Macalester College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Saint Paul, Minnesota · Private nonprofit · Selective · CDS 2025-2026
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.
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.
Data sourced from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set submitted by Macalester College, and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.