More selective than 100% of Minnesota colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $84,893. College Scorecard.
Higher than 100% of Minnesota colleges we cover and 96% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 95% of Minnesota colleges we cover and 90% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Carleton College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 6,464 applicants, Carleton College admitted 1,440 and 538 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1450–1560 on the SAT or 32–34 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Carleton College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Carleton College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Carleton College took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Minnesota. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $7,881 | $32,391 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $8,203 | $33,714 | under 1 year |
| $48–75k | $9,680 | $39,785 | 1.1 years |
| $75–110k | $18,485 | $75,973 | 2.0 years |
| $110k+ | $44,082 | $181,177 | 4.9 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (83% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($75,525) minus $38,184 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MN (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $37,341 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Carleton College majors, earnings & careers
Carleton College offers 35 bachelor's majors across 7 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 12
- Science & Math · 8
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Arts & Design · 5
- Business & Finance · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
- Trades & Applied Technology · 1
Highest-earning majors at Carleton College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Economics | $87,193 | $19,500 |
| Political Science | $53,975 | $19,000 |
Quick list of all 35 majors
- Archeology—
- Area Studies—
- Biology—
- Chemistry—
- Classics—
- Cognitive Science—
- Computer Science—
- Dance—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics$87,193
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- History—
- International Relations—
- Linguistics—
- Mathematics—
- Music—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$53,975
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Research)—
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Sciences, Other—
- Sociology and Anthropology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Statistics—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Transportation and Materials Moving, Other—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 6.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Computer Science → Software developer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Northfield
2 bedrooms $1,226.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 35 inches of rain a year, 43 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Rice County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Rice County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Carleton College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Minnesota by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carleton College | 20% | $25,407 | 90% | $75,525 | This school |
| Macalester College | 29% | $32,149 | 87% | $63,878 | |
| St Olaf College | 48% | $23,874 | 84% | $65,543 | |
| Crown College | 23% | $26,672 | 45% | $48,057 | |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | 61% | $22,900 | 77% | $65,607 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Carleton College would cost you $6,742 less per year than Macalester College, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Carleton College, mostly from higher housing & meal costs (+$1,233).
- Carleton College gives aided families $8,644 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Minnesota resident | Carleton College | Macalester College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $68,892 | $68,104 | +$788 |
| Books & supplies | $938 | $926 | +$12 |
| Housing & meals | $16,710 | $15,477 | +$1,233 |
| Personal & travel | $1,788 | $1,680 | +$108 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,435 | −$3,196 | −$239 |
| Sticker price | $84,893 | $82,991 | +$1,902 |
| Average grants | −$59,486 | −$50,842 | −$8,644 |
| You pay | $25,407 | $32,149 | −$6,742 |
“+” means Carleton College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Carleton College
What is the Carleton College acceptance rate?
Carleton College accepts 20% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,440 of 6,464 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1450–1560 on the SAT or 32–34 on the ACT.
How much does Carleton College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $84,893 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $25,407 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $7,881 and families earning $110k+ pay $44,082.
How much do Carleton College graduates earn?
Former Carleton College students earn a median $75,525 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Carleton College graduation rate?
90% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 96% return for their second year.
How long does a Carleton College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Carleton College costs about $39,785 after grants ($9,680 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $75,525 ten years after starting, $37,341 more than high school graduates in Minnesota ($38,184), so the cost is repaid in 1.1 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Carleton College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/carleton-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).