Saint Paul, MN
Common questions prospective students and families ask about Macalester College.
About 95% of first-time, full-time students who start at Macalester College return for their second year, a commonly used early signal of student satisfaction and fit.
Macalester College reports a student-to-faculty ratio of about 10:1.
Macalester College reports that SAT/ACT scores are considered but not required (test-optional) as part of undergraduate admission.
Macalester College offers programs including Anthropology, Area Studies, Biology, General, Chemistry, Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Communication and Media Studies, Computational Science, Computer and Information Sciences, General, and 31 more programs.
Macalester College is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate institution with an enrollment of 2,068 students in the fall of 2025.
Macalester College is located in Saint Paul, MN, in a city setting.
Macalester College is a private nonprofit institution.
Macalester College enrolls approximately 2,131 undergraduate students.
Macalester College admits approximately 29% of undergraduate applicants.
Admitted students at Macalester College typically report SAT scores near 715 (Reading) and 713 (Math) and an ACT composite near 31 (midpoint of the reported range).
The total cost of attendance at Macalester College is about $82,991 per year. Published tuition is about $68,104 for in-state students and $68,104 for out-of-state students. The average net price actually paid, after grants and scholarships, is about $32,149.
About 17% of students at Macalester College receive a federal Pell Grant, a commonly used marker of how many lower-income students the institution serves.
About 87% of first-time, full-time students complete a degree within 150% of normal time (e.g. 6 years for a 4-year program) at Macalester College.
Former students of Macalester College report median earnings of about $63,878 ten years after entry.