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Education

Rice County is characterized by an unusually educated workforce. In part this can credited to the presence of three colleges within the county. The city of Northfield is home to both Carleton and St. Olaf, and South Central College has its main campus in Faribault.

Carleton College is a four year private liberal arts college with a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,018. It is highly ranked for its academic rigor and resides on 955 acres of rural land that abuts historic downtown Northfield. The college offers 40 undergraduate majors and is famous for its Goodsell Observatory. Notable alumni include Anthony Downs, author of An Economics Theory of Democracy, and former Supreme Court Justice Pierce Butler. For more information visit https://www.carleton.edu/
 

St. Olaf College is also located in Northfield and is home to 3,179 undergraduate students. The campus is residential with over 300 acres of rural and conservation lands. The school was founded by Norwegian immigrants and the college continues to embrace this heritage. More than one-third of the students participate in St. Olaf’s vaunted music programs. Notable alumni include Al Quie, former governor of Minnesota, Jay Gatsby, the fictional character from the novel The Great Gatsby, and Betty White’s character in The Golden Girls. For more information visit http://stolaf.edu/

South Central College is a two-year technical school. It currently offers over 50 quality programs to a little over 15,000 students annually. The curriculum includes traditional, online, and evening degree completion opportunities. For more information visit http://www.southcentral.edu/