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St. Olaf College
- Diversity

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St. Olaf College - Diversity - Diversity - College ProwlerCollege Prowler2.31

Diversity

C
Where does this grade come from?View all Diversity rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Diversity Grades:

Quick Stats

African American 1%
Asian American 5%
Hispanic 2%
International 2%
Native American 0%
White 83%
Unknown 7%
Historically Black College/University? No
Tribal College? No
Out-of-State Students 51%
Common States of Residence
  • Colorado
  • Foreign countries
  • Illinois
  • Iowa
  • Wisconsin
Student Age Breakdown Under 18: 1%
18-19: 46%
20-21: 46%
22-24: 7%
25+: 0%
Female Faculty 45%
Male Faculty 55%
Faculty Diversity African American: 3%
Asian American: 6%
Hispanic: 2%
International: 0%
Native American: 0%
White: 87%
Unknown: 1%

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

The most common complaint about St. Olaf is probably its marked lack of diversity. “Everyone’s a Lutheran Norwegian from Minnesota,” seems to be the usual take on diversity. While that is a pretty gross generalization, it’s still true that a school of 85 percent white students probably shouldn’t be called especially diverse. Don’t think, though, that because the student body is fairly homogenous the school is ignorant, close-minded, or plagued with problematic race relations. Most students value diversity and seek out new cultural experiences, and—no matter what your ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation—the school is a very welcoming and accepting place.

Because diversity is so low, there is a tendency for minority students to seek one another out and form cliques. One can also run into the problem of “tokenism.” As terribly high school as this may seem, it is not unusual to go to lunch and see one or two tables composed of mostly like minority groups. However, the school believes in the importance of a diverse learning environment and has an affirmative action program in hopes of increasing diversity on campus.

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St. Olaf Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Diversity at St. Olaf College

kanders

Pre-Medicine Studies '15

1.5
D+

Diversity

There is hardly any diversity at St. Olaf. Most everyone is a blond hair, blue-eyed Norwegian. Most people are a little unordinary, some are really strange. At St. Olaf there are a lot of over-achievers. Although St. Olaf is a Lutheran based college, religion is not very prominent. As a student you only have to take two semesters of religion, which isn't bad.

Most of the students are rich, democratic Lutherans.

St. Olaf has a nice mix of students with different sexual orientations.

Nov 09, 2011

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Diversity at St. Olaf College

realmntwin

Environmental Studies '13

1.5
D+

Rich and White

For the most part the student body is rich and white. There are of course exceptions, but I think the college just accepts minorities for either their athletic prowess, or simply for appearances. The college is so notoriously white lutheran and conservative that they feel obliged to include minorities and international students in order to attract a wider audience. Sometimes the rich kids get annoying and pretentious...no a lot of the time.

Jun 15, 2011

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Diversity at St. Olaf College

mckinney

Environmental Studies '13

2.3
C

Think Norwegian

There is a huge norwegian and Lutheran population here. Most students are white, and there is little diversity. Also, if you are not politically liberal, you'd better keep your mouth shut or risk being lectured until your ears fall off. The lack of diversity on campus makes people hypersensitive to political incorrectness and it borders on the ridiculous at times.

Sep 13, 2010

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Page 1 of 5
User rating for St. Olaf College - Diversity is 2.3 out of 5 based on 13 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

How diverse is the student body in the following areas?

How diverse is your personal circle of friends in the following areas?

How accepting is the campus community as a whole toward someone who falls into the minority (ethnic, sexual, or religious)?

How would you best describe your personal political beliefs?

How would you best describe the political beliefs of campus as a whole?

Facts

Gay Pride

The overall environment of Olaf is extraordinarily compassionate, warm, and welcoming, and this extends to GLBT students as well. GLOW (Gay, Lesbian, or Whatever!) is the campus’ largest and most active GLBT organization. However, while almost all Oles are very kind and tolerant people, they are not all progressive, and some may not agree with homosexuality or the politics of the gay rights movement.

Political Activity

Although most of St. Olaf students would probably describe themselves as “moderately liberal,” the school has a very large number of well-organized conservative students. This keeps the political discussion active and more reflective of the rest of the nation. At Olaf, there actually is dialogue—it’s not just liberals talking to liberals or conservatives talking to conservatives.

Economic Status

Olaf’s financial aid allows students from a variety of economic backgrounds to attend, but the average Ole probably comes from a middle- or upper-middle-class background.

Most Common Religions

Christianity has, as one would expect, the largest following at Olaf. 41.2 percent of students are Lutheran, 25.2 percent are from other Protestant denominations, and 13.5 percent are Catholic. The fourth largest block of students is those who claim no religious affiliation

Minority Clubs on Campus

Asian Cultures Association (ACA), Cultural Union for Black Expression (CUBE), Harambe, Hmong Awareness Group (HAG), Karibu Association, Muslim Student Association

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
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