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Is Macalester College worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for Macalester, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Workable
Macalester lands in the workable band for a typical family. Median debt of $23,000 can be carried by median long-run earnings of $63,878, but the margin is not huge. For context, Macalester's net price runs about 69% above the typical 4-year, private nonprofit school. This is the kind of school where your actual aid offer can move the answer meaningfully.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 1237 similar 4-year, private nonprofit schools
This school
$38,571
/yrAverage school like this
$22,837
/yrThis weighs on your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $15,734 more per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $63,000 in extra cost.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price is doing real work against the score and raises the financing burden quickly.
Outcome
40% weight
The outcome data is workable, but not so strong that it erases financing risk.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$32,149
Median earnings 10 years out
$63,878
Median debt at graduation
$23,000
Graduation rate
89%
At Macalester, a typical graduate carries about $23,000 in student debt and earns roughly $63,878 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $262 per month, or 5% of pre-tax income. That sits inside a borrower comfort range for many graduates.
What this means for your family
Macalester is a private nonprofit four year school in Saint Paul, MN. Private pricing can swing more dramatically based on aid, so your personalized score matters more here than the national average view alone.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
Private nonprofit 4-year
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis, MN
Worth-It Score: 28/100
Median net price: $29,926
Private nonprofit 4-year
University of St Thomas
Saint Paul, MN
Worth-It Score: 71/100
Median net price: $29,155
Private nonprofit 4-year
Bethel
Saint Paul, MN
Worth-It Score: 63/100
Median net price: $28,556
Private nonprofit 4-year
The College of Saint Scholastica
Duluth, MN
Worth-It Score: 62/100
Median net price: $27,846
Private nonprofit 4-year
University of Northwestern-St Paul
Saint Paul, MN
Worth-It Score: 50/100
Median net price: $27,705
Common questions about Macalester
The median net price at Macalester is $32,149 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
Looking at private colleges options in Minnesota? See the most affordable private colleges in Minnesota →
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →