Verified College DataA Liberal Arts College or College with an Arts & Sciences focusNCAA Division III

Carleton College

Northfield, MN, United States

18% admit rate91% graduationprivate nonprofit

University overview

Editorial View

Location, editorial summary, and verified institutional context.

Carleton College is a lot like what would happen if you took one of the elite liberal arts colleges out of Massachusetts and placed it 45 minutes south of Minneapolis, in the town of Northfield, Minnesota. Carleton is probably the most elite liberal arts college in the upper midw...

Admissions

Verified Data

Selectivity, enrollment funnel, and reported test score ranges from verified federal data.

Institution type

Private nonprofit

Carnegie

A Liberal Arts College or College with an Arts & Sciences focus

Setting

Distant town

0%
Admit rate (18%)
0%
Yield estimate (40%)

Applicants

7,915

Admits

1,389

Enrolled

555

SAT ERW: 698760

SAT Math: 710790

ACT: 3135

Academics

Verified Data

Enrollment scale, calendar structure, and outcome-linked academic signals.

Total students

555

555 students

Calendar

trimester

Academic calendar

Graduation rate

91%

Reported outcomes

Retention rate

95%

First-year retention

Carnegie classification

A Liberal Arts College or College with an Arts & Sciences focus

Cost and affordability

Verified Data

Tuition, net price, and aid signals sourced from federal reporting where available.

Average net price

N/A

After grants and scholarships for in-state students where reported.

In-state tuition$16
Out-of-state tuitionN/A
Institutional grant aid$65
Pell share17%

Campus life

Verified Data

Culture percentile bands describe student life intensity across common fit dimensions.

Campus culture bands are not yet available for Carleton College. Theme attributes and athletics may still appear under Special Features.

Rankings and recognition

Verified Data

CollegesRef does not invent magazine-style ranks. This section surfaces verified classification data and editorial context only.

Carnegie classification

A Liberal Arts College or College with an Arts & Sciences focus

Institutional classification used for academic peer grouping.

Athletics

NCAA Division III

NCAA division where available from verified imports.

Editorial spotlight

Carleton College — editorial overview (Northfield, MN)

Carleton College is a lot like what would happen if you took one of the elite liberal arts colleges out of Massachusetts and placed it 45 minutes south of Minneapolis, in the town of Northfield, Minnesota. Carleton is probably the most elite liberal arts college in the upper midw...

Outcomes and after college

Verified Data

Verified outcomes from imported federal datasets. Editorial interpretation may supplement these facts elsewhere on the profile.

Median earnings

N/A

Median earnings where reported by federal outcomes data.

Retention rate

95%

First-year student retention.

Graduation rate

91%

Students graduating within 150% of normal time.

Student reviews

Editorial View

User-submitted reviews are not fabricated for launch. This report card summarizes verified data signals until moderated student voices are available.

Data report card

Admissions selectivityB
Graduation outcomesA
RetentionA
Editorial depthB+

Carleton College

Carleton College is a lot like what would happen if you took one of the elite liberal arts colleges out of Massachusetts and placed it 45 minutes south of Minneapolis, in the town of Northfield, Minnesota. Carleton is probably the most elite liberal arts college in the upper midw...

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Special features

Verified Data

Curated theme attributes and athletics context that distinguish campus character.

Historically Leans Liberal (relative to other American colleges)A Liberal Arts College Like a "Little Ivy"Has a POSSE ChapterIs a QuestBridge Campus

Athletics

NCAA Division III

Sources and data freshness

Verified Data
  • Legacy CLGS import

CollegesRef separates verified federal and institutional data from editorial interpretation. Personalized AI matching is available via Colleges Like This.

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