Hamline vs St. Catherine: Softball Program Comparison

Two D3 programs in the MIAC. St. Catherine graduates 7 points more of its students.

Which one is right for you?

Neither school is better in the abstract — they are better for different athletes. These are the differences big enough to actually decide on.

Lean Hamline if…

  • On the figures we hold, Hamline does not lead St. Catherine on any measure above. If you are choosing between them, the deciding factors are the ones no table holds: how the staff talks to you, where you would sit on the depth chart, and whether you would want to be there without softball.

Lean St. Catherine if…

  • Finishing the degree is the priority: St. Catherine graduates 7 percentage points more of its students than Hamline.

What it costs to go there

Published sticker price from IPEDS. Almost nobody pays it — athletic, academic and need-based aid all come off the top — but the gap between two schools is a fair read on the gap between two offers.

What it costs to go there: Hamline compared with St. Catherine
MeasureHamlineSt. Catherine
Tuition & feesBoth schools charge one rate regardless of residency.$48,311$49,758
Room & board$12,030$11,636 St. Catherine leads on this measure: lower room & board
Est. year, all inTuition & fees plus room & board. Excludes books, travel and any aid.$60,341$61,394

What you leave with

Federal College Scorecard figures for all students at the institution, not softball players specifically. Read them as a signal about the degree, not about the program.

What you leave with: Hamline compared with St. Catherine
MeasureHamlineSt. Catherine
Graduation rate58%65% St. Catherine leads on this measure: higher share of students finishing their degree
Median earnings, 10 years after entry$61,106/yr$59,282/yr
Median debt at graduation$23,770$24,181
Debt as a share of year-10 payMedian debt divided by median earnings 10 years after entry. Lower is easier to pay back.39% Hamline leads on this measure: debt is a smaller share of what graduates earn41%

Getting in, and what you'd walk into

Admissions and size. A coach can support your file, but at most schools they cannot admit you — the academic profile below is the bar you still have to clear.

Getting in, and what you'd walk into: Hamline compared with St. Catherine
MeasureHamlineSt. Catherine
Admission rateLower means more selective — harder to get in, but not automatically the better fit.88%92%
Total enrollmentNeither is better — it is the difference between a lecture hall and a seminar table.2,4323,533
Where it isSaint Paul, MNSaint Paul, MN

The softball program itself

Division and conference set the ceiling; the postseason record and staff tell you what the program has actually done with it.

The softball program itself: Hamline compared with St. Catherine
MeasureHamlineSt. Catherine
Head coachJim RubbelkeColleen Powers

How you actually get in front of them

Camps and questionnaires are the two channels a recruit controls. Where a program runs its own camp, that camp is usually the shortest path to being evaluated by the staff that would recruit you.

How you actually get in front of them: Hamline compared with St. Catherine
MeasureHamlineSt. Catherine
Recruiting questionnaireYes
Program on X / InstagramYes

Scholarship money, honestly

Both programs sit at NCAA Division III, so the scholarship rules are identical: 0 (no athletic scholarships). There are no athletic scholarships at D3 — by rule. But D3 schools often award generous academic merit and need-based aid that can rival an athletic scholarship elsewhere.

How D3 softball scholarships actually work →

What to do about it this week

Questionnaires are exempt from NCAA contact-date rules, so you can submit one at any age. Do both, then follow with a short email to each staff.

Hamline

Open the recruiting questionnaire

Camps we track

None listed right now. Camp schedules go up through the winter — check the program's own site before ruling it out.

St. Catherine

Find the recruiting questionnaire

We do not hold a verified form link for this program — this opens a search.

Camps we track

None listed right now. Camp schedules go up through the winter — check the program's own site before ruling it out.

Hamline vs St. Catherine: common questions

Is Hamline or St. Catherine cheaper?
Published cost is effectively the same — about $60,341 a year in tuition and housing at both, before any aid. Cost is unlikely to be what decides this one.
Which school graduates more of its students, Hamline or St. Catherine?
St. Catherine, at 65% against 58% at Hamline (IPEDS, 2023-24). That is the whole student body, not the softball roster.
Do Hamline and St. Catherine offer softball scholarships?
Both play at NCAA Division III: 0 (no athletic scholarships). There are no athletic scholarships at D3 — by rule. But D3 schools often award generous academic merit and need-based aid that can rival an athletic scholarship elsewhere.
How do I contact the coaches at Hamline and St. Catherine?
Hamline runs a recruiting questionnaire — submit it first, since questionnaires are exempt from NCAA contact-date rules. For St. Catherine, we do not hold a verified form link, so start from the program page and email the staff directly.

Cost, graduation and enrollment figures from IPEDS (U.S. Dept. of Education, 2023-24). Earnings, debt and admission rates from the federal College Scorecard. Postseason results from the NCAA Division I softball tournament records, 2021-2026. Rankings from NCAA.com and U.S. News & World Report. Figures describe the institution, not the softball roster.

We work hard to keep all data for Hamline and St. Catherine accurate and up-to-date, but we sometimes miss changes or get something wrong.

Still deciding between them?

Track both programs, log every coach you contact, and see where you actually stand against each one's recruiting profile.

Start free

Other comparisons worth making