Carleton College Scholarships (2026–2027)

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Last Updated on October 20, 2026
What This Page Covers:
  • Tuition, housing, and average family net price
  • Automatic merit ranges and qualifier benchmarks
  • Flagship and hidden-gem awards
  • Honors and stacking strategy

📊 Admissions Snapshot

  • Acceptance Rate: ~18%
  • Middle 50% ACT: N/A
  • Middle 50% SAT: N/A
  • Average GPA: N/A
📊 Reading Carleton’s Admissions Numbers

Carleton admitted 18% of applicants for the Class of 2030 (8,226 applied, 501 enrolled). The college made its test-optional policy permanent in 2025, and it doesn’t publish an average high school GPA at all. So if a number looks blank above, that’s Carleton’s choice, not a gap in our homework. If your student does send scores, Carleton asks for the full SAT or ACT results.

Comparing multiple schools? Try the Scholarship Tool to search by GPA, test scores, and state →

📌 Carleton College at a Glance

Average Net Price
$29,434/year
Average paid.
Automatic Merit
None. Aid is need-based
No separate application.
Scholarships Tracked
5 opportunities
3 competitive · 2 hidden gem
Typical Qualifiers
No GPA or test cutoffs for aid
Entry-level benchmarks for automatic merit.
Testing Policy
Test-optional (permanent)
No superscore.
Key Deadlines
Priority: Nov 15 • FAFSA: Nov 15
Financial Aid Forms
FAFSA & CSS Profile
🚨 Easy-to-Miss “Gotchas” at Carleton (Read This First)

  • There is no merit money to chase. Carleton’s aid office says flat out that all of its grants and scholarships are need-based. Great grades and scores get your student in the door. They don’t lower the bill on their own.
  • The aid paperwork IS the scholarship application. The CSS Profile and FAFSA are due with your admission round: November 15 for Fall Early Decision, January 15 for Winter Early Decision and Regular Decision. That same paperwork is how Carleton considers students for the $40,000 Fritch and Strong Scholarships. Skip it because you assume you earn too much, and you skip those too.
  • Both Early Decision rounds are binding. If the aid forms go in with the application, the aid offer arrives with the admission letter. Run Carleton’s Net Price Calculator before you commit, not after.
  • Loans are on the way out. Starting in 2027-28, Carleton replaces loans in need-based packages with grants. A campus job is still part of the package (about $3,200 a year for first-years).
  • Health insurance gets billed unless you waive it. Carleton’s plan runs $2,355 for 2026-27, and every student has to opt in or opt out each year.

FAQ

Is this college test-optional? Yes, for admission. Carleton College is test-optional for admission.

What is the middle 50% ACT/SAT? ACT: N/A; SAT: N/A.

Average net price? About $29,434/year after aid.

Does this school use waivers/reciprocity? No. It is a private school, so everyone pays the same rate.

Sources:
Carleton Academic Catalog 2026-27: Financial Aid: https://www.carleton.edu/catalog/current/financial-aid/
Carleton Financial Aid: Fritch and Strong Scholarships: https://www.carleton.edu/financial-aid/types-of-aid/grant-and-scholarships/fritch-and-strong-scholarships/
Carleton Music: S. Eugene Bailey Scholarship: https://www.carleton.edu/music/overview/bailey/
Carleton Admissions: QuestBridge Details: https://www.carleton.edu/admissions/apply/steps/questbridge/details/
CollegeScorecard / Admissions: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/

💰 Cost of Attendance at Carleton College: 2026–2027 Rates

Figures verified against official sources in October 2026.

📅 Planning for 2027–2028? These are the 2026–2027 rates, the newest Carleton College has published. Colleges usually release next year's costs in the spring, and we update this page when they do.

Budgeting tip: costs typically rise 2% to 5% a year. For 2027–2028, plan on roughly $1,900 to $4,700 more than the total below.

✔ Same price for every student, no matter which state you live in.

All students: billed cost per year
$94,980
Tuition, fees, housing, and meals for two semesters
Tuition & mandatory fees $75,666
Housing & meals (typical) $19,314
Total billed cost $94,980

Average federal net price: $29,434 per year. This is what first-time, full-time students who received grant aid paid after grants and scholarships, based on the most recent federal data. It counts books and living costs, so it can run higher than the billed total above. Families who got no grants are not in this average, so many middle-income families pay more. New to Net Price & SAI? Read our guide.

