Carleton College

Tuition and fees at Carleton College are $68,892, and room and board is $17,586. The total published cost of attendance is $84,893 (an average across living arrangements).

Here the average net price is $25,407, because aid covers about 70% of the published cost on average. Aid lowers the bill by $59,486 on average.

Most families who receive aid therefore pay far less than the published total. That net price is $1,964 below the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #689 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the pillar in the 51st percentile, a middle position even though the net price falls below the peer median.

The published cost of attendance at Carleton College is $84,893 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #689 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $7,881, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $9,680, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $44,082. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $36,201.

Aid covers about 70% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $25,407, which is $1,964 below the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $16,750 in federal student loans. That is $7,449 below the $24,199 median at comparable institutions.

85.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $31,271.

If repaid over ten years, the median student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $190 a month.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Carleton College who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $66,841. That places the university in the 70th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The figure is $1,409 below the median of $68,250 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the return pillar at the 67th percentile.

The university does not carry an earnings-beyond-expectations measure, which would show the gap between what graduates earn and what a model expects for similar students. The return pillar rests on observed earnings and their national standing.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $66,841. Azimuth places that figure in the 70th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 222 completers.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from a downside of $48,975 to an upside of $96,465, with a typical scenario of $66,841. An estimated 42.0% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $66,841, in the 70th percentile nationally. That figure sits $1,409 below the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks Carleton College #485 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. The dominant degree families are Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Biological Sciences.

The earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show a wide range: a downside of $48,975 and an upside of $96,465. An estimated 42.0% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $48,975 on the downside to $96,465 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $66,841. These are scenarios, not observed groups of graduates.

The highest-earning program with published data is Economics, where graduates earn a median of $87,193 four years after completion. That is 1.05x the national median for the field.

At Carleton College, the average amount aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships is $25,407, which is $1,964 below the median at comparable institutions (same type and size). The published cost of attendance is $84,893 (an average across living arrangements), and aid covers about 70% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

The median federal debt among borrowers who finish is $16,750, $7,449 below the median at comparable institutions. That debt carries an estimated payment of $190 a month if repaid over ten years.

Parent PLUS borrowing is separate, with a median of $31,271 for parent borrowers. Aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 average $7,881 after grants and scholarships, while those from families earning over $110,000 average $44,082, a spread of $36,201.

Carleton College admits 20.4% of applicants, a rate that sits well below the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). The gap means that most applicants do not receive an offer of admission.

Only one program at Carleton College has published four-year earnings. Economics is both the largest program with published earnings and the highest-earning one, with 34 degrees awarded and median earnings of $87,193 four years after completion.

That figure sits at 1.05x the national median for the field. The three largest degree families are Social Sciences at 19.3% of bachelor's degrees awarded, Physical Sciences at 14.5%, and Biological Sciences at 10.8%.

A student weighing earnings should know that the available data covers one field.

Social Sciences accounts for 19.3% of bachelor's degrees awarded, ahead of Physical Sciences at 14.5% and Biological Sciences at 10.8%. The largest program with published earnings is Economics, at 34 degrees a year.

Graduates of Economics earn a median of $87,193 four years after completion. That is the only program at Carleton College with published four-year earnings data, so the program-level picture is thin.

An estimated 42.0% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. The earnings figure above captures those who enter the workforce directly, not the full career arc of a student who goes on to a professional degree.

The degree mix at Carleton College is anchored by Social Sciences, which accounts for 19.3% of bachelor's degrees awarded. Physical Sciences follows at 14.5%, with Biological Sciences at 10.8%.

Economics is the largest program with published earnings, awarding 34 degrees a year. It is also the highest-earning program, with graduates reporting a median of $87,193 four years after completion.

That earnings figure is 1.05x the national median for the field. The college has 1 program with published four-year earnings data.

The pattern is one of concentration: a single program in the social sciences is both the largest and the best-paid. The earnings data available for it sits modestly above the national benchmark for its field.