Saint Johns University

Life at Saint John's is inseparable from its partnership with Saint Ben's and its extraordinary natural setting. The campus is located on 2,700 acres of woods and lakes, offering a serene, retreat-like environment distinct from an urban college experience. The student body is relatively small, with undergraduate enrollment around 1,413, which fosters a close-knit community. Campus life includes vibrant housing, dining options, and a wide array of clubs and activities shared between the two colleges. Students have access to shared social events, and the integrated model means the social scene is coeducational despite the single-gender residences. Facilities like the gym and study spaces receive positive mentions, and the campus church is noted for its beauty. While some student comments from its New York counterpart reference a active party scene and social challenges, the Minnesota experience is more defined by outdoor activities, campus events, and the rhythms of a residential liberal arts college in a pastoral setting.

Saint John's University demonstrates strong student outcomes, particularly in graduation rates. Data from the CSB+SJU partnership indicates a 91% graduation rate, significantly higher than the 68% average for Minnesota private colleges and the 73% rate for the partnership itself. For recent graduates, median earnings ten years after entry are robust. The university tracks success shortly after graduation, with one source noting that nearly 91 percent of a recent class at its New York counterpart was employed or continuing education within six months. These figures suggest a educational model that supports students through to degree completion and prepares them for next steps in their careers or further studies.

Making a Saint John's education affordable is a stated priority, with the university providing net price calculators to help families estimate their actual cost. A very high percentage of full-time beginning undergraduates receive some form of grant or scholarship aid. The financial aid program aims to reward academic merit and recognize demonstrated financial need. While the sources confirm a commitment to need-based aid, they do not specify if Saint John's has a policy of meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need or a "no-loan" policy where loans are eliminated from aid packages for qualifying students. Prospective students are encouraged to apply for aid and use the official calculators to understand their individual financial picture.

Saint John's University is singular for its monastic heritage and revolutionary gender-integrated model. It's not just a men's college next to a women's college; it's one academic program shared between two distinct, single-gender campuses—Saint John's for men and the College of Saint Benedict for women. This creates a unique dynamic where students live in single-gender residence halls but share every other aspect of college life: classes, dining halls, clubs, and social events. The setting is equally distinctive: a 2,700-acre arboretum campus with multiple lakes, offering a contemplative, outdoor-oriented lifestyle rarely found in higher education. Academically, it blends a classic Benedictine liberal arts core—emphasizing community, service, and intellectual inquiry—with unexpectedly strong pipelines in business and the sciences. It's for the student who wants the brotherhood and tradition of a men's college, but with the full, integrated social and academic life of a coed institution, all wrapped in the quiet majesty of the Minnesota northwoods.