Quad

Head-to-head

Grinnell
Carleton

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Grinnell costs about $13.7K less per year on average than Carleton ($37,528 vs. $51,187, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Grinnell's grants cover 55% of its full price on average, vs. 40% at Carleton

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Carleton grads earn $12.7K more ten years out than Grinnell's ($75,525 vs. $62,830)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    Carleton's yield is 4 pts higher than Grinnell's

    Yield rate
  5. 5

    Carleton graduates 4 pts more of its students than Grinnell (91% vs. 88%)

    Graduation rate
  6. 6

    Grinnell admits 15% vs. 18% at Carleton

    Acceptance rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Grinnell admits 15%, Carleton 18%; Carleton's yield is higher, at 35%.

Acceptance rate
Grinnell15%
Carleton18%
Quad's selectivity
  • GrinnellHighly selective
  • CarletonHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
Grinnell
1410–1540
Carleton
1460–1530
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • GrinnellSchool record required
  • CarletonRigor, GPA, and rank very important

Who's on each campus

Carleton is a bit larger than Grinnell (2,086 vs. 1,729 undergrads); Grinnell has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Grinnell1.7K
Carleton2.1K
Pell Grant share
Grinnell18%
Carleton17%

Majors and faculty

Computer Science leads at both; Carleton has 8 students per faculty member to Grinnell's 9.

Students per faculty member
Grinnell9 to 1
Carleton8 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • GrinnellComputer Science13%
  • CarletonComputer Science18%

What each costs

Grinnell costs about $13.7K less a year than Carleton on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Grinnell$37.5K
Carleton$51.2K
Aid generosity
Grinnell55%
Carleton40%

What each pays off

Carleton's former students earn more, a median $75.5K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Grinnell$62.8K
Carleton$75.5K
Graduation rate
Grinnell88%
Carleton91%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; Grinnell got more selective while Carleton held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • GrinnellGrowing+61%
  • CarletonGrowing+13%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Carleton College (Fall 2026), Fall 2026;Carleton College Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Carleton College Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Carleton College Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why