Carleton College - GPA and Test Scores for Admission

Carleton College accepts fewer than a third of all applicants. Those students who do get into this top liberal arts college tend to have grades and test scores that are well above average. In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students. You can see that the majority of students who got into Carleton had "A" averages, SAT scores (CR+M+W) above 2000, and ACT composite scores above 29. A successful application, however, needs more than good grades and test scores. If you look at the red and yellow on the graph, you'll see that many students with high grades and test scores did not receive acceptance letters.

Like most selective liberal arts colleges, Carleton has holistic admissions. A winning application needs to present more than strong empirical data. Competitive applicants should have a winning essay, strong letters of recommendation, and interesting extracurricular activities. Most important of all is a challenging high school curriculum that includes AP, IB or Honors classes. True strengths in some of these areas can help make up for grades and test scores that are a little less than ideal. That said, if your average is a "B" or lower, your chances of getting into Carleton are slim.

To learn more about Carleton College, high school GPAs, SAT scores and ACT scores, these articles can help:

• Carleton College Admissions Profile
• What's Considered a Good Academic Record?
• What's a Good SAT Score?
• What's a Good ACT Score?
• What is a Weighted GPA?


• Articles Featuring Carleton College:
  • Top Liberal Arts Colleges
  • Top Midwest Colleges
  • Top Minnesota Colleges
  • Phi Beta Kappa