Is Macalester College Worth It?

Macalester's financial return is mixed, and where you land depends almost entirely on your major. The 90% graduation rate and 95% retention mean you're very likely to finish, and median debt sits around $23,000, which is manageable against a $63,878 median salary. But that median hides a wide gap between the majors that pay and the ones that don't.

Computer and Information Sciences is the clear winner here, paying over $71,000 while carrying the lowest debt of any listed program. Economics follows close behind. If you're drawn to either, the numbers work in your favor. Math lands in the middle. The problem shows up with Political Science and International/Global Studies, both of which pay in the mid-$30,000s while students carry roughly the same $23,000 in debt as economics majors earning nearly double. Same price, half the payoff. Macalester leans toward international and political programs by reputation, so this is a real risk: the school's signature fields are also its weakest financial bets.

The net price tiers reward lower-income families sharply. If your family earns under $75,000, you pay between $11,441 and $13,050 a year. Above $75,000, that jumps to $26,584, and above $110,000 it more than triples to $43,253. Aid falls off a cliff once you cross into higher-income brackets.

Macalester is a strong financial fit for you if you qualify for the lower price tiers and plan to major in a quantitative or computing field. It's a weaker bet if your family earns over $110,000 and you're set on political science or global studies, where you'd pay the full $43,253 a year for a degree that returns mid-$30,000 salaries. Match the major to the price you're actually paying before committing.