Macalester College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Saint Paul, Minnesota · Private nonprofit · Selective · CDS 2025-2026
Macalester College is a private nonprofit university in Saint Paul, Minnesota that admits about 28% of applicants, making it a selective school. The average family pays about $29,980 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Computer and Information Sciences, General, Political Science and Government and Biology, General, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 91% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 10.8 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Macalester College is a private institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota with a selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Macalester College admits between a quarter and half of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 28%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1424 and an ACT composite around 31. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $29,980 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Macalester 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 Macalester College?
Admitted students at Macalester College typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses. 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 Macalester College weight in admissions?
Macalester College reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2025-2026). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Academic GPA
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Class rank
- • Standardized test scores
- • Interview
- • Talent/ability
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Macalester College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 670–760, with an EBRW midpoint near 715. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 30–33. A score at or above this school's 75th percentile materially improves your child's odds, particularly when paired with a rigorous course load.
| 25th percentile | 1350 |
| 50th percentile | 1420 |
| 75th percentile | 1480 |
| % submitting SAT | 35% |
| 25th percentile | 30 |
| 50th percentile | 31 |
| 75th percentile | 33 |
| % submitting ACT | 24% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
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 | 53% |
| Top 25% of class | 89% |
| Top 50% of class | 99% |
| % submitting class rank | 26% |
How much does Macalester College actually cost?
Published tuition is $64,908 for in-state students and $64,908 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $15,477 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $29,980 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 17% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $70,632 |
| Room and board | $16,476 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $29,980 |
| Application fee | $0 |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Macalester College
| Regular deadline | January 15 |
| Notification date | March 15 |
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | November 1 |
| ED acceptance rate | 42% |
| Offers Early Action | Yes |
| EA deadline | November 1 |
Will my child graduate from Macalester 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.
Most popular majors at Macalester College
The most popular undergraduate programs at Macalester College, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Computer and Information Sciences, General, Political Science and Government and Biology, General. Across all programs, Macalester College confers roughly 372 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Computer and Information Sciences, General program report a median income of about $122,063 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 58 | $122,063 |
| Political Science and Government | 56 | $54,999 |
| Biology, General | 52 | $67,008 |
| Economics | 49 | $97,301 |
| Mathematics | 48 | $75,713 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 38 | — |
| International/Globalization Studies | 38 | $53,128 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 33 | — |
Is Macalester College safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Macalester College disclosed 23 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 10.8 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 0 violent offenses and 16 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
Other colleges in Minnesota parents ask about
- University of Minnesota-Twin Cities77% acceptance
- University of St Thomas85% acceptance
- Carleton College22% 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 Macalester College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Macalester 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 Macalester College
What GPA do I need for Macalester College?
Admitted students at Macalester College typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses.
What SAT or ACT score does Macalester College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 670–760, with an EBRW midpoint near 715. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 30–33.
How much does Macalester College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Macalester College after grants and scholarships is $29,980 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 Macalester 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, Macalester College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Macalester College?
Macalester College accepts about 28% of applicants out of roughly 8,819 who apply each year. That makes it a selective school.
Is Macalester College test-optional?
Yes. Macalester College is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Macalester College?
About 91% of students at Macalester College graduate within six years. 92% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
Does applying Early Decision improve my chances at Macalester College?
Macalester College's Early Decision acceptance rate is about 42%, compared with its overall rate of 28%. Applying ED can meaningfully improve admission odds, but it is a binding commitment to enroll if accepted.
What does Macalester College look for in applicants?
Macalester College rates course rigor and GPA as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Macalester College a public or private school, and where is it located?
Macalester College is a private nonprofit institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
What are the most popular majors at Macalester College?
The largest undergraduate majors at Macalester College by annual graduates are Computer and Information Sciences, General, Political Science and Government and Biology, General. The school awards about 372 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Macalester College safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Macalester College reported 23 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 10.8 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
Data sourced from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set submitted by Macalester College, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.