Minnesota Families: Carleton vs. the North Star Promise

Minnesota’s North Star Promise covers tuition at public colleges for families with an adjusted gross income of $80,000 or less. Go one dollar over and you’re out. Private colleges like Carleton aren’t part of it, but Carleton published its own comparison, and the numbers are worth a look:

Family Income (MN, 2025-26) Average Carleton Grant Share of Tuition Covered
$0 to $100K$76,624100%
$100K to $175K$65,13491%
$175K to $250K$50,54871%

Grants don’t get paid back. And unlike North Star, Carleton’s aid also counts housing and food, with no income cutoff.

FAQ: Cost of Attendance at Carleton College

How much does Carleton cost in 2026-27?
The comprehensive fee is $94,980. That covers tuition ($75,186), the student activity fee ($480), housing ($10,194) and food ($9,120). Add Carleton’s estimates for books and personal costs ($2,040) and travel ($850) and the full cost of attendance is $97,870. Health insurance ($2,355) is extra unless your student waives it with proof of family coverage.

Is there an out-of-state price at Carleton?
No. Carleton is private, so a student from Northfield and a student from Texas pay the same comprehensive fee. That also means there are no residency waivers or regional tuition deals to hunt for. The only lever that moves the price is need-based aid.

What do families actually pay at Carleton?
The federal average net price is about $29,434 a year after grants. Income matters a lot here. Federal data broken out by income shows families earning $48,000 to $75,000 paid about $10,999 on average, families at $75,000 to $110,000 paid about $17,900, and families above $110,000 paid about $41,028. Carleton’s own number for families who received aid in 2025-26 is $21,763.

Does Carleton really meet 100% of need?
Yes. Carleton meets the full demonstrated need of every admitted student for all four years. About 40 to 45% of families pay the full price, and about 55 to 60% get aid that’s mostly grants. “Need” is what Carleton calculates from your CSS Profile and FAFSA, not what your family feels it can afford, so run the Net Price Calculator early.

What is Carleton’s no-loan policy?
Starting in 2027-28, Carleton replaces all federal and institutional loans in need-based aid packages with grants and scholarships. Demonstrated need gets met with grants plus a campus job. Families can still choose to borrow federal loans on their own if they want to.

Do we have to fill out the CSS Profile?
Yes, if you want any Carleton aid. Carleton relies mainly on the CSS Profile (school code 6081) to figure out need, and both custodial and noncustodial parents complete one. The CSS Profile is free for families earning up to $100,000; above that there’s a fee. The FAFSA (school code 002340) covers federal and Minnesota state aid.

How much will our student be expected to work?
Students on need-based aid get a campus job built into the package: around $3,200 for first-years (about 8 hours a week) and up to $4,000 for returning students (about 10 hours a week). Nearly 80% of Carleton students have a campus job.

Will our aid stay the same all four years?
You reapply every year. If your family’s finances stay about the same and your student keeps making satisfactory academic progress, Carleton says you can expect comparable aid. If your income goes up or down, the aid moves with it.

Sources:
https://www.carleton.edu/financial-aid/cost/
https://www.carleton.edu/admissions/apply/afford/debtfree/
https://www.carleton.edu/financial-aid/resources-faqs/north-star-promise/
https://www.carleton.edu/financial-aid/our-approach/
https://myhighered.mn.gov/colleges/carleton-college

📅 Carleton Aid Timeline (Simple Version)

  • October 1: CSS Profile and FAFSA open.
  • November 15: Fall Early Decision application plus aid documents due.
  • January 15: Winter Early Decision and Regular Decision applications plus aid documents due.
  • With the admission letter: Your aid offer, including any Fritch or Strong Scholarship, if the forms were in on time.

Parent rule of thumb: at Carleton, your aid deadline is your application deadline. Carleton treats these as priority deadlines and says late files get considered as funding allows.

