Quad
Macalester CollegeSaint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Research and Experimental Psychology, Other (10% of graduates). 10 students for every faculty member, fewer than at 76% of colleges. 84% of faculty are full-time. Spends $25,033 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

524 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 41% of graduates; 37 programs in 15 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 42.27999.5% 50
  2. Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 45.06038.6% 45
    Graduates in this field earn $85,593 4 years out
  3. Biology/Biological Sciences, General 26.01018.2% 43
    Graduates in this field earn $56,141 4 years out
  4. Political Science and Government, General 45.10017.6% 40
    Graduates in this field earn $58,555 4 years out
  5. Computer and Information Sciences, General 11.01017.4% 39
    Graduates in this field earn $109,457 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Computer science, 3.1% → 7.4% of graduates since 2014–15 (39 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Computer and Information Sciences, General$109,457 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $81,964

    4 years after completion$109,457
    National median: $92,374Above typical

    Median federal debt: $21,500 · 130 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Mathematics$91,979 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $57,166

    4 years after completion$91,979
    National median: $69,562Above typical

    Median federal debt: $23,745 · 111 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Economics$85,593 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $59,752

    4 years after completion$85,593
    National median: $82,686About typical

    4 years out, Pell: Too few graduates to report · Non-Pell: $82,463(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $24,000 · 110 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Political Science and Government$58,555 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $39,439

    4 years after completion$58,555
    National median: $63,293Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: Too few graduates to report · Non-Pell: $44,464(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $23,118 · 99 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Biology, General$56,141 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $35,616

    4 years after completion$56,141
    National median: $57,214About typical

    Median federal debt: $21,500 · 101 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college10 to 1
10 to 1
← Fewer students per facultyfewer students per faculty member than 76% of 1,892More students per faculty →

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Full-time faculty84%
National median: 67%Above typical
Average faculty salary

$107,560

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other private nonprofit colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable.

Instruction spending per student$25,033
$25,033
← Lessmore than 91% of 1,199More →
Endowment per student$401,854
$401,854
← Lessmore than 94% of 1,065More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)