Carleton College
About
Carleton College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1866, the 200-acre (81 ha) main campus is between Northfield and the approximately 800-acre (320 ha) Cowling Arboretum, which became part of the campus in the 1920s.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 3.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 33 Title IV programs, 2 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 31 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing2 · 6.1%
- No Data31 · 93.9%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Higher Learning Commission
Action history · 1
- Aug 2019Renewal of AccreditationHigher Learning Commission
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 422 students received $2.5M in Pell grants, alongside $4.0M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 229 borrowers who entered repayment, 1 (0.4%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Carleton College
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 10
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus22
Includes 19 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
- Race4
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Carleton College vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Carleton College selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectCarleton College | 90% | — | 2,128 | $27,320 | Baccalaureate |
Amherst College | 94% | 9.0% | 1,914 | $18,246 | Baccalaureate |
Bates College | 90% | 13.3% | 1,760 | $30,703 | Baccalaureate |
Beloit College | 71% | 63.0% | 1,004 | $21,924 | Baccalaureate |
Bowdoin College | 95% | 7.1% | 1,881 | $20,786 | Baccalaureate |
Bryn Mawr College | 82% | 29.4% | 1,679 | $40,690 | Baccalaureate |
Colorado College | 88% | 18.5% | 2,056 | $31,678 | Baccalaureate |
Davidson College | 91% | 13.4% | 1,869 | $18,127 | Baccalaureate |
Dickinson College | 80% | 42.1% | 2,314 | $32,191 | Baccalaureate |
Grinnell College | 88% | 14.5% | 1,788 | $15,608 | Baccalaureate |
Hamilton College | 91% | 13.6% | 2,031 | $28,314 | Baccalaureate |
Haverford College | 90% | 12.4% | 1,431 | $25,210 | Baccalaureate |
Kenyon College | 82% | 31.0% | 2,249 | $29,383 | Baccalaureate |
Lake Forest College | 78% | 56.8% | 1,837 | $27,499 | Baccalaureate |
Macalester College | 87% | 28.5% | 2,138 | $29,980 | Baccalaureate |
Middlebury College | 91% | 10.7% | 2,803 | $25,934 | Baccalaureate |
Oberlin College | 81% | 34.2% | 2,909 | $39,184 | Baccalaureate |
Pomona College | 93% | 7.1% | 1,700 | $19,424 | Baccalaureate |
Reed College | 71% | 24.6% | 1,358 | $39,951 | Baccalaureate |
Smith College | 89% | 21.0% | 2,857 | $26,181 | Baccalaureate |
St Olaf College | 84% | 48.3% | 3,124 | $22,752 | Baccalaureate |
Swarthmore College | 92% | 7.5% | 1,623 | $18,686 | Baccalaureate |
The College of Wooster | 74% | 59.5% | 1,738 | $25,766 | Baccalaureate |
Wellesley College | 92% | 14.0% | 2,407 | $25,008 | Baccalaureate |
Wesleyan University | 93% | 16.5% | 4,011 | $27,888 | Baccalaureate |
Williams College | 94% | 8.3% | 2,164 | $14,852 | Baccalaureate |
| Peer group median | 90% | 16.5% | 1,973 | $26,058 |
Carleton College Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (IRA) provides data-informed, research-driven decision and strategic planning support to the administration, trustees, faculty leadership, and other campus constituencies to fulfill the mission and goals of Carleton College.
Visit IR office page- Matt GregoryAssistant Director of Institutional Research and Assessment
- Jody FriedowAssociate Director of Institutional Research
- Makiko ImamuraAssistant Vice President for Institutional Research and Assessment
Research funding
External research funding from NSF, NIH, HERD, and federal spending sources.
Common Data Set (21)
The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.
Reports & documents (4)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookCarleton Facts2020The Carleton Facts page is a part of Carleton College's Institutional Research and Assessment section. Access to detailed content is restricted to individuals with Carleton credentials. The page provides options for navigating various institutional data, assessments, research, surveys, and data governance resources. It also mentions contact information and the office's location.carleton.edu
- GlossaryGlossary – Institutional Review Board (IRB) – Carleton CollegeThe glossary provided by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Carleton College includes key definitions relevant to research on human subjects. It covers terms like broad consent, consent form, and informed consent. The glossary emphasizes the federal requirements for research, the importance of informed consent, and the roles within the IRB process. Specific attention is also given to the prohibition of exculpatory language in consent forms and the understanding of minimal risk in research.carleton.edu
- Strategic planCarleton’s Future: A Strategic Plan for the College 20122012Carleton College's 2012 Strategic Plan outlines a focused path for maintaining its excellence over the next decade. The plan prioritizes enhancing curriculum, increasing socio-economic diversity, and ensuring a sustainable economy. Through collaborative opportunities and strategic investments, the college aims to elevate the life-changing impact of its liberal arts education.carleton.edu
Grants & funding (1)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
Notable alumni of Carleton College (30)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Lila Abu-LughodAcademia
- Jack CarsonArts
- Jonathan CapehartJournalism
- Arnold W. DonaldBusiness
- Eugenie Moore AndersonPolitics and government
- Melvin LairdPolitics and government
- Rush Holt Jr.Politics and government
- Thorstein VeblenAcademia
- Jimmy ChinArts
- Veronica RothArts
- Walther AlvarezScience
- Pierce ButlerLaw
Frequently asked questions about Carleton College
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Carleton College.
What is the graduation rate at Carleton College?
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What is the yield rate at Carleton College?
Where is Carleton College located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Carleton College?
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