•AVERAGE: 69
The only Norbertine College in the world, St. Norbert College was founded in 1898 by the Premonstratensian order, a Catholic religious organization named for St. Norbert of Xanten, Bishop of Premontre. Though the school was originally founded just to train young men for the priesthood, by the mid 1950s St. Norbert had added college courses for laypeople and begun accepting women. Over the rest of the 20th century, SNC grew into a more traditional liberal arts college, earning national and regional recognition for their excellent academic and professional programs. Today, St. Norbert College is ranked among the top national liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report, and a top Midwestern regional college by the Princeton Review.
Academic Programs
St. Norbert offers 3 master’s degrees programs, but the vast majority of students are traditional-aged undergraduates, and St. Norbert operates primarily as a traditional liberal arts college. More than 40 degree programs are available to St. Norbert’s undergrads; some of the most popular are biology, education, communication and business (in fact, commerce was the first non-religious program for laypersons that St. Norbert offered). St. Norbert’s students benefit from the advantages of the small liberal arts college format, including small classes (an average of 19 students), a low 13:1 student:faculty ratio, and a faculty made up almost entirely of professionals with the highest degree in their field.The Norbertine tradition is deeply committed to community and service, and students at St. Norbert receive the highest quality of support. Three-quarters of students receive some form of scholarship or grant, while a quarter of students graduate with no student loan debt at all. St. Norbert’s freshman retention rate is 86%, a strong indication of student satisfaction, and the college has one of the highest 4-year graduation rates in the Midwest, as well as a 4-year graduation guarantee – tuition is waived for any student who meets benchmarks but cannot complete all of their credits in 4 years. With over 90% job and graduate school placement within 9 months, St. Norbert is clearly doing something right.
Student Life
St. Norbert is home to more than 2200 students, all but around 100 of whom are traditional-aged undergraduates; more than 80% live on-campus. That makes St. Norbert a very strong, close-knit community, built around the Norbertine faith in community and cooperation. More than 80 student organizations give St. Norbert’s students plenty to keep themselves occupied; around half of all students are members of groups, including 10 honor societies and nearly 20 musical groups and choirs. While around 40% of the student body is Catholic, students of all faiths are welcome and represented, along with nearly two dozen nations.The St. Norbert Green Knights compete in the NCAA Division III Midwest Conference, with more than a quarter of the student body taking part in 22 varsity sports. Another quarter of the student body competes in St. Norbert’s many intramural sports. Beyond competitive sports, one of the main activities in student life is community service, including the yearly “Into the Streets” community service effort, and the annual TRIPS alternative spring break service missions.