Macalester College is a private institution that was founded in 1874. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,098, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 53 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Macalester College’s ranking in the 2021 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, #27. Its tuition and fees are $58,478.

Life at Macalester College is an intimate liberal arts experience near two big Minnesota college towns. The Macalester campus is a 10-minute drive from both downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis, two hubs of theatres, museums and outdoor activities known as the Twin Cities. Freshmen and sophomores must live on the Macalester campus. There is no Greek system at Macalester, but students can get involved in dozens of other clubs and organizations. The Macalester sports teams, known as the Scots, compete in the NCAA Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Football is not a big draw for student fans, but both the men’s and women’s soccer teams are competitive. Annual student events include Springfest and Founder’s Day, campus celebrations that include bagpipe music and food. Bagpipes are a common theme on campus; the instrument heralds the beginning and end of major events, and students can take bagpipe lessons for free. To get off campus, students can take a class each semester at one of the other private colleges in the Twin Cities: Augsburg College, Hamline University, St. Catherine University and University of St. Thomas. Keen on an international focus, Macalester College regularly enrolls students from more than 90 countries, and about 60 percent of the student body studies abroad.

For students that need extra assistance for exams or graduate school applications, the on-campus MAX Center offers free individual and group tutoring sessions. In addition, financial assistance is guaranteed to every student, as the college pledges to meet the full need of each enrollee. Notable alumni of Macalester include diplomat Kofi Annan, the seventh Secretary General of the United Nations; former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale; and talent agent Ari Emanuel, for whom the “Entourage” character Ari Gold was modeled.

General Information

School Type

Private, Coed

Year Founded

1874

Religious Affiliation

None

Academic Calendar

Semester

Setting

Urban

2019 Endowment

$749.6 million

ST. PAUL, MN

Macalester College is one of very few selective liberal arts colleges located in the heart of a major metropolitan area. Students at Mac live out the college mission of academic excellence, internationalism, multiculturalism, and service to society by embracing interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving. They are curious, highly motivated, serious about their academic pursuits, and supportive of each other; being more likely to work together for collective academic success than to compete.

Academic, social, spiritual, community, and professional endeavors are all amplified by Macalester’s location in the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. It’s here too, where students advocate for better policies and participate in social movements that shape our world.

Within five blocks of Macalester, there are at least twenty restaurants, eight coffee houses, five places of worship, two bookstores, a tea shop, movie theater and stores for art supplies, flowers, bike repairs, pharmacies, and music, as well as Ace Hardware, Breadsmith, Jamba Juice, Patagonia, Whole Foods and more. Many faculty and staff live on the winding streets adjacent to campus. Minneapolis and St. Paul are also known as two of the best biking cities, with numerous scenic bike paths.

Being in the heart of a metropolitan area allows for over 50 courses to readily partner with organizations in the Twin Cities. Example classes include Legislative Politics, where students intern as legislative aides in the nearby Minnesota State Capitol; Community Psychology and Public Health, in which students engage in off-campus shadowing opportunities; and Drama: Theater and Politics, which incorporates theatrical performances in multiple Twin Cities theaters including the world-class Guthrie Theater.

Every Macalester student takes a First Year Course (FYC) in their first semester. Seminar-style FYCs are limited to 16 students and the professor is the academic advisor for each student in the class. FYCs set the stage for an academic journey based on small classes, individual attention, and collaboration.

Contributing to long-lasting friendships and a sense of community, there are over 100 student organizations available. They reflect the diverse interests of our students and range in focus from art, chess, comedy, consulting, culture, dance, gaming, investing, Mac radio station, and Model United Nations, to music, politics, Quiz Bowl, religion, rocketry, slam poetry, software development, and ultimate frisbee. Macalester has 19 varsity athletic teams as well as club and intramural sports. Most varsity teams compete in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Macalester students come from more than 90 countries and all 50 states. More than 60% of students study abroad for 15 weeks or more, providing time for substantial experience and learning in another culture. The United Nations flag has flown over campus since 1950, a symbol of Macalester’s commitment to world peace and understanding.

Alumni include Kofi Annan ’61 who became Secretary-General of the United Nations and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Fred Swaniker ‘99 who founded the African Leadership Academy and was named one of 2019’s 100 most influential people by Time Magazine, Tim O’Brien ’68, acclaimed author of The Things They Carried, actress and playwright Danai Gurira ’01 whose roles include Okoye in Black Panther, Avenger: Endgame and Michonne in The Walking Dead, and Walter Mondale ’50 who served as Vice President of the United States.

Macalester college ranking

Macalester College is ranked #27 in National Liberal Arts Colleges. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.

• #27inNational Liberal Arts Colleges
• #43inBest Undergraduate Teaching (tie)
• #30inBest Value Schools

Macalester college ranking world

country rank	365
world rank	1006

Macalester tuition

Tuition	$58,248
Room	$7,026
Board	$6,058
Activity Fee	$230
Comprehensive Fee (sum of above)	$71,562

Macalester college acceptance rate

Macalester College admissions is most selective with an acceptance rate of 32%. Half the applicants admitted to Macalester College have an SAT score between 1320 and 1510 or an ACT score of 29 and 33.

Macalester college average gpa

The average GPA at Macalester College is 3.94. This makes Macalester College Extremely Competitive for GPAs. (Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.

Macalester college economics ranking

Economics Degrees Available at Macalester

• Bachelor’s Degree in Economics

Macalester Economics Rankings

The bachelor’s program at Macalester was ranked #60 on College Factual’s Best Schools for economics list. It is also ranked #2 in Minnesota.

Ranking Type	Rank
Best Value Colleges for Economics	32
Highest Paid Economics Graduates	33
Most Focused Colleges for Economics	55
Best Colleges for Economics	60
Most Popular Colleges for Economics	157
Best Economics Colleges for Veterans	162

Popularity of Economics at Macalester

During the 2018-2019 academic year, Macalester College handed out 69 bachelor’s degrees in economics. Due to this, the school was ranked #157 out of all colleges and universities that offer this degree. This is a decrease of 1% over the previous year when 70 degrees were handed out.

How Much Do Economics Graduates from Macalester Make?

$61,300BACHELOR’S MEDIAN SALARY

Salary of Economics Graduates with a Bachelor’s Degree

Economics majors who earn their bachelor’s degree from Macalester go on to jobs where they make a median salary of $61,300 a year. This is great news for graduates of the program, since this figure is higher than the national average of $44,300 for all economics bachelor’s degree recipients.

How Much Student Debt Do Economics Graduates from Macalester Have?

$16,484BACHELOR’S MEDIAN DEBT

Student Debt of Economics Graduates with a Bachelor’s Degree

While getting their bachelor’s degree at Macalester, economics students borrow a median amount of $16,484 in student loans. This is not too bad considering that the median debt load of all economics bachelor’s degree recipients across the country is $21,666.

The typical student loan payment of a bachelor’s degree student from the economics program at Macalester is $171 per month.