Automatic Merit Scholarships at Carleton College

Carleton doesn’t offer automatic merit scholarships. There’s no GPA or test score chart that unlocks money. Carleton’s reasoning: every admitted student has already shown a lot of merit, so it puts nearly all of its aid dollars toward need. What IS automatic is consideration. File the CSS Profile and FAFSA on time, and your student is automatically reviewed for need-based grants, the Fritch and Strong Scholarships, and donor-named scholarships.
Find your student's tier
Enter the numbers you have. We'll highlight the automatic award your student would actually get and tuck the rest out of the way. Leave it blank to browse everything.
Residency
Based on published cutoffs for entering freshmen. Always verify with the college before finalizing plans.

This institution does not offer designated Automatic Merit scholarships at this time.

Heads up for National Merit families: Carleton used to give National Merit Finalists $2,000 a year. That award was in the 2025-26 catalog but is missing from the 2026-27 catalog, and Carleton’s aid FAQ now says all of its grants and scholarships are need-based. If your student is a Finalist, ask the aid office before listing Carleton as a first choice with National Merit.

Automatic Merit: FAQs (Carleton College)

Does Carleton give automatic merit scholarships?
No. All Carleton grants and scholarships are need-based. The closest thing to merit money is the Bailey Instrumental Music Scholarship, which requires an audition after your student enrolls.

Does Carleton still offer a National Merit Scholarship?
It looks like it’s ended. The 2025-26 catalog listed $2,000 a year for Finalists who named Carleton first. The 2026-27 catalog dropped it, and the aid office’s current FAQ says all grants are need-based. Confirm with the aid office before you make choices with National Merit around it. Corporate-sponsored National Merit awards still count as outside scholarships.

Will a high SAT or ACT lower our cost at Carleton?
Not directly. Test scores can help with admission if your student chooses to send them, but they don’t change the aid formula. Your cost comes from your family’s finances.

Do we need to apply separately for Carleton scholarships?
No. The CSS Profile and FAFSA are the whole application. Carleton reviews every aid applicant for its named and endowed scholarships, plus Fritch and Strong, with no extra forms.

What happens if our student wins an outside scholarship?
Outside money first cuts the student’s “self-help” (loans, then the campus job). Anything beyond that can lower the family contribution or the Carleton scholarship. If you’d rather it lower your family share and keep the job, email financialaid@carleton.edu and say so. Total aid can’t go over the cost of attendance.

Does Carleton give athletic scholarships?
No. Carleton plays NCAA Division III, which doesn’t allow athletic scholarships. Athletes get aid the same way everyone else does: through need.

Sources:
https://www.carleton.edu/financial-aid/resources-faqs/faqs/
https://www.carleton.edu/catalog/current/financial-aid/
https://www.carleton.edu/financial-aid/apply-for-aid/new-students/
https://www.carleton.edu/admissions/apply/steps/criteria/

🏆 Flagship Scholarships (Competitive Scholarships)

Carleton’s two named flagship awards are built for the families most colleges forget: the middle. The Fritch and James Woodward Strong Scholarships are each $10,000 a year for four years ($40,000 total) for middle-income students. There’s no essay, no interview and no separate form. Applying for admission and filing the CSS Profile and FAFSA puts your student in the running.

🗺️ Fritch or Strong? It Comes Down to Your Hometown

Fritch Endowed Scholarship James Woodward Strong Scholarship
Who it’s forMiddle-income students from a U.S. city of fewer than 200,000 peopleMiddle-income families from U.S. metro areas
Amount$10,000/yr, $40,000 total$10,000/yr, $40,000 total
How to applyAdmission application + CSS Profile + FAFSAAdmission application + CSS Profile + FAFSA
To keep itSatisfactory academic progressSatisfactory academic progress

One honest wrinkle: Carleton’s own pages word this two ways. The scholarship page says Fritch is for a “U.S. city” under 200,000 and Strong is for “metro areas.” The main grants page says “city or metropolitan area” for Fritch and “urban areas” for Strong. Carleton also never puts a dollar range on “middle-income.” If your hometown sits near the line, just file the forms. Carleton does the sorting.

