically move into the next month’s balance.

All meal plan options are a la carte. What you put on your tray is what you pay for, with Grab-n-Go items being most expensive. 

Meal plan funds can be used in the Market Place, Courtyard Café, and the STEAMery.

 

2026–2027 Meal Plan Options and Costs

Option 1—$5,406
This option is for students who may not be on campus to eat daily. They may be away from campus many weekends, or may be lighter eaters.

Option 2—$5,806
This option is for students who may be on campus daily, but do not eat three meals a day. They may be away from campus some weekends.

Option 3—$6,206
This option is for students who will be on campus daily. They may be involved in athletics, or require a higher caloric intake for another reason.

Option 4—$6,606
This option is an extension of Option 3 for students who will be on campus daily and wants to budget for a higher annual expense. They may be involved in athletics or require a higher caloric intake for another reason.

 

Options if you're not required to have a meal plan

Option 5a—$2,550
Defined Meal Plan: Billed in two installments of $1,275/semester. Available for students living off-campus or in on-campus apartments or houses only.

• A 5 percent administrative fee will be added on top of this amount.

• Funds are non-transferable semester-to-semester, and unused funds are non-refundable.

Option 5b—$50+
Create Your Own Meal Plan: Create a meal plan in increments of $50. Available for students living off-campus or in on-campus apartments or houses only.

• A 5 percent administrative fee will be added on top of this amount.

• Unused funds from the Fall semester will transfer to the Spring semester, but not to the following academic year.

Option 5c—Pay as you go
 Charge meal purchases as you make them.
 Your charges are added to your student account at the end of each month.

• Available for students living off-campus or in on-campus apartments or houses only.

• A 5 percent administrative fee will be added on top of your monthly charges.

 

Change your Meal Plan

• Changes to increase your Meal Plan Option can be made in the Student Accounts Office at any time.

• Changes to decrease a meal plan for Spring (i.e. Option 2 > Option 1) must be done in the Student Accounts Office by December 4, 2026.

 

Coverage Dates and Refunds

• Student meal plans will be active August 27, 2026–May 2, 2027.

• Transactions made without sufficient funds in a declining balance account will be charged to the student’s account on a monthly basis.

All room rates listed below are per person, 'per year' is for the academic year Fall and Spring semesters.

 

2026-2027 Housing Rates

Hall Name	2026-2027 Rate
Arbor View Apartments College View Apartments Southwest Hall, Apartment (4-person units, 2 bedrooms)	$4,815 per semester/$9,630 per year
Chapel View Townhomes (4-person units, 4 bedrooms)	$4,815 per semester/$9,630 per year
ILS Houses (including 7th St houses & the Swedish House)	$4,815 per semester/$9,630 per year
Gibbs Hall, Single Sohre Hall, Single Uhler Hall, Single Prairie View with Pet, Single (additional pet fees apply)	$4,286 per semester/$8,572 per year
Southwest Hall, Suite	$4,270 per semester/$8,540 per year
Carlson International Center	$4,188 per semester/$8,376 per year
Uhler Hall, Quad	$4,111 per semester/$8,222 per year
Rundstrom Hall, Triple Uhler Hall, Triple	$3,936 per semester/$7,872 per year
Norelius Hall, Double Pittman Hall, Double (First-year housing)	$3,663 per semester/$7,326 per year
North Hall, Double Gibbs Hall, Double Rundstrom Hall, Double Sorensen Hall, Double Uhler Hall, Double	$3,663 per semester/$7,326 per year
Guaranteed Single Room (Not available in all buildings/housing types—based on space available/wait lists)	Additional $1,500 per semester/$3,000 per year over the above listed room rate (per open space) This additional fee applies for those requesting a non-single room be held as a single space (no roommate).

 

 

Comprehensive Health Insurance Requirement

All students are required to have comprehensive health insurance and are enrolled automatically.

• International students are required to carry this policy and are automatically enrolled.

• Domestic students are able to waive coverage if they have other comprehensive medical coverage in the state of Minnesota for the academic year. You will receive an email each summer to complete a form to decline the Gustavus student health insurance plan for the school year.

To learn more, visit Gustavus Health Service or call 507-933-7630.

How do we compute your financial need? We start with the estimated cost of attending Gustavus for one academic year. The published cost of attendance is more than simply tuition, food, housing and fees. It includes those expenses, plus indirect costs such as books, personal expenses, and transportation.

Then, based on the data you report on the FAFSA, the federal government uses a needs analysis to calculate your Student Aid Index (SAI). A lower SAI indicates higher financial need. If you are found to have financial need, we may offer you financial aid to meet that need. The aid offered may be any combination of grants, loans, scholarships, or student employment.

In short: your cost of attendance, minus your SAI, is your financial need — the figure that helps determine your eligibility for state, federal and institutional grant aid.

 

Gusties After Graduation

• Recent graduates who went directly to graduate or professional school: 19%

• Average Starting Salary: $54,478

• Mid-Career Average Salary (10+ years): $96,000

• Alumni Network: 30,000+

Source: Gustavus First Destination Survey

 

Future Cost Increases

Based on historical averages, we anticipate a tuition increase each year of 3.5%. The exact amount is subject to change.