Our Students

Access to an affordable education is one of most pressing issues for today’s students. With both tuition and student loan debt rising, students are left to make difficult financial choices that impact them for years to come. That is why paying it forward and investing in Katies through gifts to scholarship funds can a make a big difference. Currently, St. Kate’s awards 300 named scholarships annually — a number we hope to double through LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence, starting with the inaugural awarding of the Oedbauer Family Scholarship this past year. Established by nursing alumna Rose Oedbauer Gustafson ’43 in honor of her parents and her three sisters — also St. Kate’s nursing alumnae — the Oedbauer Family Scholarship Fund continues the family’s legacy and helps a Katie claim their education. These scholarships increase student access to a St. Kate’s education while reducing their financial burden so they can complete their degrees and increase their earning power. Thanks to the generosity of Rose Oedbauer Gustafson and our many other investors, St. Kate’s median undergraduate student debt for 2019 graduates was $27,389 — less than one year’s tuition and lower than the Minnesota college nonprofit average of $28,046. Our deep gratitude to Rose and all of our donors!