Gustavus Adolphus College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans led by Eric Norelius and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It was named for Gustavus Adolphus, the King of Sweden from 1611 to 1632. Its residential campus includes a 125-acre arboretum.
History Founding
in 1862, Eric Norelius founded the college's predecessor, a Lutheran parochial school in Red Wing. It offered classes for grade-school children; collegiate courses were not offered until nearly a decade later, but the college uses the earlier date as the year it was founded.
Originally named Minnesota Elementarskola (elementary school in Swedish), it moved the following year to East Union, an unincorporated town in Dahlgren Township. In 1865, on the 1,000th anniversary of the death of St. Ansgar, known as the "Apostle of the North", the institution was renamed and incorporated as St. Ansgar's Academy.
Renaming
In April 1873, the college was to be renamed Gustavus Adolphus Literary & Theological Institute in honor of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden once the final location and buildings were secured. A delegation of residents from St. Peter won favor from the founders to relocate there as a result of an economic crisis and the town's offer of $10,000 and donation of acreage for a larger campus.
Courses were initially to start in 1875, but slow progress on constructing the first campus building, Old Main, delayed the opening. On October 16, 1876, Gustavus Adolphus College opened at the location it has today. It is the oldest of several Lutheran colleges founded in Minnesota. It was founded as a college of the Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church. In 1962, it became affiliated with the Lutheran Church in America when the Augustana Synod merged into that body. The Lutheran Church in America merged in 1988 to create the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
World War II During World War II, Gustavus Adolphus College was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program, which offered students a path to a Navy commission.
Founding of the Nobel Conference The annual Nobel Conference was established in the mid-1960s when college officials asked the Nobel Foundation for permission to name the new science building the Alfred Nobel Hall of Science as a memorial to the Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel. Permission was granted, and the facility's dedication ceremony in 1963 included officials from the Nobel Foundation and 26 Nobel Laureates. Following the 1963 Nobel Prize ceremonies in Stockholm, college representatives met with Nobel Foundation officials, asking them to endorse an annual science conference at the college and to allow the use of the Nobel name to establish credibility and high standards. The foundation granted the request at the urging of several prominent Nobel laureates, and the first conference was held at the college in January 1965.
Presidents
Eric Norelius, 1862–63, Founder Andrew Jackson, principal 1863–73, acting principal 1874–76 John J. Frodeen, principal 1873–74 Jonas P. Nyquist, 1876–81 Matthias Wahlstrom, 1881–1904 Peter A. Mattson, 1904–11 Jacob P. Uhler, acting president 1911–1913, 1927 Oscar J. "O.J." Johnson, 1913–42 Walter Lunden, 1942–43 O.A. Winfield, acting president 1943–44 Edgar M. Carlson, 1944–1968 Albert Swanson, acting president 1968–69 Frank Barth, 1969–75 Edward A. Lindell, 1975–80 Abner W. Arthur, acting president 1980–81 John S. Kendall, 1981–91 Axel D. Steuer, 1991–2002 Dennis J. Johnson, interim president 2002–03 James L. Peterson, 2003–08 Jack Ohle, 2008–14 Rebecca M. Bergman, 2014–2025 John C. Volin, 2025–present
Relationship with Sweden Gustavus Adolphus College has active ties with Sweden. Gustavus students are encouraged to travel and work there. Gustavus has active exchange programs with various universities in Sweden, including Uppsala University, Lund University, and Stockholm University. The college shares a long history and close relationship with the Swedish Royal Court. Alumni have been active in the Swedish government and royal advisory board. The first visit of a Swedish monarch in 1976 to the United States included a visit to Gustavus College. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia visited Gustavus in 2012, and the most recent visit from the Swedish royal family was in 2024.
Academics The Gustavus Adolphus College curriculum aims to "prepare students for fulfilling lives of leadership and service in society." Students choose from over 70 programs of study with 75 majors in 25 academic departments and three interdisciplinary programs (including 17 honors majors), ranging from physics to religion to Scandinavian studies. Gustavus has been among the top 10 liberal arts institutions nationally as the baccalaureate origin of physics PhDs. The college has 170 faculty, of whom 94% are tenure-track. The student-to-faculty ratio is 11:1, creating an average class size of approximately 15. The college's Writing Across the Curriculum program fosters writing skills in all academic disciplines. Since 1983, the college has had a chapter of the academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa. Its most popular majors, by 2021 graduates, were: Psychology (66) Biology/Biological Sciences (52) Business/Commerce (43) Speech Communication and Rhetoric (36) Education (31) Political Science and Government (30) English Language and Literature (29) Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (29) Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness(27)
Gustavus Adolphus College alumni have won Fulbright, Goldwater, Marshall, Rhodes, Truman, National Science Foundation, and NCAA Postgraduate fellowships and scholarships.
In 2015, the college successfully applied for the voluntary Carnegie classification of "community-engaged".
