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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Carleton College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/carleton-college/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/carleton-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/carleton-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/carleton-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/carleton-college/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Carleton College cost after financial aid?

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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 is $84,893 (an average across living arrangements), but the average amount students actually pay after grants and scholarships is $25,407. Aid recipients pay $1,964 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth places the affordability pillar at the 51st percentile. After grants and scholarships, the lowest income band averages $7,881 and the highest averages $44,082.

[Net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by income band are averages; individual packages differ. Borrowers who finish hold a median of $16,750 in federal loans, $7,449 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is higher for each family-income band. It is $7,881 for families earning under $30,000; $8,203 for those earning $30,001–$48,000; $9,680 for $48,001–$75,000; $18,485 for $75,001–$110,000; and $44,082 for families earning over $110,000.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $36,201. About 16.5% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, the group the lowest band applies to.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$7,881

**$30–48K**
$8,203

**$48–75K**
$9,680

**$75–110K**
$18,485

**$110K+**
$44,082

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$25,407**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

The sticker-to-net gap of $59,486 means aid covers about 70% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s are lowest for families earning under $30,000, at $7,881, and highest for those earning over $110,000, at $44,082.

The spread of $36,201 between the two ends shows a pricing pattern where aid is larger for families with less ability to pay, though individual packages will differ.

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Median federal student debt at Carleton College is $16,750 for borrowers who complete. That is $7,449 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Federal borrowing reaches 85.5% of federal aid recipients. Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $31,271.

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

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $48,975 on the downside to $96,465 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $66,841. Borrowers who finish leave with a median of $16,750 in federal student loans, which is $7,449 below the peer median of $24,199.

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $190 a month. Earnings sit below the peer median, while the debt load is below than at comparable institutions.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $31,271. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $190 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$31,271

**Estimated parent payment**
$397/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 23.4% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 10.5% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 5.0% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.3% | Safe |

The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. [Open the parent tool for your own numbers](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=carleton-college#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$16,750

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$31,271

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$190/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$397/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$587/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $66,841, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**5.3%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=carleton-college#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.