Macalester College

Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit

Website Admissions

At a glance

28.5%

Acceptance rate

1,424

SAT Average

$29,980

Avg net price

2,131

Enrollment

Academic profile

SAT Average1,424

SAT Reading/Writing680–750

SAT Math670–760

ACT Composite30–34

Degrees awarded

2024-25

	Bachelor’s
All fields, 2024-25Bachelor’s 524	524
Bachelor’s 109	109
Bachelor’s 64	64
Bachelor’s 61	61
Bachelor’s 50	50
Bachelor’s 47	47
Bachelor’s 39	39
Bachelor’s 36	36
Bachelor’s 26	26
Bachelor’s 21	21
Bachelor’s 19	19
Bachelor’s 19	19
Bachelor’s 11	11
Bachelor’s 11	11
Bachelor’s 9	9
Bachelor’s 2	2
Bachelor’s 0	0

College athletics

NCAA program details

Primary division: Division III
Primary conference: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Projected sponsored sports21

BaseballFootball — Non-Division IMen's BasketballMen's Cross CountryMen's GolfMen's SoccerMen's Swimming & DivingMen's Tennis

Athletic participation

420 unique student-athletes · 17 varsity teams

Application deadlines

For fall 2027 entry

Early Decision I

Binding · Decision released by Dec 6 · CSS Profile, FAFSA due Nov 9

Nov 1, 2026

Early Action

Decision released by Dec 19 · CSS Profile, FAFSA due Nov 9

Nov 1, 2026

Early Decision II

Binding · Decision released by Jan 24 · CSS Profile, FAFSA due Jan 8

Jan 1, 2027

Regular Decision

Decision released by Mar 14 · CSS Profile, FAFSA due Jan 22

Jan 15, 2027

· Apply with Common App or QuestBridge Application

Cost

Published on-campus price, 2024–25

Tuition: $67,874
Required fees: $230
Food and housing: $15,760
Other expenses: $2,270
Total: $86,134

Net price by family income, 2022–23

Students of all incomes paid $29,980 on average. Grants and scholarships covered the rest of the cost.

Net price covers first-time, full-time students who received federal aid.

Need-based aid, 2025–26

First-years with need-based aid: 64%
Average need-based grant: $62,134
Required forms: FAFSA, CSS Profile, and CSS Noncustodial Profile

Graduation and Retention

4-year graduation82%

6-year graduation90%

Retention rate95%

Earnings and Debt

Median earnings (10yr)$63,878

Median debt$23,000

Campus

Enrollment2,131

Student-faculty ratio10:1

SettingCity

Sources

IPEDS Institutional Characteristics · National Center for Education Statistics · 2025–26
IPEDS Admissions · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25
College Scorecard · U.S. Department of Education · 2025-10-03
Application process · College websites · 2026–27
NCAA Projected Sports Sponsorship by School · National Collegiate Athletic Association · 2025–26
Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act · U.S. Department of Education · 2024–25
Common Data Set · Reporting institutions · 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26
IPEDS Completions · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25
IPEDS Student Charges · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25

Every figure below is read directly from Macalester College’s own reported data, with no scores, ratings, or estimates added. Derived from 5 Common Data Set filings (2021–22 to 2025–26).

Macalester College admitted of applicants, a admit rate. Of those, enrolled, a yield, across 5 years of Common Data Set filings.

Applicant funnel and admit rateHover or arrow-key a year for exact values

Students and applicationsAdmit rate

ApplicationsAdmittedEnrolledAdmit rate

Macalester College runs two binding Early Decision rounds and a nonbinding Early Action plan. ED applicants were admitted at versus for the regular pool, a edge, and ED admits fill of the class.

Early Decision I bindingApply by Nov 1 · decision Dec 7

Early Decision II bindingApply by Jan 1 · decision Jan 25

Early Action nonbindingApply by Nov 1 · decision Dec 20

Regular Decision nonbindingApply by Jan 15

Early DecisionRegular Decision

The enrolled class is roughly international, and about of its domestic students come from out of state. Macalester College withholds applicants and admits by residency, so in-state, out-of-state, and international admit odds can't be computed.

Enrolled first-years by geography

534 first-years

Out-of-state (domestic)≈346In-state (domestic)≈98International≈90

Admit odds by pool

In-state admit rateNot disclosed

Out-of-state admit rateNot disclosed

International admit rateNot disclosed

Test scores are considered but not required. SAT or ACT scores must arrive by Jan 15. Of enrolled first-years, submitted an SAT and an ACT, down from 39% in 2021–22.

Some students submit both an SAT and an ACT, so the two shares overlap. They don’t add up to a single “submitted a test” rate.

SAT composite

35% of the class submitted an SAT

Middle 50%

Shape smoothed from reported percentiles and score bands

ACT composite

24% of the class submitted an ACT

Middle 50%

Shape smoothed from reported percentiles and score bands

ranked in the top tenth of their high-school class, among the 26% who submitted class rank.

High-school class rank

Among the 26% of first-years who submitted class rank. Shares are cumulative — students in the top tenth also count in the top quarter and top half.

Macalester College rates 2 factors "very important." Each column reads strongest first.

Academic

Rigor of secondary school record: Very important
Academic GPA: Very important
Application essay: Important
Recommendation(s): Important
Class rank: Considered
Standardized test scores: Considered

Nonacademic

Extracurricular activities: Important
Character / personal qualities: Important
Interview: Considered
Talent / ability: Considered
First generation: Considered
Alumni/ae relation: Considered
Geographical residence: Considered
State residency: Considered
Volunteer work: Considered
Work experience: Considered
Religious affiliation/commitment: Not considered
Level of applicant's interest: Not considered

Macalester College leaves 3 Common Data Set answers blank — each one hidden below with what it would tell you.

Applicant residency & citizenshipCDS C1Not disclosed

Without the residency split, there’s no way to see whether admit rates shift for out-of-state or international applicants.

GPA distributionCDS C11Not disclosed

Without the GPA spread, a family can’t see where their transcript lands within the class.

Average GPACDS C12Not disclosed

Without the average GPA, there’s no single midpoint to place a transcript against.

Does disclose: SAT / ACT score bands (C9) · Admissions factor grid (C7) · Early Decision applicants & admits (C21) · Students admitted off the waitlist (C2)

Macalester College’s sticker drops once grant aid is applied, and what a family actually pays depends on income. of first-years received need-based aid; a family with no aid pays the full sticker.

What aid recipients pay, by income

net price

Bars read against the $87,338 sticker. Each figure averages only families who received federal aid in that income band (College Scorecard); $29,980 across all aid recipients. Aid share: 344 of 534 first-years in the 2025–26 Common Data Set.

How need-based aid is determined

Cost of attendance − expected family contribution = demonstrated need

Forms a family files to be considered

FAFSACSS ProfileCSS Noncustodial Profile

What that meant in 2025–26

Cost of attendance $87,338

Average aid package, 77% of stickerEst. remaining family/student contribution, 23% of sticker

Averages among the 344 first-years awarded need-based aid.

Merit aid reached of the class, or of enrolled first-years. For international applicants, Macalester College offers both need-based and merit aid: nonresidents received aid, averaging .

Macalester College admitted students off the waitlist, about of the class.

Admitted off the waitlistHover or arrow-key a year for exact values

Admitted

Admitted off waitlist

94.6% of Macalester College’s first-years return for a second year and 90.4% graduate within six. Median earnings ten years out are against of median federal debt, roughly a earnings-to-debt ratio.

Sources

Common Data Set · Reporting institutions · 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26
College Scorecard · U.S. Department of Education · 2025-10-03