The 25 Most Desirable Rural Schools

With its 300-acre campus along the banks of the Cannon River in Northfield, Minnesota, St. Olaf College lands on Newsweek’s list of most desirable rural colleges at No. 22. About 96 percent of students live on campus in one of 11 residence halls or 18 academic and special-interest group houses.
 
Founded in 1874, St. Olaf is a private liberal arts college in the Lutheran tradition, with a mission of developing “the whole person in mind, body and spirit.” Enrollment in the fall of 2009 was 3,099 and consisted of 55 percent women. St. Olaf reports that 87 percent of its student body graduates within six years.
 
Tuition for the 2010–2011 school year is $45,300, and in the 2008–2009 school year, the most recent year data was available, 83 percent of St. Olaf’s students received financial aid.