Macalester College

Saint Paul, MN · Private (nonprofit)
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Acceptance rate
28.1%
2,481 admitted
SAT · 50th
1420
Range 1350–1480
6-yr grad
90.8%
Retention 91.6%
Undergrads
2,068
9.7:1 S-F
Admissions
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28.1%
2,481 admitted
from 8,819 apps
Applications8,819
Overall admit rate28.1%
Enrolled534 · 21.5% yield
Admitted from waitlist82 of 765
Very important factorsGPA, Rigor of HS record
Important factorsApplication essay, Character, Extracurriculars, Recs
Selection factors from CDS §C7 (Basis for selection).
Test scores
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1420
SAT composite · 50th %ile
range 1350–1480 · 35.0% submitted
SAT
255075
R&W680720750
Math650700750
Comp135014201480
ACT
255075
Comp293133
Cost & aid
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$70,632
tuition (full-time)
Tuition$70,632
Fees$230
Room & board$16,476
Avg need-based grant$60,079
% need met99.5%
Academics
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9.7 : 1
student-faculty ratio
91.6% retention
Student-faculty9.7 : 1
Retention91.6%
4-year graduation73.7%
6-year graduation90.8%
Enrollment
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2,068
undergraduates
Total undergraduates2,068
Rankings
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#28
U.S. News & World Report
Best National Liberal Arts Colleges
SourceListRankYr
U.S. News & World ReportBest National Liberal Arts Colleges#2826
U.S. News & World ReportTop Performers on Social Mobility — National Liberal Arts Colleges#3526
NicheBest Colleges in America#10526
ForbesAmerica's Top Colleges#20726
U.S. News & World ReportBest Undergraduate Computer Science Programs#22926
WSJ/College PulseBest Colleges in the U.S.#31426
NicheBest Value Colleges in America#86026
Rankings are the property of their respective publishers (Forbes, Niche, U.S. News & World Report, WSJ/College Pulse). Ranks as published; methodologies vary.
Classifications & designations
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Liberal Arts College
Carnegie Classification
114 member schools
SourceGroupMembers
Carnegie ClassificationLiberal Arts College114
Athletic conferenceMinnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference4
Athletic divisionNCAA D3105
Institutional controlPrivate (nonprofit) college211
Geographic groupingMinnesota colleges6
Groups derived from CDS + IPEDS fields. Curated national memberships (AAU, HBCU, Common App, etc.) being added — see task queue.
Application timeline & requirements
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—
no application-fee data
Regular decisionMay 1
Early decisionoffered
Early actionoffered
Deferred admissionAllowed
Test policySubmission of ACT or SAT test results is optional. If English is neither the native language nor the primary language of instruction, results of an English-proficiency test (IELTS, TOEFL, or Duolingo English Test) are required.
Admissions URLhttps://www.macalester.edu/admissions
Admissions emailadmissions@macalester.edu
Admissions phone696-6357
Deadlines and requirements from the school's Common Data Set §C3–C6 (Deadlines & Notification, ED/EA, HS Coursework).
Peers by the numbers
→
Carleton College
closest algorithmic match
across selectivity, size, profile
SchoolAdmitSATSize
Carleton College MN · Private (nonprofit)21.8%15001K
Oberlin College OH · Private (nonprofit)33.0%14202K
Grinnell College IA · Private (nonprofit)14.5%—1K
Vassar College NY · Private (nonprofit)20.9%14902K
Colby College ME · Private (nonprofit)7.1%—2K
Whitman College WA · Private (nonprofit)40.2%—1K
Reed College OR · Private (nonprofit)29.2%14101K
Peer set computed algorithmically from CDS metrics (admit rate, SAT/ACT band, size) plus IPEDS classification. Not measured cross-application behavior.

Official Common Data Set Documents — Macalester College

13 years of Macalester College's officially published CDS, archived by CollegeNumbers. PDF and spreadsheet originals exactly as the school filed them.