Carleton Acceptance Rate and SAT/ACT Scores

Carleton College Admission Requirements and Statistics

[updated for 2024-2025 admission data]

How hard is Carleton College to get into?

This page provides the latest information on Carleton College (Carleton)'s admission process, acceptance rate, and student profile. Carleton's acceptance rate is 20.41% for 2024-2025 admission. A total of 7,133 students applied and 1,456 were admitted to the school. Its acceptance rate is low, making it difficult to get into Carleton.

To apply to Carleton, recommendations and personal statement (or essay) are required to submit. The SAT and ACT score is not required, but considered for admission. In addition, english proficiency test score is also considered (required).

Carleton's acceptance rate is the lowest among 37 Minnesota colleges with competitive admission.
The median SAT score is 1515 and the ACT score is 34 at Carleton. Carleton's SAT score ranks 1st out of 16 Minnesota colleges that consider SAT score for admission.
Carleton's yield rate is 34.82%, which is moderately lower by 8.79 percentage points (approximately 20.1% lower) compared to similar colleges with acceptance rates between 20% and 30% (average yield: 43.61%). You can compare colleges with similar acceptance rates to Carleton at colleges with acceptance rates between 20% and 30%.

Admission Statistics

For the academic year 2024-25, Carleton's acceptance rate is 20.41% and the yield (also known as enrollment rate) is 34.82%. 3,820 men and 3,305 women applied to Carleton and 677 men and 776 women students were accepted.

Among them, 260 men and 247 women were enrolled in Carleton. You can explore the Carleton's admission rates and SAT score trends over the past decade, including year-by-year data and analysis, by visiting Admission Trends page.

Acceptance Rate and Admission Statistics at Carleton
	Total	Men	Women	Another Gender	Gender Unknown
Applicants	7,133	3,820	3,305	0	0
Admitted	1,456	677	776	0	0
Enrolled	507	260	247	0	0
Acceptance Rate	20.41%	17.72%	23.48%	-	-
Yield	34.82%	38.40%	31.83%	-	-

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

Carleton College 2025 Acceptance Rate By Gender chart

Median SAT and ACT Score

For the academic year 2025, 170 students (34% of enrolled students) submitted SAT scores and 129 students (25% of enrolled students) submitted ACT scores as part of the admission process at Carleton.

The median SAT score for admitted students is 1,515, including 745 in SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and 770 in SAT Math. The 75th percentile SAT EBRW score is 770 and the 25th percentile is 720. For SAT Math, the 75th percentile score is 790 and the 25th percentile is 730.

The median ACT composite score is 34, with a 75th percentile score of 34 and a 25th percentile score of 32 at Carleton. The median ACT Math score is 32 and the median ACT English score is 35.

How competitive is Carleton's score?

The SAT and ACT scores at Carleton College are competitive and high compared to similar colleges (SAT: 1,295, ACT: 29 - private (not-for-profit) baccalaureate college - arts & sciences).

2025 SAT and ACT Scores at Carleton
	25^th Percentile	50^th Percentile (Median)	75^th Percentile
SAT Total	1,450	1,515	1,560
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing	720	745	770
SAT Math	730	770	790
ACT Composite	32	34	34
ACT Math	29	32	34
ACT English	34	35	35

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

Carleton College 2025 SAT and ACT Score Chart

Application Requirements

It requires to submit High School Record (or Transcript), Completion of College Preparatory Program, Recommendations, English Proficiency Test, and Personal statement or essay to its applicants.

The SAT and ACT test score is not required, but considered in admission process at Carleton. The english proficiency test is required .

The next table summarizes the application requirements to apply Carleton College.

For more admission information such as minimum GPA and deadlines, see its online application page .

Carleton Admission Requirements
High School GPA	Considered, if submitted
High School Rank	Considered, if submitted
High School Record (or Transcript)	Required
Completion of College Preparatory Program	Required
Recommendations	Required
Formal Demonstration of Competencies	Considered, if submitted
SAT / ACT	Considered, if submitted
English Proficiency Test	Required
Other Test (Wonderlic,WISC-III,etc)	Not Considered
Work experience	Considered, if submitted
Personal statement or essay	Required
Legacy status	Not Considered

General Admissions Information

The following provides general admission information for applying to Carleton:

Open Admission Policy: No
Undergraduate Application Fees: -
Admission Information: https://www.carleton.edu/admissions/
Online Application: https://www.carleton.edu/admissions/apply/steps/
Calendar System: Trimester
Course for High School Students: Not Offered
Credits Accepted: Advanced placement (AP) Credits
Degree Offered: Bachelor

Get Admission Information

What is the acceptance rate at the Carleton?

Carleton is highly competitive, with an acceptance rate of 20.41%.

What SAT or ACT scores are required for admission to Carleton?

Carleton recommends submitting SAT or ACT scores, but they are not strictly required for admission. The average SAT score required for admission to Carleton is 1,515, and the average ACT score is 34. Meeting or exceeding these scores will improve your chances of admission.

Does Carleton require essays or personal statements?

Yes, Carleton requires applicants to submit a personal essay or statement as part of the application.

Are recommendation letters required for Carleton admission?

Yes, Carleton requires applicants to submit a recommendation letter as part of the application.

Is there an application fee?

Carleton does not require an application fee for undergraduate or graduate admission.

Do I need to submit my high school transcript?

Yes, Carleton requires applicants to submit high school record or transcript as part of the admission process.

Are there any specific admission requirements for international students?

Yes, Carleton requires international applicants to submit an English proficiency test (like TOEFL or IELTS) as part of the application.

What is SAT code and ACT code for Carleton?

The institutional SAT code for Carleton is 6081 and 4-digit ACT code is 2092.