by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is the data on what it actually costs to attend Carleton College, covering the cost range, projected degree costs, net price, debt at graduation, default rates, and aid distribution patterns.
If you want to dig into a particular figure, jump to any section below:
Published attendance costs at Carleton College stands at about $81,350.00 a year.
Below, the published cost is shown three ways — the full sticker price with no aid, the net price after the average grant package, and the net price for low-income students who typically receive the most aid.
| Tuition and fees | $68,892.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $12,458.00 |
| Total cost | $81,350.00 |
| That is 148% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $81,350.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$59,486.00 |
| Net price | $21,864.00 |
| That is 33% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $81,350.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$77,012.00 |
| Net price | $4,338.00 |
| That is 87% below the national average net price. | |
| Go deeper on the components with tuition and fees and living costs. |
Published costs have climbed year over year by around 4.6% per year; the projections below compound that across a degree. Below, the cost is projected across a degree for three students at once — low-income with aid, average aid, and no aid. The loan rows amortise the projected total over a ten-year, 6.8% repayment.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% |
| Freshman year | $4,537.00 | $22,866.00 | $85,080.00 |
| Senior year | $5,190.00 | $26,158.00 | $97,327.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $19,434.00 | $97,951.00 | $364,448.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $7,404.00 | $37,316.00 | $138,842.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $224.00 | $1,127.00 | $4,194.00 |
| Total amount paid | $26,838.00 | $135,267.00 | $503,290.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% |
| Freshman year | $4,537.00 | $22,866.00 | $85,080.00 |
| Senior year | $4,745.00 | $23,915.00 | $88,981.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $9,282.00 | $46,781.00 | $174,061.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $3,536.00 | $17,822.00 | $66,311.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $107.00 | $538.00 | $2,003.00 |
| Total amount paid | $12,818.00 | $64,603.00 | $240,371.00 |
Jump to the net-price detail in the Net Price section.
The net price figure shows the cost after grants and scholarships are deducted. For most families it is a more realistic figure than the published cost.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $25,407.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $27,320.00 |
What families actually pay shifts with income, since need-based grants are larger for lower-income students. The figures below give average net price by income bracket:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $12,069.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $11,350.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $10,999.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $17,900.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $41,028.00 |
Estimate your specific net price using the school’s Carleton College Net Price Calculator, or visit the financial aid office.
Curious how grants and scholarships are distributed? Explore the grants & scholarships detail.
The median graduating debt at Carleton College comes to $15,960.00, which the Department of Education classifies as a Low ($10-20k) burden category.
Here’s how debt at graduation distributes across borrowers:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $6,000.00 |
| 25th | $12,000.00 |
| Median (50th) | $15,960.00 |
| 75th | $23,500.00 |
| 90th | $27,121.00 |
The gap between 10th and 90th percentile borrowers gives a sense of how uneven debt outcomes are.
Explore borrowing, repayment, and default in detail on the student-loan-debt breakdown.
Debt at graduation is far from uniform across income levels. Below, debt is broken out by low, middle, and high family income:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,178.00 |
| Middle income | $15,167.00 |
| High income | $16,500.00 |
Debt at graduation often differs for first-generation students.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,669.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,250.00 |
Pell Grants are the federal government’s primary need-based undergraduate aid program. The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap reveals how borrowing differs by need.
The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap at Carleton College amounts to $-1,271.00.
The Department of Education default-rate tier for Carleton College is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 0.9% |
To give some context for these rates, Stafford loans disbursed at Carleton College total $28,310,796.00 covering 2,531 student borrowers.
Veterans and active-duty students can access dedicated federal education aid including the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Department of Defense Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 8 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $62,451.00 |
Read more about military and veteran aid on the veteran aid breakdown.
The data above is a foundation; round it out by asking yourself about Carleton College, keep these questions in mind:
For a closer look at any of these topics, follow the links below:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.