✅ How Aid Fits Together at Carleton

Aid Type Adds to Your Package? Parent Translation
Carleton Grant It’s the base The biggest piece of most offers, sized to your demonstrated need.
Fritch / Strong Inside the package Carleton splits the $10,000: $4,500 toward need, $4,500 to replace loans or lower your family share, $1,000 for books. With loans going away in 2027-28, that middle chunk should lean toward your family share.
QuestBridge Match Replaces the package Covers the full comprehensive fee with no loans and no parent contribution. Low-income students only.
Pell / Minnesota State Grant Counted first Government grants go in first and Carleton fills the rest of your need, so they can lower the Carleton Grant.
Outside scholarships Yes, with a catch They cut the campus job first. Email the aid office if you’d rather they lower your family share.

For lower-income students, QuestBridge is the big one. Carleton is a QuestBridge partner, and students matched to Carleton through the National College Match get aid covering tuition, housing and food, with no loans and no parent contribution. Carleton’s QuestBridge page describes typical finalists as coming from families of four earning under $65,000 a year with minimal assets. The Match is binding, and the application is due in late September of senior year.

Automaticmiddle incomehometown size
Fritch Endowed Scholarship
📅 Deadline: 11-15
✓ Renews (4 yrs)
$10,000/yr
✔ Stackable
⚠  For middle-income families from U.S. cities of fewer than 200,000 people.
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Fritch money sits inside your need-based aid package rather than on top of it. Carleton splits the $10,000 three ways: $4,500 toward demonstrated need, $4,500 to replace any loan offered or lower the family contribution and balance owed, and $1,000 for books, supplies and other small charges. Because Carleton stops putting loans in need-based packages starting in 2027-28, that middle piece should go toward your family share instead of replacing a loan. Confirm how it appears on your award letter.
💡
Strategic Detail
The Fritch Endowed Scholarship is $10,000 a year for four years, $40,000 total, for middle-income students from smaller U.S. communities. Carleton's scholarship page says a U.S. city of fewer than 200,000 people, while its main grants page says a city or metropolitan area under 200,000, so ask the aid office if your hometown is borderline. Carleton does not publish an income range for middle-income. There is no separate application.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Middle-income students from smaller U.S. cities and towns who apply for financial aid on time and put together strong overall applications. Renewal each year requires satisfactory academic progress.
Automaticmiddle incomehometown size
James Woodward Strong Scholarship
📅 Deadline: 11-15
✓ Renews (4 yrs)
$10,000/yr
✔ Stackable
⚠  For middle-income families from U.S. metro areas.
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Like Fritch, the Strong money sits inside your need-based package. The $10,000 is split into $4,500 toward demonstrated need, $4,500 to replace any loan offered or lower the family contribution and balance owed, and $1,000 for books and small charges. With Carleton going no-loan in 2027-28, the middle piece should go toward your family share. Check your award letter.
💡
Strategic Detail
The James Woodward Strong Scholarship is $10,000 a year for four years, $40,000 total, for middle-income families from U.S. metro areas. It is the big-city counterpart to the Fritch Scholarship. Carleton's scholarship page says U.S. metro areas, while its main grants page says urban areas. It is named for Carleton's first president, who led the college from 1870 to 1903. There is no separate application.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Middle-income students from larger U.S. cities and suburbs who apply for financial aid on time and present strong overall applications. Renewal each year requires satisfactory academic progress.
App Requiredlow incomequestbridge
QuestBridge National College Match at Carleton
📅 Deadline: QuestBridge National College Match application due in late September of senior year; ranked college list due mid-October. Matches are announced December 1.
✓ Renews (4 yrs)
Varies
✔ Stackable
⚠  Only for low-income students who apply through QuestBridge and rank Carleton.
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
The Match award is a complete package covering the comprehensive fee, so there is little for it to stack with. Expect an on-campus job to be part of the package. Outside scholarships reduce student employment first.
📄
How to Apply
Submit the QuestBridge National College Match application by late September of senior year, then rank Carleton among your partner colleges by mid-October. Finalists hear in late October and matches are announced December 1. If not matched, you can convert to Carleton Regular Decision through the QuestBridge portal or contact Carleton about Early Decision.
✎ Essays💌 Letters of Rec
💡
Strategic Detail
Carleton is a QuestBridge partner college. Students matched to Carleton receive an aid award that covers the full comprehensive fee of tuition, housing and food, with no loans and no parent contribution. The Match is binding: if matched, the student is expected to attend and must withdraw other applications. Students who are not matched can still be considered in Regular Decision.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
High-achieving students from low-income households. Carleton's QuestBridge page describes typical finalists as coming from families of four earning under $65,000 a year with minimal assets, often eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, and frequently the first in their family to attend a four-year college.
Data last verified Oct 14, 2026.* GPA/test bands are estimates based on official selectivity and prior cohort profiles. "Who Actually Wins" insights are pulled from external peer-sourced data where students and parents have reported real-world award results. Because colleges can change funding thresholds and deadlines at any time, always verify these details with the institution before finalizing your application strategy.

