More selective than 94% 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 $82,991. College Scorecard.
Higher than 97% of Minnesota colleges we cover and 94% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 73% of Minnesota colleges we cover and 78% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Macalester College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 8,099 applicants, Macalester College admitted 2,285 and 518 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1350–1510 on the SAT or 30–34 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Macalester 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 Macalester College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Macalester 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 | $13,772 | $56,603 | 2.2 years |
| $30–48k | $11,982 | $49,246 | 1.9 years |
| $48–75k | $11,098 | $45,613 | 1.8 years |
| $75–110k | $20,527 | $84,366 | 3.3 years |
| $110k+ | $44,880 | $184,457 | 7.2 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (82% 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 ($63,878) minus $38,184 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MN (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $25,694 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.
Macalester College majors, earnings & careers
Macalester College offers 38 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 17
- Science & Math · 7
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 6
- Arts & Design · 3
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Business & Finance · 1
- Communications & Media · 1
- Education · 1
Highest-earning majors at Macalester College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $109,457 | $20,829 |
| Mathematics | $91,979 | $22,483 |
| Economics | $85,593 | $24,000 |
| Political Science | $58,555 | $23,250 |
| Biology | $56,141 | $21,500 |
| International / Global Studies | $56,091 | $23,324 |
| Geography | $52,557 | $19,049 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $45,632 | $19,000 |
Quick list of all 38 majors
- Anthropology—
- Area Studies—
- Biology$56,141
- Chemistry—
- Classics—
- Communications—
- Computational Science—
- Computer and Information Sciences$109,457
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics$85,593
- Education—
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation$45,632
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Geography$52,557
- Geography and Environmental Studies—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- History—
- Intercultural / Multicultural and Diversity Studies—
- International / Global Studies$56,091
- Linguistics—
- Mathematics$91,979
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Neuroscience—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$58,555
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Research)—
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Writing—
— 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 →Biology → Biological technician
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Computer and Information Sciences → 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 Minneapolis
Overall prices in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,734. Housing costs 12% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 33 inches of rain a year, 40 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Ramsey County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Ramsey County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Macalester 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macalester College | 29% | $32,149 | 87% | $63,878 | This school |
| Carleton College | 20% | $25,407 | 90% | $75,525 | |
| St Olaf College | 48% | $23,874 | 84% | $65,543 | |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | 61% | $22,900 | 77% | $65,607 | |
| Bethany Lutheran College | 39% | $20,148 | 55% | $46,110 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Macalester College would cost you $6,742 more per year than Carleton College, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Macalester College, mostly from lower housing & meal costs (−$1,233).
- Carleton College gives aided families $8,644 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Minnesota resident | Macalester College | Carleton College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $68,104 | $68,892 | −$788 |
| Books & supplies | $926 | $938 | −$12 |
| Housing & meals | $15,477 | $16,710 | −$1,233 |
| Personal & travel | $1,680 | $1,788 | −$108 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,196 | −$3,435 | +$239 |
| Sticker price | $82,991 | $84,893 | −$1,902 |
| Average grants | −$50,842 | −$59,486 | +$8,644 |
| You pay | $32,149 | $25,407 | +$6,742 |
“+” means Macalester 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 Macalester College
What is the Macalester College acceptance rate?
Macalester College accepts 29% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 2,285 of 8,099 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1350–1510 on the SAT or 30–34 on the ACT.
How much does Macalester College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $82,991 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $32,149 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $13,772 and families earning $110k+ pay $44,880.
How much do Macalester College graduates earn?
Former Macalester College students earn a median $63,878 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Macalester College graduation rate?
87% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 92% return for their second year.
How long does a Macalester College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Macalester College costs about $45,613 after grants ($11,098 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $63,878 ten years after starting, $25,694 more than high school graduates in Minnesota ($38,184), so the cost is repaid in 1.8 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
Is Macalester College the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing Macalester College with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.
Build my free reportCheck my chances of getting inWe never share your contact information.
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: “Macalester College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/macalester-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).