Carleton College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Northfield, Minnesota · Private nonprofit · Highly selective · CDS 2024-2025
Carleton College is a private institution located in Northfield, Minnesota and one of the highly selective schools in the country. For the most recent reporting cycle, Carleton College admits roughly one in four applicants, with an overall admission rate of 22%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1491 and an ACT composite around 33. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $27,320 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Carleton College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Carleton College?
Most admitted students at Carleton College present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Carleton College weight in admissions?
Carleton College reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Class rank
- • Academic GPA
- • Standardized test scores
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Interview
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
SAT and ACT scores Carleton College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 720–790, with an EBRW midpoint near 729. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 32–34. Scores below the 25th-percentile mark are accepted occasionally, but the realistic submission target for most families is the school's middle-50 floor or higher.
| 25th percentile | — |
| 50th percentile | 1491 |
| 75th percentile | — |
| % submitting SAT | 0.34% |
| 25th percentile | 32 |
| 50th percentile | 33 |
| 75th percentile | 34 |
| % submitting ACT | 34% |
- • Tests required: Standardized test scores are part of the standard application package.
- • Policy detail: Required
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 63% |
| Top 25% of class | 63% |
How much does Carleton College actually cost?
Published tuition is $65,457 for in-state students and $65,457 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $16,710 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $27,320 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 14% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $68,457 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $27,320 |
| Application fee | $938 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Carleton College
| Regular deadline | May 1 |
| Notification date | H1102 |
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
| Rolling admissions | Yes |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
Will my child graduate from Carleton College?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Other colleges in Minnesota parents ask about
- University of Minnesota-Twin Cities77% acceptance
- University of St Thomas85% acceptance
- Macalester College28% acceptance
- University of Minnesota Duluth52% acceptance
- University of Minnesota-Morris77% acceptance
- Minneapolis Community and Technical College90% acceptance
- St Olaf College94% acceptance
- Gustavus Adolphus College70% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Carleton College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Carleton College recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Carleton College
What GPA do I need for Carleton College?
Most admitted students at Carleton College present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school.
What SAT or ACT score does Carleton College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 720–790, with an EBRW midpoint near 729. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 32–34.
How much does Carleton College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Carleton College after grants and scholarships is $27,320 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Carleton College realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Carleton College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Carleton College, and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.