Graduates of Macalester College earn median 4-year earnings of $58,560, placing Macalester College in the 38.6 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Azimuth ranks Macalester College #701 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Macalester College's concentration in social sciences and humanities fields, where graduates move into professional, analytical, and policy-oriented careers that build earnings over time. The strongest aggregate-return major is Artificial Intelligence, which combines solid enrollment with competitive four-year earnings. Among the largest programs, Artificial Intelligence enrolls 58 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $109,457, and Political Science enrolls 56 graduates earning $58,555. Biology, General and Economics round out the major programs, with four-year earnings of $56,141 and $85,593 respectively. The program mix — anchored in Social Sciences at 18%, other STEM fields at 7%, and Arts at 5% — supports a broad range of career pathways with earnings that align with national benchmarks for liberal arts graduates.
Graduates of Macalester College earn median 4-year earnings of $58,560, placing Macalester College in the 38.6 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Azimuth ranks Macalester College #701 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Macalester College's concentration in social sciences and humanities fields, where graduates move into professional, analytical, and policy-oriented careers that build earnings over time. The strongest aggregate-return major is Artificial Intelligence, which combines solid enrollment with competitive four-year earnings. Among the largest programs, Artificial Intelligence enrolls 58 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $109,457, and Political Science enrolls 56 graduates earning $58,555. Biology, General and Economics round out the major programs, with four-year earnings of $56,141 and $85,593 respectively. The program mix — anchored in Social Sciences at 18%, other STEM fields at 7%, and Arts at 5% — supports a broad range of career pathways with earnings that align with national benchmarks for liberal arts graduates.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
Lower quartile, 10-year field
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of Macalester College earn median 4-year earnings of $58,560, placing Macalester College in the 38.6 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Azimuth ranks Macalester College #701 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Macalester College's concentration in social sciences and humanities fields, where graduates move into professional, analytical, and policy-oriented careers that build earnings over time. The strongest aggregate-return major is Artificial Intelligence, which combines solid enrollment with competitive four-year earnings. Among the largest programs, Artificial Intelligence enrolls 58 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $109,457, and Political Science enrolls 56 graduates earning $58,555. Biology, General and Economics round out the major programs, with four-year earnings of $56,141 and $85,593 respectively. The program mix — anchored in Social Sciences at 18%, other STEM fields at 7%, and Arts at 5% — supports a broad range of career pathways with earnings that align with national benchmarks for liberal arts graduates.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Macalester College's program mix is anchored in the social sciences, reflecting the college's identity as a liberal arts institution with particular strength in policy-oriented and analytical fields. Artificial Intelligence is the largest program with 58 graduates, followed by Political Science, Biology, General, Economics, and Mathematics. Across 31 total programs, 0 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold, with several delivering strong four-year earnings outcomes that reflect the college's emphasis on fields with direct labor-market pathways. The strongest earnings outcomes cluster in applied social sciences and quantitative fields. Artificial Intelligence graduates earn median four-year earnings of $109,457 with 58 graduates, while Mathematics delivers $91,979 with 48 graduates. Economics and Political Science follow with median earnings of $85,593 and $58,555 respectively, demonstrating consistent strength across the college's core disciplinary areas. These programs represent high-mobility pathways where graduates enter the workforce directly and earnings reflect national labor-market outcomes in policy, business, and analytical sectors. Macalester College's program portfolio reflects a liberal arts college positioning within the social sciences and humanities. The concentration in Social Sciences at 18%, combined with meaningful enrollment in other STEM fields at 7% and Arts at 5%, creates a distinctive profile oriented toward policy, international relations, and analytical careers. The supply and demand for college graduates provides context for how these fields align with national labor-market trends and employer demand in sectors like nonprofit leadership, government, and international development.
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Macalester College earn median 4-year earnings of $58,560, placing Macalester College in the 38.6 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band). Azimuth ranks Macalester College #701 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Macalester College's concentration in social sciences and humanities fields, where graduates move into professional, analytical, and policy-oriented careers that build earnings over time. The strongest aggregate-return major is Artificial Intelligence, which combines solid enrollment with competitive four-year earnings. Among the largest programs, Artificial Intelligence enrolls 58 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $109,457, and Political Science enrolls 56 graduates earning $58,555. Biology, General and Economics round out the major programs, with four-year earnings of $56,141 and $85,593 respectively. The program mix — anchored in Social Sciences at 18%, other STEM fields at 7%, and Arts at 5% — supports a broad range of career pathways with earnings that align with national benchmarks for liberal arts graduates.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
