Macalester College
Saint Paul, Minnesota · Private · 2,131 undergraduates · macalester.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Test optional
Sending scores is your choice
Admit rate
28%
of 8,819 applicants
SAT (middle 50%)
1350 to 1480
of enrolled freshmen
Annual cost (2027-28)
$94,470Est.Estimate
before aid
Your chances and merit aid at Macalester College
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
28% of applicants admitted
Target
Your SAT is inside the range where the middle half of enrolled freshmen scored.
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$94,470
a year in 2027-28, from a $94,470 sticker price
What to do with your 1420
Send your score
About 46% of freshmen here didn't send a score. We estimate their typical SAT at about 1300, and yours is above it.
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Test optional
You choose whether to send an SAT or ACT score. If you send one, it's considered.
- Superscores: it combines your best section scores from different test dates.
- You can type your scores into the application; official reports come later.
Source: Testing Policy - Admissions & Aid - Macalester College · Checked October 17, 2026
Application deadlines
- Nov1Early Action · November 1, 2026Apply early and hear early. Not binding.
- Nov1Early Decision · November 1, 2026Binding: if admitted, you commit to enroll.
- Jan1Early Decision II · January 1, 2027A second binding round, after Early Decision.
- Jan15Regular Decision · January 15, 2027The standard deadline.
Who gets in
28%
of applicants were admitted: 2,481 of 8,819 for fall 2025.
Early Action
Not binding. Apply by 11/1, hear by 12/20.
Early Decision
Binding. 42% of early applicants were admitted.
Wait list
765 students were offered a spot; 82 were later admitted.
Test scores of enrolled freshmen (fall 2025)
The shaded part shows the middle half of enrolled freshmen who sent scores: a quarter scored below it and a quarter above. 35% of them sent SAT scores and 24% sent ACT scores.
SAT total 1350 to 1480
Reading and Writing 680 to 750
Math 650 to 750
ACT composite 30 to 33
How enrolled freshmen scored on the SAT
- 1400 to 160059%
- 1200 to 139936%
- 1000 to 11994.3%
- 800 to 9990%
- 600 to 7990%
- 400 to 5990%
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$94,470
a year
- Tuition$76,400
- Fees$250
- Food and housing$17,820
Macalester College published $87,338 for 2025-26. Its 2027-28 prices aren't out yet.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24, by family income.
- $0 to $30,000$15,715
- $30,001 to $48,000$4,569
- $48,001 to $75,000$15,825
- $75,001 to $110,000$28,539
- Over $110,000$43,770
Financial aid
$62,134
average need-based grant to freshmen, money you don't repay
30%
of freshmen got merit aid without financial need, $19,016 on average
- FAFSA
- Required for need-based aid. It's the free federal aid form.
- CSS Profile
- Required. It's a second, more detailed aid form some colleges use for their own grants.
- Aid deadline: 1/22
- The last day to send aid forms.
- Also asks for
- Parent tax returns
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
Merit scholarships
Awards for grades and scores, on top of need-based aid. You don't repay them.
Macalester College National Merit Scholarship
National Merit
Deadline: Name this college your first choice with NMSC (no Macalester institutional deadline; must follow NMSC procedures and deadlines). To keep it: the college sets no renewal requirements of its own (no minimum GPA), but you must follow the National Merit Scholarship Corporation's renewal steps.
Details
Compare awards across colleges with the merit aid calculator.
AP credit
AP exams that earn credit can replace college courses, so you pay for fewer of them and may graduate sooner.
AP exams that earn credit
31 of 32
Earn credit with a score of 3
4 exams
A 3-credit course is worth
about $7,640Est.Estimate
at 2027-28 tuition
Credit for each AP exam
| Exam | Score needed | Credits | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art History | 4 | 4 | ART 194 |
| Biology | 5 | 4 | BIOL 194 |
| Calculus AB | 3 | ||
| Calculus AB | 4 | 4 | MATH 194 |
| Calculus BC | 3 | 4 | MATH 194 |
| Calculus BC | 4 | 8 | MATH 194 and MATH 294 |
| Chemistry | 4 | 4 | CHEM 111, with adequate documentation of commensurate laboratory experience. |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 3 | 4 | CHIN 102 |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 4 | 4 | CHIN 203 |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 5 | 4 | CHIN 204 |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 4 | 4 | COMP 194 |
| Computer Science A | 4 | 4 | COMP 194 |
| Computer Science Principles | 4 | 4 | COMP 194 |
| English Language and Composition | 4 | 4 | ENGL 101 |
| English Literature and Composition | 4 | 4 | ENGL 125 |
| Environmental Science | 4 | 4 | ENVI 194 |
| European History | 4 | 4 | HIST 194 |
| French Language and Culture | 4 | 4 | FREN 204 |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | 4 | GERM 203 |
| German Language and Culture | 5 | 4 | GERM 204 |
| Human Geography | 4 | 4 | GEOG 111 |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 3 | 4 | JAPA 102 |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 4 | 4 | JAPA 203 |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 5 | 4 | JAPA 204 |
| Latin | 3 | 4 | CLAS 194 |
| Latin | 4 | 4 | CLAS 294 |
| Macroeconomics | 5 | 4 | ECON 119; Must take both Micro and Macro exams. If both scores are 5 or a combo of 4/5, credit is awarded for ECON 119, Principles of Economics. |
| Microeconomics | 5 | 4 | ECON 119; Must take both Micro and Macro exams. If both scores are 5 or a combo of 4/5, credit is awarded for ECON 119, Principles of Economics. |
| Music Theory | 5 | 4 | MUSI 113 |
| Physics 1 | 4 | 4 | PHYS 126 |
| Physics 2 | 4 | 4 | PHYS 127 |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 4 | Student may earn credit upon completion of a more adv. course | |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 5 | 4 | PHYS 227 |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 4 | Student may earn credit upon completion of a more adv. course | |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 5 | 4 | PHYS 226 |
| Psychology | 4 | 4 | PSYC 100 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4 | 4 | SPAN 204 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4 | 4 | SPAN 204 |
| Statistics | 4 | 4 | MATH 194 |
| United States Government and Politics | 4 | 4 | POLI 194 |
| United States History | 4 | 4 | HIST 194 |
| World History: Modern | 4 | 4 | HIST 180 |
Source: AP credit policy
After college
Graduate within 6 years
91%
Come back for a second year
92%
Typical earnings
$69,951
a year, 10 years after starting here
- Macalester College$88,271
- All colleges$89,628
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major. 8 majors here have earnings data.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with Macalester College. The Macalester College logo is a trademark of the college.