Macalester College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Macalester College is a private college in Minnesota that admits roughly 29% of applicants, which puts it in the selective range. A rate like this means it admits a minority of applicants; the bar is less about clearing a single cutoff and more about how your full profile compares to admitted students.
Use this page to see what Macalester College weighs, where it ranks among Minnesota schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1440, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Macalester College?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, Macalester College admitted 42% of Early Decision applicants (201 of 479), against about 27.3% of everyone else. Its overall rate that year was 28.1%.
Source: Macalester College Common Data Set 2025-26, IPEDS admissions survey, fall 2023. Updated October 31, 2026.
Macalester College supplemental essays, 2026-27
What do students study at Macalester College?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Macalester College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Macalester College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Macalester College?
At Macalester College, your real chance depends on far more than the published 29% admit rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Macalester College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Macalester College hard to get into?
Macalester College is selective: it admits a minority of applicants, with about a 29% acceptance rate. A solid academic record puts you in good position, and the rest of your profile can tip the result either way.
What GPA do you need to get into Macalester College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Macalester College, but admitted students commonly present roughly a 3.5 to 3.9 GPA. Macalester College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Macalester College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Macalester College for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 6 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Macalester College with a 3.7 GPA and a 1430 SAT?
About 51% (Likely), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.7 unweighted GPA and a 1430 SAT, the middle of Macalester College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.9 GPA with a 1510 SAT comes out near 63%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/macalester-college.
Early Decision, Early Action and the waitlist at Macalester College
From Macalester College's own 2025-26 Common Data Set (fall 2025 entering class): sections C1, C2, C21-C22 and D2.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Macalester College?
42%. Macalester College admitted 201 of 479 Early Decision applicants for fall 2025, against 28.1% of all 8,819 first-year applicants (Macalester College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
Does applying early decision help at Macalester College?
On the raw numbers, yes: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 42% versus about 27.3% for everyone who applied another way, 1.5x the rate, and Early Decision filled 8.1% of the admitted class. Part of that gap is who applies early (recruited athletes and legacy applicants often do), so it is not all the round itself. Early Decision is binding: apply only if Macalester College is your clear first choice and the family can commit without comparing aid offers.
How many students get off the waitlist at Macalester College?
82 for fall 2025. Macalester College offered 765 applicants a waitlist spot, 446 accepted one, and 82 were admitted from it: 18.4% of those who stayed on (Macalester College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
What is the transfer acceptance rate at Macalester College?
27.4%: 52 of 190 transfer applicants were admitted for fall 2025 (Macalester College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
Source: Macalester College Common Data Set 2025-26. Read from the document twice independently; only matching figures are shown. See how early rounds compare across colleges in the Early Decision rankings.
How to get into Macalester College
Built from Macalester College's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Getting into Macalester College comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Macalester College carries about a 3.68 core GPA and a 1460 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Landing at or above it makes you competitive; the rest of the file decides.
The admitted middle 50% is 1350 to 1510 SAT (30 to 34 ACT). Submit a score at 1430 or higher; below 1350, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Macalester College rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Selective private colleges admit a larger share of their class in binding Early Decision; if Macalester College is your clear first choice and the net price works, ED is the single biggest lever an applicant controls. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Macalester College's exact dates at www.macalester.edu.
How many students apply to Macalester College, and how many get in?
8,099 students applied to Macalester College for fall 2023; 2,285 were admitted (28.2%). 518 enrolled. Only about 23% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. Macalester College enrolls about 2,131 undergraduates in total, 57% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Macalester College?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Macalester College scored between 1350 and 1510 on the SAT (average 1440). On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 30 to 34. A score above 1510 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1350 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Macalester College is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Macalester College looks for
What Macalester College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
Macalester College signals that it values rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores above the rest of the file. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Macalester College's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Macalester College
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Macalester College cost after financial aid?
Macalester College's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $82,991 per year. Tuition and fees alone are $68,104. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $32,149 a year, and it ranges from $13,772 for families earning under $30,000 to $44,880 for families earning over $110,000. 17% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Macalester College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Ten years after enrolling, the median Macalester College student who received federal aid earns $63,878 a year, up from $46,244 at six years. 87% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 92% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $23,000; 36% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Macalester College compares in Minnesota
Macalester College ranks #3 most selective of 23 schools in Minnesota in our database.
Among the 23 Minnesota schools we track, Macalester College ranks #3 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like Carleton College (20%) and Crown College (23%) sit nearby, which makes Minnesota a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Macalester College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If Macalester College is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: Bucknell University, Bryn Mawr College, and Mississippi College. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Macalester College's acceptance rate?
Macalester College admitted 2,285 of 8,099 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 28.2% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 23% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Macalester College?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1350 to 1510 on the SAT and 30 to 34 on the ACT. A score above 1510 is in the top quarter of admits. Macalester College is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Macalester College test-optional?
Yes. Macalester College reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Macalester College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Macalester College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $32,149 a year against a sticker price of about $82,991. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $13,772 on average.
What do Macalester College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Macalester College are $63,878 a year among students who received federal aid, and 87% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Macalester College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Macalester College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Macalester College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Macalester College's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Macalester College?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Macalester College specifically.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.