The Gustavus mission statement explicitly identifies a number of institutional goals that we collectively pursue. These goals include:
* Providing a liberal arts education of recognized excellence that is both rigorous and innovative;
* An integration of moral development with intellectual growth;
* Developing a mature understanding of the Christian faith tradition;
* Encouraging respect for others and sensitivity to community;
* Developing a commitment to service and the skills of leadership;
* Developing an international perspective;
* Nurturing a commitment to work toward a just and peaceful world;
* Developing a capacity and passion for life-long learning;
* Encouraging independence of thought and cooperative scholarship;
* Developing mastery of a field of concentration in the context of an interdisciplinary and broad general education.
Implicit in this statement of institutional purpose and goals are certain institutional values that guide the Gustavus community. These values are rooted in our distinctive heritage and help to define our community. They also help us to focus on appropriate objectives for our college, guide the selection of priorities among those objectives, and help to shape the strategies we will pursue in the face of various challenges and opportunities.
* Excellence -- First among our shared values is a commitment to excellence in all that we do. In the words of Eric Norelius, founder of the College, "Whatever we do, let us do it well."
* Community -- Gustavus prizes a pervasive sense of concern for every member of the College community. Civility, mutual respect, cooperation, shared governance, and caring have long been hallmarks of the College.
* Justice -- The College strives to be a just community in all of its actions and to educate its students for morally responsible lives. Relations within the College community are guided by high moral principles.
* Service -- The College places high value on service as an objective of life and of education. We embrace the biblical notion that true leadership expresses itself in service to others.
* Faith -- The conviction that religious faith enriches and completes learning, that it is the bedrock of community, ethics, and service, and compels one to excellence in a divinely ordered world - informs our whole enterprise.
Gustavus Adolphus College is a private liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in St. Peter, Minnesota.
The college was founded in Red Wing, Minnesota by Eric Norelius in 1862 and was originally named Minnesota Elementar Skola (Elementary School in Swedish). The school was moved to East Union, MN the following year. In 1865 on the 1,000th year anniversary of the death of St. Ansgar, "the Apostle of the North", the college was renamed and incorporated as St. Ansgar's Academy. In May 1873, the college was again renamed and reincorporated as Gustavus Adolphus Literary and Theological Institute in honor of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. On October 16, 1876, it opened as Gustavus Adolphus College in its new location in St. Peter, Minnesota. Gustavus is the oldest of several Lutheran colleges in Minnesota. It was founded as a college of the Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church. In 1962 it became a college of the Lutheran Church in America, when the Augustana Synod merged into that body. The Lutheran Church in American merged in 1988 to create the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Gustavus consistently ranks highly among U.S. liberal arts colleges, currently placed among the best 100 national liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report. Gustavus students choose from over 50 major subject areas, ranging from physics to religion to Scandinavian Studies. The College is lauded for its Writing Across the Curriculum program, which fosters strong writing skills in all academic disciplines. Since the 1980s Gustavus has had a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most prestigious academic honor society in the United States.
The vast majority of Gustavus' 2,700 students ("Gusties") live in residence at the College, in traditional dormitories, College-owned houses, and theme areas, such as the Carlson International Center and the Swedish House. Campus life is enhanced by the many musical ensembles which perform throughout the year, including the Gustavus Choir, Christ Chapel Choir, the Lucia Singers, the Gustavus Adolphus Symphony Orchestra, Gustavus Wind Orchestra, Jazz Band, etc. Theater is also a regular part of campus life and there are two art galleries on campus, the Hillstrom Museum of Art and the Schaefer Art Gallery.
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| Percent of Students International: | 1% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 83% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (Minnesota Intercollegiate Ath Conf) Basketball (Minnesota Intercollegiate Ath Conf) Baseball (Minnesota Intercollegiate Ath Conf) Track (Minnesota Intercollegiate Ath Conf) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 24,500 | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 25,765 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 365 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 2,854 | 18% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 3,425 | 30% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 8,524 | 98% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 3,368 | 70% | |
Any Aid: |
98% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 80% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 21% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 570, Math: 560 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 670, Math: 680 |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 99% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 23, Verbal: 23, Math: 23 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 28, Verbal: 29, Math: 28 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Required |
| High School GPA: | Required |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