Rankings
In 2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked Gustavus 67th in the national liberal arts college category. In 2023, Gustavus ranked number 1 in Minnesota in various rankings, including public and private universities. In 2017, U.S. News & World Report ranked it 77th in the national liberal arts college category and 45th in the Best Value Schools category.
The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education college rankings placed Gustavus 48th on its list of the top 100 U.S. liberal arts colleges in 2017, third among Minnesota private colleges. Gustavus placed 140th out of 1,061 institutions measured, including public and private colleges.
The 2016 edition of the Washington Monthly college rankings placed Gustavus 58th among liberal arts colleges. The 2024 edition ranked Gustavus 18th among 194 liberal arts colleges in the U.S. based on its contribution to the public good, as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service.
In 2016, Gustavus ranked 74th of 705 colleges and universities in Money magazine. The college also ranked 23rd on the magazine's list of the 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges.
The New York Times ranked Gustavus No. 35 in the United States in their third annual College Access Index of Top Colleges.
Admissions
In 2016, U.S. News & World Report classified Gustavus Adolphus College as more selective in its National Liberal Arts Ranking. To increase student enrollment, Gustavus offers an expenses-paid "Gustavus Fly-In Program" to US citizens and permanent residents. In 2014, the school had an acceptance rate of 61.1%.
The average ACT score in the middle 50% of enrolled students was between 24 and 30; 78% presented the ACT as part of their applications. The average SAT score in the middle 50% of enrolled students was 590–680 for math and 555–690 for reading; 11% of students submitted the SAT as part of their applications. Gustavus is a test-optional admissions policy college, reaffirming its commitment to holistic admissions. A student's coursework is the most important factor in admission. The average high school GPA for incoming first-year students was 3.67.
In 2017, Gustavus expanded scholarship funding for high-achieving students with a cumulative high school grade point average of 3.9 or above and an average composite ACT score of 32–36.
Campus The college's first building in St. Peter, affectionately known as Old Main, originally housed the entire college. The campus, known as The Hill, comprises 340 landscaped acres and features science facilities, computer and language labs, and a large dining facility. The campus includes 33 sculptures by the late Minnesota sculptor Paul Granlund, an alumnus of the college who for many years was sculptor-in-residence.
Every tree indigenous to Minnesota is grown in The Arboretum at Gustavus. In 2009, students founded Big Hill Farm, which grows produce for the cafeteria and aims to connect the campus to sustainable agriculture. In the fall of 2011, a new social science center, Beck Hall, opened on campus.
Notable buildings Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library Alfred Nobel Hall of Science O.J. Johnson Student Union Lund Center (Athletic complex featuring Gus Young Court and Don Roberts Ice Arena) Hillstrom Museum of Art, notable for its collection of American art from the Ashcan School The Arboretum at Gustavus Adolphus College "Old Main" – National Register of Historic Places C. Charles Jackson Campus Center Over 30 Paul Granlund sculptures
Old Main
"Old Main" was the first building erected at Gustavus Adolphus College. Its cornerstone was laid on August 12, 1875."The Dedication of 'Old Main': the fiftieth anniversary." Gustavus Adolphus College, 1926. Print. Contracted to O. N. Ostrom and constructed from Kasota limestone, the total cost of the building was estimated at $25,000. Old Main was completed in 1876 and dedicated on October 31. Originally called the School Building, as more buildings were erected, it became known as the Main Building and by 1905 as Old Main.
The building was heated by wood stoves and housed the entire college in the institution's first years. It originally contained several classrooms, sleeping quarters for students, faculty, and the president, and a kitchen, dining room, chapel, library, and museum."Dedication Ceremony: on the occasion of the renovation of the Old Main building." Gustavus Adolphus College, 2005. Print. Until 1920, it was tradition for seniors to gather on the building's roof for a sunrise breakfast the morning of commencement.
On its 50th anniversary in 1926, Old Main underwent a renovation from funds provided by the Minnesota Conference. The 1998 tornado destroyed much of the Gustavus campus and damaged Old Main's bell tower. In 2005, another renovation was completed; the building now houses the Office of the Chaplains and the religion, political science, philosophy, and classics departments.
A famous ghost story surrounding Old Main is the tale of former Chaplain Richard Elvee of two deceased Gustavus security officers, Harley and Barney, occasionally wandering its halls. At the same time, he composed his sermons on Sunday mornings.Freiert, William K. "Old Main Rededication Remarks." Rededication of Old Main. October 8, 2005. Print.
Christ Chapel
Christ Chapel is a church in the center of Gustavus Adolphus College. Constructed from March 2, 1959, to fall 1961, the chapel was dedicated on January 7, 1962. Its construction was made possible by gifts from the congregations of the Lutheran Augustana Synod, a predecessor body of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which is affiliated with the college. Ecumenical services are held each weekday and Sunday during the academic year. There is seating for 1,500 people in the chapel, 1,200 on the main floor, and 300 on the balcony. It is the largest seating area on campus.
The chapel and surrounding grounds are adorned by the sculptures of Paul T. Granlund, the former artist-in-residence at Gustavus Adolphus College.