Gustavus Adolphus College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Gustavus Adolphus College, a private college in Minnesota, reports a 61% acceptance rate and sits in the moderately selective band. In practice that means it admits more applicants than it rejects, so a strong application is judged against an applicant pool that is already self-selected.
Use this page to see what Gustavus Adolphus College weighs, where it ranks among Minnesota schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1300, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at Gustavus Adolphus College?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Gustavus Adolphus College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Gustavus Adolphus College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Gustavus Adolphus College?
Your odds at Gustavus Adolphus College are not the same as its 61% acceptance rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Gustavus Adolphus College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Gustavus Adolphus College hard to get into?
Gustavus Adolphus College is moderately selective: it admits more applicants than it rejects, with about a 61% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into Gustavus Adolphus College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Gustavus Adolphus College, but admitted students often present roughly a 3.2 to 3.7 GPA. Gustavus Adolphus College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
What SAT score do you need for Gustavus Adolphus College?
Gustavus Adolphus College does not publish a required score, but the admitted-student 75th-percentile SAT is around 1300. A score at or above that range strengthens your application, while a lower score puts more weight on your rigor, activities, and essays. CollegeCalcAI shows how your exact score shifts your odds at Gustavus Adolphus College.
Your chances at Gustavus Adolphus College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Gustavus Adolphus College for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Gustavus Adolphus College with a 3.1 GPA and a 1240 SAT?
About 72% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1240 SAT, the middle of Gustavus Adolphus College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1300 SAT comes out near 91%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/gustavus-adolphus-college.
How to get into Gustavus Adolphus College
Built from Gustavus Adolphus College's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
There is no formula that guarantees a spot at Gustavus Adolphus College, but the applicants who get in tend to do the same four things. Here is what the numbers say each one looks like.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Gustavus Adolphus College carries about a 3.33 core GPA and a 1250 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
Gustavus Adolphus College rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: essays that sound like you and answer the actual prompt, and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
An early application signals interest and gets your file read before the pool fills. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Gustavus Adolphus College's exact dates at gustavus.edu.
How many students apply to Gustavus Adolphus College, and how many get in?
Gustavus Adolphus College admitted 2,750 of the 4,450 students who applied for fall 2023, which works out to 61.8%. 499 enrolled. Only about 18% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. Gustavus Adolphus College enrolls about 1,878 undergraduates in total, 53% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 12 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Gustavus Adolphus College?
On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 24 to 30. Gustavus Adolphus College is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Gustavus Adolphus College looks for
What Gustavus Adolphus College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
The factors that carry the most weight at Gustavus Adolphus College are rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Gustavus Adolphus College's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Gustavus Adolphus College
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Gustavus Adolphus College cost after financial aid?
Gustavus Adolphus College's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $67,613 per year. Tuition and fees alone are $56,076. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $22,900 a year, and it ranges from $12,015 for families earning under $30,000 to $29,674 for families earning over $110,000. 21% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Gustavus Adolphus College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Ten years after enrolling, the median Gustavus Adolphus College student who received federal aid earns $65,607 a year, up from $51,546 at six years. 77% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 88% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $26,774; 54% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Gustavus Adolphus College compares in Minnesota
Gustavus Adolphus College ranks #8 most selective of 23 schools in Minnesota in our database.
Among the 23 Minnesota schools we track, Gustavus Adolphus College ranks #8 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like Carleton College (20%) and Crown College (23%) sit nearby, which makes Minnesota a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Gustavus Adolphus College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Applicants targeting Gustavus Adolphus College often weigh Kentucky Christian University, Hampton University, and Queens University of Charlotte, which sit at a similar level. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Gustavus Adolphus College's acceptance rate?
Gustavus Adolphus College admitted 2,750 of 4,450 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 61.8% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 18% of admitted students enrolled.
Is Gustavus Adolphus College test-optional?
Yes. Gustavus Adolphus College reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Gustavus Adolphus College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Gustavus Adolphus College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $22,900 a year against a sticker price of about $67,613. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $12,015 on average.
What do Gustavus Adolphus College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Gustavus Adolphus College are $65,607 a year among students who received federal aid, and 77% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Gustavus Adolphus College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Gustavus Adolphus College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Gustavus Adolphus College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Gustavus Adolphus College's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Gustavus Adolphus College?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Gustavus Adolphus College specifically.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.