Carleton College
Carleton College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Carleton College Featured Rankings
- #1 Best Private Colleges in Minnesota 2026
- #1 Best Small Colleges in Minnesota
- #1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Minnesota
- #2 Best Colleges in Minnesota 2026
- #2 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #14 Earth Sciences Liberal Arts Colleges
- #14 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Psychology Majors
- #15 Religious Studies Liberal Arts Colleges
- #18 Sociology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #18 Physics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #18 Philosophy Liberal Arts Colleges
- #19 Economics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #19 Chemistry Liberal Arts Colleges
- #19 Anthropology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #19 Liberal Arts Colleges for Biology Degrees
- #20 Political Science Liberal Arts Colleges
- #22 History Liberal Arts Colleges
- #30 Best Small Colleges 2026
- #32 Best Liberal Arts Colleges 2026
About Carleton College
Featured Alumni
Lawrence M. Krauss ranks among our Top Influential Physicists Today.
Barbara Fredrickson ranks among our Top Influential Psychologists Today.
Robert Bergman ranks among our Top Influential Chemists Today.
According to Wikipedia, Carleton College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. Founded in 1866, the 200-acre main campus is between Northfield and the approximately 800-acre Cowling Arboretum, which became part of the campus in the 1920s.
Carleton College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6,464 | 20% | 96% | 89% | 1505 | 33 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Carleton College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $72,069 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $12,275 |
| 30K - 48K | $11,313 |
| 48K - 75K | $18,924 |
| 75K - 110K | $18,309 |
| 110K+ | $37,770 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Carleton College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Carleton College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $82,742 a year, and 94% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Carleton College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads |
|---|---|
| 2,106 | 2,106 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Carleton College?
Carleton College is located at One North College Street, Northfield, MN 55057.
How Safe is Carleton College?
Relative to its enrollment, Carleton College has a violent crime rate of 0.23% and a property crime rate of 0.23%. Northfield has a violent crime rate of 0.16% and a property crime rate of 1.36%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Carleton College Known For?
Carleton College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Economics
- Earth Sciences
- Anthropology
- Political Science
- Literature
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Biology
- Philosophy
- Chemistry
- Physics
- History
- Computer Science
- Religious Studies
- Mathematics
Carleton College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Carleton College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Carleton College ranks #108 in the U.S. and #436 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesCarleton College ranks #129 in the U.S. and #503 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesCarleton College ranks #136 in the U.S. and #401 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesCarleton College ranks #155 in the U.S. and #619 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesCarleton College ranks #160 in the U.S. and #455 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesCarleton College ranks #170 in the U.S. and #612 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesCarleton College ranks #182 in the U.S. and #437 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesCarleton College ranks #194 in the U.S. and #698 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesCarleton College ranks #200 in the U.S. and #674 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesCarleton College ranks #200 in the U.S. and #934 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesCarleton College ranks #219 in the U.S. and #929 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesCarleton College ranks #221 in the U.S. and #629 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesCarleton College ranks #227 in the U.S. and #890 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesCarleton College ranks #241 in the U.S. and #1026 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesCarleton College ranks #259 in the U.S. and #1053 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesWho Are Carleton College's Most Influential Alumni?
Carleton College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Economics, Sociology, and Anthropology. Here are some of Carleton College's most famous alumni:
- Thorstein Veblen
- An American economist and sociologist.
- Anthony Downs
- An American economist.
- Donella Meadows
- An American environmental scientist, teacher, and writer.
- Dennis Meadows
- An American scientist and Emeritus Professor of Systems Management, widely known as a coauthor of The Limits to Growth.
- Barbara Fredrickson
- An American psychology professor.
- Walter Alvarez
- An American geologist.
- Lynn Hunt
- An American historian.
- Richard E. Stearns
- An American computer scientist.
- Parker Palmer
- An American theologian.
- Jack Lew
- A 76th United States Secretary of the Treasury.
- Mary-Claire King
- An American geneticist.
- Lucian Pye
- An American sinologist.
