Carleton College
Carleton publishes 22% (Fall 2025). Out-of-state applicants got in at 39%; international at 4.0%.
Acceptance rate
What Carleton's 22% is made of
The published rate averages groups with very different odds. These are the splits Carleton reports itself.
Part of Real Acceptance Rates, our series decomposing published rates from each school's own Common Data Set.
Testing
Test-Optional for 2026-27
- Policy
Carleton adopted a permanent test-optional policy in 2025 after a 5-year pilot and external study; SAT/ACT are not required of any applicant but may still be submitted.
- SAT middle 50%
- 1450–1560sum of section 25th–75th percentiles
- ACT middle 50%
- 32–34
- Average HS GPA
- Not published by the school
Applying
Deadlines, essays and AI policy
- Early deadlines
- Nov 15, 2026 (ED1); Jan 15, 2027 (ED2)
- Regular decision
- Jan 15, 2027Source
- Supplemental essays
- 1 required
One required essay (~300 words) about connecting with someone different from you; one optional essay (~250 words) for additional context/gaps.
- AI use in essays
No Official Policy
We reviewed Carleton's application overview, its step-by-step applying pages, its essay-tips page, and the admissions blog — nothing published on AI or ChatGPT use in applications.
Full cycle calendar: Application Deadlines.
At a glance
Size and cost
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,086
- Tuition (out-of-state)
- $68,892
- Category
- Liberal Arts
- Admissions site
- www.carleton.edu
What should this school mean for your list?
A published rate is one input. Working out what it means alongside the rest of your list is the part that actually changes an application. Free 25-minute call, no commitment.
Sources
- Carleton test policy (2026-27)
- Carleton deadlines
- Carleton admissions pages
- Carleton admissions pages
- Acceptance rate, test-score percentiles, enrollment and tuition: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, pulled 2026-08-19.
Test policy and deadlines last verified 2026-08-17.
Is this school right for your student?
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