❓ Flagship / Competitive Scholarship FAQs

How do we apply for the Fritch or Strong Scholarship?
You don’t fill out anything extra. Apply for admission and submit the CSS Profile and FAFSA by your round’s deadline (November 15 for Fall Early Decision, January 15 for Winter Early Decision and Regular Decision). Carleton considers everyone who files.

What income counts as “middle-income” for Fritch and Strong?
Carleton doesn’t publish a range. These awards are tied to the need-based aid review, so the honest answer is that the CSS Profile decides. If your family lands in that “earn too much for big aid, too little to write a $95,000 check” zone, these were built for you.

Can a student get both Fritch and Strong?
They’re designed as a pair split by hometown: Fritch for smaller cities, Strong for metro areas. Expect one or the other, not both.

Do Fritch and Strong renew?
Yes. Both pay $10,000 a year for four years as long as the student makes satisfactory academic progress.

What does the QuestBridge Match cover at Carleton?
The full comprehensive fee: tuition, housing and food, with no loans and no parent contribution. A campus job is still part of the package. If matched, your student is expected to attend and must withdraw other applications.

What if our student is a QuestBridge finalist but doesn’t match?
It’s not a rejection. Students can convert their application to Carleton Regular Decision through the QuestBridge portal or contact Carleton about Early Decision, and Carleton reviews them from December through March.

Sources:
https://www.carleton.edu/financial-aid/types-of-aid/grant-and-scholarships/fritch-and-strong-scholarships/
https://www.carleton.edu/financial-aid/types-of-aid/grant-and-scholarships/
https://www.carleton.edu/admissions/apply/steps/questbridge/details/
https://www.carleton.edu/catalog/current/financial-aid/

🧠 Parent Strategy: At Carleton, One Set of Forms Opens Every Door

Some colleges make you hunt through a scholarship portal. Carleton doesn’t. Nearly everything runs through the CSS Profile and FAFSA, so the strategy is about getting those right and on time.

  1. Check the financial aid box on the admission application.
  2. Submit the CSS Profile (code 6081) and FAFSA (code 002340) by your round’s deadline. Noncustodial parents complete a CSS Profile too.
  3. Plays strings, woodwinds or brass? Plan on the Bailey audition during New Student Week.
  4. Refile both forms every year. Aid doesn’t renew on its own.

Parent translation: the families who lose money at Carleton usually aren’t the ones who missed a scholarship. They’re the ones who never filed because they assumed they wouldn’t qualify.

💎 Hidden Gem Scholarships

These won’t show up on most “Carleton scholarships” lists, and you never apply for most of them directly. Named donor scholarships get matched to your student during aid review. The Bailey award is the one genuine merit-style award on campus, and it happens after your student arrives.

