Hamline University — Attraction in Saint Paul

The administration is trying to squeeze as much money out of you as the quality of education diminishes. They advertise a 12:1 student to faculty ration - but that's insidiously false advertising. Class sizes are never that small. I'm entering my senior year where one would expect to see some of those smaller, closer knit classes where a professor could give extra attention, but I'm now stuck in two separate classrooms designed for 18 students but have 23 people in them. Besides the fact that it's a really uncomfortable learning experience and probably a fire code violation, what really puts crud in my maw is that these are writing classes where I'm supposed to be getting workshopped, but both professors have apologized, saying with the number of people in the class it's just not feasible.

So now my education (that I'm putting a pretty penny toward and going into debt for) is being compromised because of overstuffing. I'm beginning to feel like the students here are looked at like cattle. And this isn't like some protocapitalist-consumerist "then give your money to some other institution" type situation. I've invested into this place with the expectation (advertised by Hamline) of being rewarded by them, with - at the very least - a quality education. It's not easy to transfer schools, especially this late in the game, especially without it costing money and time.

Pair the diminishing classroom experience with the fact that we're entering our second week of the Spring semester and I still haven't received my books from the bookstore. This isn't just me; it's about a third of the student body who are still bookless. Why is this happening? Well, they're spending all this money moving the bookstore to a new renovated space. I'm seeing all this superfluous spending on fancy new buildings while the basic needs of the students are not being met.

Pair the bookless situation with the fact that Hamline started charging us for J-term even though I enrolled under the belief (again, advertised by Hamline) that winter-terms were including in our tuition - making graduating on-time that much more difficult and expensive. I believe that at the very least Hamline should've "grandfathered" in existing students, thus making good on the promises they made. Truly I believe this is a litigious offence. Class action lawsuit, anyone?

Pair the charging of J-term with the fact that last semester, Hamline dropped a class I was enrolled in just 13 days before it began! I'm a non-traditional student, a single dad with two kids who have school schedules and a job of my own, but after they dropped the class Hamline offered alternative classes they figured would work. Well, guess what? None of these classes worked with the schedule I had planned out. At this point, any grant money for getting child-support was long gone. So my credit load dropped to 12 instead of 16; Minnesota grants require 15 credits to be considered a full-time student, so I lost over thousand dollars in grant money because of Hamline's mistake. I figured Hamline could reimburse the money I lost in grant money, or perhaps reimburse me just this once for a J-term class. In the end, they said sorry, the alternatives they offered were good enough, and that because student enrollment in the J-terms were still good even though they are now charging nearly three thousand dollars for one, that they couldn't help.

It’s one thing after the other that have piled up. It’s not the professors’ fault. Most of my experience with them have been extremely positive. It’s just that fact that underneath all of that, there is this beast that only cares about the bottom-line, and that bottom-line is not our education. To be clear, I’m not some slacker who is upset because he failed some courses. I’m on the Dean’s list and have only gotten As since I’ve been here… well okay, one A- in stats. Maybe classes and grading are getting too easy because of exterior pressures to have students graduate instead of learn? That’s another subject...

This is a business and a business only. Education and students are not the aim of this institution. I am a current student here at Hamline University and have had many negative experiences at this college. I have approximately 1 year left before graduating from my program. I am solely here for my degree. The campus is not African American friendly, the college does not include us students in any of their decisions made that directly impact us, and when we bring our issues and concerns to the Dean Of Students, we are dismissed, ignored and avoided. All of this information has already been communicated to those at the college and I am still being dismissed, ignored and avoided. Hamline University is well known for their association with the law school. The dismantling of the Department of Education at a federal level is not something that any college should be silent about. Hamline is choosing to stay silent and in doing so is complicit in the actions taken by the current White House administration. The African American community has always been disenfranchised and unsupported by this nation. During this time in April of 2025, college campuses are the target of many violent events and illegal abductions of students. Despite Hamline University having the opportunity to speak out, protect their entire student body and be on the side of morality, the opposite is being done. I am being ignored and avoided by Hamline University. Sad to say I’m not the only student that has had this experience with this institution, just 1 of many. It is difficult to speak on matters like this for many reasons. It’s more difficult to pretend all is well. I don’t recommend anyone attend Hamline. But especially anyone that is African American. I feel unsupported, unheard and as though I’m just a number. It is eye opening to see that Hamline is not demonstrating what they claim to stand for. The lack of action does not support diversity, equity or inclusion. The lack of action is a direct reflection of the lack of value Hamline has for students. Everyone has choices. And choices made reflect what is valued. (Initial post in may 2025)

Update 10/22/25 I chose to withdraw and finish my paralegal program at a different institution. Despite the school shootings this year, Hamline has failed to prioritize student safety. All external doors are unlocked, with the exception with a random few that are locked. Anybody can come onto and into campus and it’s extremely dangerous. The complete lack of care for the physical safety of students while on campus (mind you, these are young adults, a very vulnerable demographic) is dangerous. The college has the physical security there as in card swipers for access to be granted yet they aren’t being utilized. What’s the point of having student ids that can be programmed to grant access at the buildings when they aren’t being utilized?? Microaggressions are aplenty here from professors. Good luck to those that...

I just read Noah Tilsen's review. I do not have any children of my own, but my experience at Hamline University was eerily similar. With the student worker position I had ( the wage is an insult and no one at working at McDonald's deserves $15 an hour if an educated male who has lived here since 1978 can't be allowed to use his bachelor's degree for anything more than a $10 an hour job, which is what I've subsisted on since I graduated in the spring of 2012. ), I saw how Hamline does not work. Microsoft updates rule your future, kids. Books are rarely on time. The HVAC infrastructre is a disaster. How do I know that? I applied for a pipe fitting apprenticeship program, and ultimately decided on Hamline after I was turned away from a blue collar future. Thankfully, that dolt Linda Hanson is gone. That woman belongs in jail, and I would be more than happy to be the one that slaps the cuffs on her. Her job while President was to raise funds for the University. She raised zero dollars while her and her entourage sat around like our do-nothing Congress, collecting a check. The most interesting professors I met here had not yet achieved tenure. Do you honestly think Hamline doesn't mess over the faculty also? I watched the construction of that orange abomination facing Snelling Avenue, and never even set foot inside it once. I like to have two bricks from it so I can tie them to Donald Trump's ankles and throw him off the Lafayette Bridge because you're not getting any money from me until I feel that I can make a reasonable payment while maintaining an acceptable standard of living. Having been homeless for a portion of 2016, I take great offense with any institution that allocates funding foreign exchange students regardless of their altruistic intent. A 40 year old resident of the area can't afford to live with his paltry Bachelor's Degree and a small sea of mostly female students thrives while giggling over their locally sourced coffee? If you think absolutely nothing is wrong with that picture, you need to experience fear as I have. If you are reading this and have ever wondered recently if you're too comfortable, the answer is 'yes'. Experience some discomfort and make it so that I'm not ashamed to be lurking among you. I am not proud of you, Minnesotans. All creeds. All colors. ...