# Macalester College

Private nonprofit college in Saint Paul, MN. IPEDS ID 173902.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/macalester-college · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/macalester-college.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 28% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $32,149 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 87%; beats 97% of MN colleges and 94% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $63,878; beats 73% of MN colleges and 78% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $19,500

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $13,772 |
| 30-48k | $11,982 |
| 48-75k | $11,098 |
| 75-110k | $20,527 |
| 110k+ | $44,880 |

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 (82% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $63,878 (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 | $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 |

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

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $82,991
- Tuition and fees: $68,104
- Housing and meals: $15,477; books: $926

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 680–750; SAT math: 670–760; ACT: 30–34 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 8,099 applicants, 2,285 admitted, 518 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 28%, ACT 30–34 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 28%, ACT 30–33 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (38 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $81,964 | $109,457 | $20,829 |
| Mathematics | $57,166 | $91,979 | $22,483 |
| Economics | $59,752 | $85,593 | $24,000 |
| Political Science | $39,439 | $58,555 | $23,250 |
| Biology | $35,616 | $56,141 | $21,500 |
| International / Global Studies | $21,176 | $56,091 | $23,324 |
| Geography | $30,053 | $52,557 | $19,049 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $29,559 | $45,632 | $19,000 |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Communications | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| 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 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Writing | $29,487 | not reported | $20,000 |
| Neuroscience | $45,450 | not reported | $24,177 |
| Intercultural / Multicultural and Diversity Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computational Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geography and Environmental Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 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 | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology (Research) | $38,027 | not reported | $26,000 |
| Anthropology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sociology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theatre | 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
- Biology → Biological technician: median wage $52,150 (Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI), $48,130 (MN), $57,510 (U.S.)
- Computer and Information Sciences → Software developer: median wage $130,920 (Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI), $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).