Macalester College

What are the graduation rates for students at Macalester College?

Macalester's reported four-year graduation rate is 74%, while its six-year graduation rate is 87%. These measures track the share of a defined entering cohort of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students who complete a degree within each period.

The difference means some students in that cohort finished after four years but within six. The reported first-year retention rate is 92%, meaning most first-time, full-time students returned for a second year. Retention and graduation rates describe different outcomes; neither predicts whether a particular student will finish on schedule. Transfer students and many part-time students are not represented in the standard first-time, full-time graduation-rate cohort.

What is the earning potential for graduates at Macalester College?

College Scorecard field-of-study figures provide a limited view of earnings roughly one year after completion, not a forecast of what every Macalester graduate will earn. They reflect graduates in the federal data with matched earnings records, and results vary substantially by field and individual circumstances.

Among the reported one-year figures, the median for computer and information sciences was $73,129; for mathematics it was $60,896. The reported figure for economics was $47,163. These are field-specific measures, not an institution-wide starting salary, and they do not account for differences in location, hours worked, graduate study, or career choice.

Macalester's career support is a separate consideration from these outcomes. The college offers individual career advising, employer engagement, and alumni networking opportunities; students can use those services to explore majors, internships, and job searches without treating any published earnings figure as a guarantee.