Quad

Head-to-head

Carleton
Macalester

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Carleton's yield is 13 pts higher than Macalester's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Carleton grads earn $11.6K more ten years out than Macalester's ($75,525 vs. $63,878)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  3. 3

    Macalester costs about $5.5K less per year on average than Carleton ($45,674 vs. $51,187, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    Carleton's SAT midpoint is 70 points higher than Macalester's

    SAT midpoint
  5. 5

    Carleton is 1.6× more selective than Macalester

    Acceptance rate
  6. 6

    Macalester's grants cover 45% of its full price on average, vs. 40% at Carleton

    Aid generosity

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

Carleton admits 18%, Macalester 29%; Carleton's yield is higher, at 35%.

Acceptance rate
Carleton18%
Macalester29%
Quad's selectivity
  • CarletonHighly selective
  • MacalesterVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
Carleton
1460–1530
Macalester
1350–1510
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • CarletonRigor, GPA, and rank very important
  • MacalesterSchool record required

Who's on each campus

Carleton and Macalester are about the same size; both have the same Pell share, 17%.

Undergrads
Carleton2.1K
Macalester2.1K
Pell Grant share
Carleton17%
Macalester17%

Majors and faculty

Computer Science leads at Carleton, and Research and Experimental Psychology at Macalester; Carleton has 8 students per faculty member to Macalester's 10.

Students per faculty member
Carleton8 to 1
Macalester10 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • CarletonComputer Science18%
  • MacalesterResearch and Experimental Psychology, Other10%

What each costs

Macalester costs about $5.5K less a year than Carleton on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Carleton$51.2K
Macalester$45.7K
Aid generosity
Carleton40%
Macalester45%

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
Carleton$75.5K
Macalester$63.9K
Graduation rate
Carleton91%
Macalester89%

How each has changed

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

Applications, 10-year change
  • CarletonGrowing+13%
  • MacalesterGrowing+39%
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:Carleton College (Fall 2026), Fall 2026;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;Carleton College Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Carleton College Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Carleton College Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;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;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023About 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