Automatic⚠ All Undergrad Only
Endowed and Donor-Funded Named Scholarships
📅 Deadline: 11-15  ·  📢 Results: Included in initial or updated financial aid package notification.
✓ Renews
Varies
✔ Stackable
🎓 All Undergrad
✚
Stacking & Combining
A named scholarship usually replaces part of your Carleton Grant rather than adding to it, because Carleton meets demonstrated need, not more than need. The benefit is the connection to the donor, not extra dollars.
💡
Strategic Detail
Carleton has many donor-funded named scholarships, and you never apply for them directly. When your student qualifies for need-based aid, the aid office checks whether their background matches any donor's criteria and, if so, labels part of the grant with that scholarship's name. To your family, the dollars work the same as a Carleton Grant. Students may be asked to thank the donor.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Students who qualify for need-based aid and whose hometown, interests, intended major or background match a donor's criteria.
App Required⚠ All Undergrad Onlymusicorchestral instrumentaudition
S. Eugene Bailey Instrumental Music Scholarship
📅 Deadline: New students audition and interview with the instrumental faculty during New Student Week, after enrolling. Current students apply through the music department's online form.
✓ Renews
Varies
✔ Stackable
⚠  Orchestral strings, woodwinds or brass only. Piano, voice, organ and percussion are not eligible.
🎓 All Undergrad
✚
Stacking & Combining
The Bailey Fund pays the grant portion of a student's financial aid package, with a minimum of $2,000 a year, so for students on need-based aid it mostly relabels grant money rather than adding to it. The real extra value is free private lessons every term plus eligibility for funding to attend a national or international summer or winter music institute.
📄
How to Apply
Get admitted to Carleton, then schedule an audition and interview with the instrumental faculty during New Student Week. Each term, Bailey Scholars must take private lessons on their orchestral instrument and play in the Carleton Orchestra, Symphony Band or Jazz Ensemble.
🎤 Interview
💡
Strategic Detail
Established by the estate of S. Eugene Bailey, a Carleton music professor from 1946 to 1975. This is one of the only merit-style awards at Carleton, and it is decided after enrollment, so it will not show up in the aid offer that comes with the admission letter. Renewed each year as long as the student stays in lessons and an approved ensemble and keeps considering the music major.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Students who play a string, woodwind or brass instrument, are considering a music major, and will commit to lessons and one of Carleton's instrumental ensembles. You do not need to be a declared major yet.
Data last verified Oct 14, 2026.* GPA/test bands are estimates based on official selectivity and prior cohort profiles. "Who Actually Wins" insights are pulled from external peer-sourced data where students and parents have reported real-world award results. Because colleges can change funding thresholds and deadlines at any time, always verify these details with the institution before finalizing your application strategy.
Music lessons, even without Bailey

Students on need-based aid can ask for help with private music lesson fees each term, for up to 2 credits of lessons per term. To qualify for grant help, your student has to have accepted every part of their aid award. Music majors and minors may have lesson fees covered by the department instead. Requests open well before each term’s deadline, and late requests are considered for a loan only.

❓ Hidden Gems FAQ

How do Carleton’s named scholarships work?
Carleton has many donor-funded scholarships, and there’s no application for any of them. If your student qualifies for need-based aid, the aid office checks whether their background matches a donor’s criteria and labels part of the grant with that scholarship’s name.

Does a named scholarship mean extra money?
Usually not. Carleton meets need, not more than need, so a named scholarship typically replaces part of the Carleton Grant. Same dollars, different name. Your student may be asked to write the donor a thank-you.

What is the Bailey Scholarship?
It’s for students who play an orchestral string, woodwind or brass instrument and are considering a music major. Bailey Scholars get private lessons paid for each term, can apply for funding to attend a summer or winter music institute, and receive at least $2,000 a year as part of their grant. Piano, voice, organ and percussion aren’t eligible.

When does the Bailey audition happen?
After your student is admitted and enrolled. New students schedule an audition and interview with the instrumental faculty during New Student Week, and current students apply through the music department’s form. That means Bailey won’t appear in the aid offer that comes with the admission letter.

What does it take to keep the Bailey Scholarship?
Each term: take private lessons on the Bailey instrument, play in the Carleton Orchestra, Symphony Band or Jazz Ensemble, and stay a music major or keep considering one.

Sources:
https://www.carleton.edu/catalog/current/financial-aid/
https://www.carleton.edu/music/overview/bailey/
https://www.carleton.edu/financial-aid/resources-faqs/resources/aid-for-music-lessons/

Honors at Carleton College

Carleton doesn’t have an honors college or honors program, and it doesn’t hand out honors scholarships. That surprises families coming from big state schools, where honors is how strong students get small classes and extra money. At a college of about 2,100 students with an 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio, the “honors experience” is simply the regular experience.

