St. Olaf has been a residential campus since its founding, usually requiring students to live on-campus. However, there are some limited opportunities to live off-campus, and the students who chose to do so are receiving a unique experience compared to other Oles.
To live off-campus, students must typically fall into one of five housing exemption categories: be 23 years of age or older on or before Dec. 31, have a parent or guardian living within 45 miles from St. Olaf, have completed all major requirements before the first day of fall semester, be a married student, or be a custodial parent. The majority of students do not fall into these categories.
“Being residential fosters connections with peers, staff, and faculty,” Associate Dean of Students for Residence Life Christopher Medley said in an email interview with The Olaf Messenger. “Having cohorts is important for the social and intellectual life of students and the College.”
During the 2024-25 academic year, Residence Life expanded opportunities for off-campus living. Lucy Bock ’26 obtained an off-campus house through the Neighbors with Neighbors program. Neighbors with Neighbors — developed as a partnership between Residence Life and Academic Civic Engagement — allows students to live off-campus if they engage in a volunteering project within Rice County.
“I’m partnered with the Northfield Retirement Community,” Bock said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “St. Olaf [Residence Life] has been flexible in what counts for volunteering — Project Friendship counts, student teaching counts, internships count — it just has to be in Rice County.”
Another off-campus living opportunity is Ole Loop, a community of college-owned residential houses. Students in these houses receive the off-campus lifestyle while still adhering to college housing policies. For Sophie Smith ’26, living in Ole Loop has come with unexpected lessons.
“Having a community right near us and learning to live together has been an experience that will continue to shape how I live with other people in the future,” Smith said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “On the other side of things … [Residence Life] hadn’t stepped into the house prior to us moving in, and we have worked with them to fix our shower tiles, tear up allergen-filled carpet, and learned all about radon with the implementation of a radon mitigation system.”
The pros and cons of off-campus living can alter students’ relationships with the campus community.
“There’s more autonomy in the space that we’re living in — it really feels like a home, and I think that’s something that a house curates in a way that a dorm can’t,” Bock said. “But sometimes, I feel slightly removed from campus life … I have to be more intentional about seeing people, otherwise it’s easy to get stuck in that off-campus bubble.”
More information about off-campus housing can be found on Residence Life’s website.
