Private nonprofit · College
Carleton College
Northfield, Minnesota · Distant town
- 20.4%
- Admit rate
- $25,407
- Avg net price
- 90%
- Graduation rate
- $75,525
- Median earnings
Carleton College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Northfield, Minnesota (distant town setting), enrolling 2,086 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Carleton College's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 20.4%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1450–1560
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 4.00
Enter a test score to see where you land against Carleton College's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Carleton College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Northfield, Minnesota
Northfield is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The Wahpekute settled in the Big Woods region, which included most of what is now Northfield and Faribault. The Wahpekute used the Cannon and Straight rivers for easy transportation and game hunting. On September 7, 1876, Northfield experienced one of its most important historical events, when The James-Younger Gang attempted a robbery on the First National Bank of Northfield. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 36 miles to Minneapolis, MN
- To Great Lakes shore
- 164 miles
- Nearest airport
- 29 miles to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field (MSP) · major hub
How Carleton College compares
More selective than 95% · #1 most selective of 35 in Minnesota
Higher than 97%
Higher than 95% · #1 of 39 in Minnesota
Higher than 94%
Higher than 88% · #2 of 38 in Minnesota
Cheaper than 27% · #26 cheapest of 39 in Minnesota
Lower than 87%
Lower than 89%
Larger than 59%
Percentiles compare Carleton College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Minnesota.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women95946%
- Men1,12754%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White51%
- Black5.9%
- Hispanic10%
- Asian10%
- Other or multiracial23%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,086
- Student–faculty ratio
- 8 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 17%
- First-generation students
- 16%
- Students over 25
- 0%
- Median family income
- $78,779
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $125,640
- Endowment
- $1,255,379,173
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 538 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Minnesota21%
- Other U.S. states67%
- International12%
A national draw — only 21% of first-years come from Minnesota; 67% arrive from other states.
12% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 20.4%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1450–1560
- SAT average
- 1517
- SAT reading
- 720–770
- SAT math
- 730–790
- ACT composite
- 32–34
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 4.00
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $68,892
- Room & board
- $17,586
- Books & supplies
- $938
- Total cost of attendance
- $84,893
- Average net price
- $25,407
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 90%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 82%
- First-year retention
- 96%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $53,989
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $75,525
- Median debt at graduation
- $16,750
- Students with federal loans
- 43%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 90%
About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 1,840
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 88%
- Housing charge (year)
- $8,820
- Meal plan (year)
- $7,890
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 476 (287 men · 189 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (10)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- D
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 9.1 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 50
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 8
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,128 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$9,680/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Carleton College discounts heavily: 57% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $49,336. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 532 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $75,525
- Typical debt at graduation
- $16,750
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 22%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 65%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $15,996 (23%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 82°F
- Winter low
- 5°F
- Annual rain
- 35.5″
- Annual snow
- 43.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Faribault, MN US station (11.9 mi from campus).
What Carleton College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Carleton College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Carleton College side by side →
Hamilton College
Clinton, New York · Midsize suburb · 37 mi to Syracuse
- Students
- 2,030
- Admission
- 14%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1506
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $78k
Wesleyan University
Middletown, Connecticut · Small city · 15 mi to Hartford
- Students
- 3,067
- Admission
- 16%
- Net price
- $30k
- SAT
- 1501
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $74k
University of Richmond
University of Richmond, Virginia · Midsize city · 6 mi to Richmond
- Students
- 2,980
- Admission
- 22%
- Net price
- $31k
- SAT
- 1497
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $76k
Haverford College
Haverford, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 8 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 1,430
- Admission
- 12%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1513
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $80k
Wellesley College
Wellesley, Massachusetts · Large suburb · 14 mi to Boston
- Students
- 2,300
- Admission
- 14%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1520
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $85k
Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts · Small city · 19 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 1,911
- Admission
- 9%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1533
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $78k
Colleges near Carleton College
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,093 students
Dakota County Technical College
Rosemount, MN · Public · Associate · 2,168 students
Hastings Beauty School
Hastings, MN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 22 students
Inver Hills Community College
Inver Grove Heights, MN · Public · Associate · 2,193 students
Empire Beauty School-Bloomington
Bloomington, MN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 128 students
Normandale Community College
Bloomington, MN · Public · Associate · 7,044 students
Northwestern Health Sciences University
Bloomington, MN · Private nonprofit · Associate · 271 students
Academy College
Bloomington, MN · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 56 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.











