What a friend would tell you
What Mac is looking for
Macalester wants globally-minded students with concrete international experience or engagement, not just 'I want to study abroad.' Show how your worldview has been shaped by a specific cross-cultural experience, language, or global issue. Connect local action to global thinking. Civic engagement that goes beyond voluntourism carries weight.
What students wish they'd known
Minnesota winters are brutal: sub-zero temperatures from December through February, with short daylight hours that take a toll on mental health. The campus is progressive enough that moderate or conservative students may feel politically isolated. At 1,950 students, the social scene is small, and if your friend group fractures, there aren't many alternatives. St. Paul is pleasant but sleepy compared to Minneapolis across the river.
Mac might be a fit if...
- You want a globally diverse student body (20%+ international) at a liberal arts college in a livable Midwest city
- You care about international affairs, civic engagement, or environmental justice and want peers who share that orientation
- You prefer a small, discussion-based academic experience with Twin Cities internship access over a rural campus or a large university
Mac Admissions Strategy
1.9x
Early Decision Advantage
Early Decision admits at 1.9x the RD rate. The trade: ED is binding. Apply only if you'd say yes on the spot.
Early Decision: the numbers
Mac's Early Decision acceptance rate is 53.4% vs 28.5% overall. ED is binding. If you are admitted, you are committing to enroll. This signals strong commitment and gives a meaningful admissions advantage.
Deadlines: ED November 15 · RD January 15
Deadlines: ED November 15 · RD January 15
Test Policy
Test-optional
You choose whether to send scores. A strong score helps your case; a weak one is better left off.
Demonstrated Interest
Not Tracked
Not tracked. Skip the info-session circuit and put those hours into the application itself.
Interview
Recommended
Yield Rate
22%
Only 22% of admits choose to enroll. The waitlist moves more than you'd think; if you land on it, make your interest loud.
Want to boost your odds at Mac and every reach on your list, so admissions stops feeling like a coin flip?
Join the free one-hour workshop from two Harvard grads who have helped 3,000+ students get in. Parents welcome.
Cost & Financial Aid at Mac
$62,000
Sticker Price
Need-blind: Yes (international too). Meets 100% of demonstrated need. 79% receive financial aid.
What you get for it: Mac spends about $38,000 per student per year on instruction and student resources, roughly 3x the $15K national average. You see it in class sizes, faculty access, and research budgets.
What Mac Graduates Get
$60,000
Avg Starting Salary
91%
Employed or in Grad School
74%
Graduate in 4 Years
The 4-year number is the on-time rate; the 6-year rate (87%) is the one schools usually advertise. A wide gap means many students pay for extra semesters.
Mac Campus & Culture
The Campus
Macalester's 53-acre campus occupies a tree-lined residential neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota, with the Mississippi River a short walk east. The original Old Main (1884) was replaced, but Carnegie Hall (1909) and the Janet Wallace Fine Arts Complex anchor a mix of red-brick traditional and contemporary glass buildings. Grand Avenue, a walkable strip of coffee shops, restaurants, and bookstores, runs along the campus edge.
The Social Scene
Socially conscious, progressive community; St. Paul urban location; community service-oriented
Mac Traditions & Trivia
Pushball
Every Founding Day in March, first-years and sophomores square off on Old Main Lawn trying to push a giant inflatable ball through the opposing team's goal in a game that dates to 1914.
Bagpipes at Founding Day
Since 1948, a student bagpipe band in full tartan leads campus celebrations, a legacy of Macalester being formally adopted into Scotland's MacAlister clan in 1950.
Academics at Mac
What Mac is known for
International focus, Minnesota location, progressive values, study abroad
Most popular majors at Mac
Standout programs
International studies, economics, political science, environmental science, pre-med
How the curriculum works
Open curriculum; strong international focus; first-year seminars required
Recommended high school courses
4 English, 3-4 Math, 3+ Science, 3 Social Studies, 2+ Foreign Language
Notable Mac Alumni
Kofi Annan
UN Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Macalester class of 1961
Walter Mondale
Vice President under Carter, Macalester class of 1950
DeRay Mckesson
Black Lives Matter activist, Macalester class of 2007
Tim O'Brien
Author of The Things They Carried, Macalester class of 1968
Peter Agre
Won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Macalester class of 1970
If you like Mac, also consider
Grinnell College
Similar progressive Midwest LAC with stronger endowment, more rural setting
Carleton College
45 minutes south in Northfield, comparable academics with trimester pace
Oberlin College
Fellow progressive LAC with conservatory, rural Ohio
Middlebury College
International focus with language schools, Vermont location
Wesleyan University
Comparable size and progressive culture in Connecticut