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).
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.
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).
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 .
General Admissions Information
The following provides general admission information for applying to Carleton:
Carleton Admission Frequently Asked Questions
Carleton is highly competitive, with an acceptance rate of 20.41%.
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.
Yes, Carleton requires applicants to submit a personal essay or statement as part of the application.
Yes, Carleton requires applicants to submit a recommendation letter as part of the application.
Carleton does not require an application fee for undergraduate or graduate admission.
Yes, Carleton requires applicants to submit high school record or transcript as part of the admission process.
Yes, Carleton requires international applicants to submit an English proficiency test (like TOEFL or IELTS) as part of the application.
The institutional SAT code for Carleton is 6081 and 4-digit ACT code is 2092.