  • Small classes for everyone: 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio, no separate track to apply into.
  • Research is normal: 77% of students do research, not just a selected few.
  • Off-campus study: 69% of students study off campus at some point.

Honors College Scholarships & Fellowships

This institution does not offer designated Honors College scholarships at this time.

What replaces honors money at Carleton: need-based aid that meets 100% of demonstrated need. Later on, Carleton also funds summer work through fellowships like the Class of 1963 Fellowship and the Independent Research Fellowship, which can include up to $4,000 to replace summer earnings between junior and senior year.

Honors: FAQs (Carleton College)

Does Carleton have an honors college?
No. There’s no honors college, honors program or separate honors application at Carleton.

Are there honors scholarships at Carleton?
No. Carleton puts its aid toward need instead of honors or merit packages. The Fritch and Strong Scholarships and QuestBridge Match are the big named awards.

If there’s no honors program, how do top students stand out?
Through research with faculty, off-campus study and summer fellowships. Carleton ranks first among bachelor’s-only colleges in the number of alumni who go on to earn research doctorates, so that path is well worn.

Can students get paid to do research in the summer?
Yes. Carleton fellowships such as the Class of 1963 Fellowship and the Independent Research Fellowship can cover tuition and travel for summer study and include up to $4,000 to replace summer earnings.

Sources:
https://www.carleton.edu/admissions/apply/steps/profile/
https://www.carleton.edu/about/carleton-at-a-glance/
https://www.carleton.edu/music/overview/bailey/

⭐ College Specialty

Carleton is a small liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, about 40 miles south of the Twin Cities. Nobody goes there for a big-time football Saturday. Students go because the teaching is famously good and because Carleton quietly turns out more future PhDs than almost anywhere its size. If your student loves ideas and wants professors who actually know their name, this is the kind of place built for that.

What Carleton Is Known For:
Teaching and the path to a PhD. U.S. News has ranked Carleton’s faculty #1 for undergraduate teaching 16 years in a row. Carleton also ranks first among bachelor’s-only colleges in the number of alumni who go on to earn research doctorates, and it’s a top 10 producer of STEM PhDs nationally.
  • Math and Computer Science: Carleton leans quantitative, and math and CS are two of its strongest draws for students who like hard problems.
  • Physics and Chemistry: Carleton ranks 7th among bachelor’s colleges for graduates who go on to physics or astronomy PhDs, and it graduates more physics majors than most schools that offer the degree.
  • Geology: A small department with an outsized reputation, helped by an 880-acre arboretum right on campus that doubles as an outdoor lab.
  • Biology and Pre-Health: Carleton reports an 86% medical school acceptance rate for its applicants.
  • Economics and Pre-Law: A popular route into policy, finance and law school, with an 81% law school acceptance rate.
  • Engineering, the Carleton way: There’s no engineering major. Most students major in physics, chemistry, math or CS and head to grad school, and a dual degree program with Washington University lets students add an engineering degree.

A few more things worth knowing: Carleton runs on three ten-week terms instead of semesters, so students take fewer classes at a time and go deep. About 81% of students graduate in four years, which matters a lot when you’re paying the bill.

✅ Wrapping It Up

Here’s Carleton in a sentence: it won’t pay your student for being smart, but it will pay for what your family can’t. There are no merit ladders or test score charts here. Carleton looks at your finances, meets 100% of the need it calculates, and starting in 2027-28 does it without loans.

That makes Carleton one of the more interesting options for middle-income families, the ones who usually get squeezed. The Fritch and Strong Scholarships put $40,000 on the table specifically for you, and all it takes is filing the CSS Profile and FAFSA on time. For lower-income students, a QuestBridge Match covers tuition, housing and food outright.

The one move that matters most: run the Net Price Calculator before you write Carleton off on sticker price, and treat your application deadline as your aid deadline. If your student wants great teaching, a real shot at research, and a degree that opens grad school doors, Carleton might cost a lot less than you think.

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Leo Dimilo

Leo Dimilo

Leo went through the college money maze with his own daughter and built CollegeReadyParent so other middle-income and first-generation families wouldn’t have to figure it out alone. Plain English, real numbers, no paywall. More about Leo →

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