# Carleton College

Private nonprofit college in Northfield, MN. IPEDS ID 173258.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/carleton-college · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/carleton-college.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 20% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $25,407 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 90%; beats 100% of MN colleges and 96% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $75,525; beats 95% of MN colleges and 90% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $15,960

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $7,881 |
| 30-48k | $8,203 |
| 48-75k | $9,680 |
| 75-110k | $18,485 |
| 110k+ | $44,082 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.11 years on average (83% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $75,525 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $38,184 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MN (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| 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 |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $84,893
- Tuition and fees: $68,892
- Housing and meals: $16,710; books: $938

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 720–770; SAT math: 730–790; ACT: 32–34 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 6,464 applicants, 1,440 admitted, 538 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 20%, ACT 32–34 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 22%, ACT 32–34 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (35 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economics | $66,567 | $87,193 | $19,500 |
| Political Science | $29,858 | $53,975 | $19,000 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Science | $88,132 | not reported | $18,233 |
| Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| English | $20,780 | not reported | $21,167 |
| Biology | $30,726 | not reported | $17,929 |
| Mathematics | not reported | not reported | $11,000 |
| Statistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Cognitive Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | $17,000 |
| Geology / Earth Science | $40,371 | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology (Research) | $39,238 | not reported | $16,700 |
| Archeology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International Relations | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sociology and Anthropology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Social Sciences, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Transportation and Materials Moving, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theatre | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Film and Photography | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Studio Art | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Music | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| History | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist: median wage not reported (metro), $88,000 (MN), $82,220 (U.S.)
- Computer Science → Software developer: median wage not reported (metro), $130,050 (MN), $135,980 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).