Class of 2023 Profile
The Class in Numbers
534 students selected from 7,324 applicants
From 45 states and 32 countries (11% international)
33% identify themselves as people of color
11% are among the first generation of their families to attend college
70% graduated in the top 10% of their class
36 are National Merit Scholars and 13 are National Hispanic Recognition Scholars
Ten Members of the Class of 2023
These 10 highlighted students provided a glimpse into the varied talents and interests the class of 2023 will bring to Carleton’s student body.
DOMINIC CALICDAN
Las Vegas: College of Southern Nevada H.S.
As a hospital volunteer and founder of his school’s first Red Cross Club and blood drive, Dominic won a medal of honor for spending more time on community service than anyone else at his school. He was president of the National Honor Society, and he is a QuestBridge Scholar and a National Hispanic honoree.
SOPHIA MAAG
Norman, Okla.: Norman High School
Sophia is a kitchen connoisseur. She makes tasty, healthy food for family and friends and develops recipes for her Food First blog. She also was a teen advocate at a local cancer center and is a runner; she founded a triathlon at her high school and ran 200 miles through the Rocky Mountains.
LINDSEY YOUNGBLOOD
Alabaster, Ala.: Thompson H.S.
A talented trumpet player, Lindsey was first chair in wind ensemble and concert band and helped conduct her school’s marching band her senior year. She served as vice president of the French National Honor Society and helped run her church’s summer camp. In her spare time, Lindsey is a voracious reader who hopes to one day be as awesome as Hermione Granger.
ANDERS SHENHOLM
Montpelier, Vt.: Montpelier H.S.
After a study-abroad program in Mongolia, Anders took up horse head fiddle and learned Mongolian throat singing. He brought the same love for hands-on learning to a computer coding internship and his high school’s Scholars’ Bowl team.
UTSHA RAI
Alameda, Calif.: Alameda Science and Technology Institute
Utsha is a visual storyteller. She has illustrated children’s books on healthy eating, experimented with photography, and served as a graphic designer for her high school yearbook.
ERIN TIMMINS
Chapel Hill, N.C.: Chapel Hill H.S.
En garde! Fencing has taught Erin to be quick on her feet — both literally and figuratively. Knowing when to retreat and when to press on came in handy when she was negotiating with others as part of her town’s youth council and her school’s Model U.N. team.
PAUL FAIRCHILD
Jackson, Mich.: Jackson, H.S.
Paul was an MVP on stage and on the field. He was an award-winning first-chair tuba player in all-county band and a football team captain who contributed to a 9–1 season his senior year. Paul also competed regularly in academic tournaments and still found time to hold down a part-time job power washing houses.
ABDULLAH SIDDIQUI
Lahore, Pakistan: Lahore Grammar School for Boys (Johar Town)
It’s no exaggeration to call Abdullah a Pakistani pop star. He was a finalist for “best emerging artist” in Pakistan’s Lux Style Awards last year. His artistic side extends to acting and graphic design, and he’s an academic superstar, too: his psychology research work led to
a publishing credit in a medical journal.
HERMELA SHIFERAW
Shoreline, Wash.: Garfield H.S.
As a Discovery Corps intern at the Pacific Sciences Center in Seattle, Hermela explained exhibits to guests and helped them interact safely with wildlife in the butterfly house and tide pool. During the school year, she worked as a student conservation associate and competed on her school’s wrestling team. She also interned at Microsoft and Amazon.
AARON SCHONDORF
New York: Ethical Culture Fieldston School
For his summer job, Aaron delighted audiences across New England as a juggler, acrobat, trampoline artist, hoop diver, and Chinese pole performer with the Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour. He composed music to accompany his acts, as well as for his high school orchestra and the Manhattan String Quartet.
This is Carleton
A private, residential liberal arts college located in Northfield, Minnesota
#1 Teaching Faculty
Our students learn from the best.
U.S. News & World Report ranks Carleton professors first in the nation for their commitment to undergraduate teaching.
With our small classes and exceptional professors, Carleton offers a rigorous, yet highly supportive academic environment.
#5 Liberal Arts College
U.S. News & World Report
At a Glance
2,046 Students
- 50 states + 42 countries
- 11% international
- 51% female // 49% male
- 28% people of color
70% study abroad
- 97% of first-year students who entered in fall 2017 returned for their sophomore year
in the fall of 2018
33 majors
- 9:1 student/faculty ratio
- 16: average class size
- 3: 10-week terms
88% graduate within four years
- 75% attend graduate or professional school within five years
Home Sweet Home
The 534 members of the Class of 2023 come from 45 states and 32 countries.
Global Reach
| Bahamas 1 | Hungary 1 | South Africa 1 |
| Botswana 1 |
India 5 | South Korea 1 |
| Brazil 1 | Malaysia 1 | Sri Lanka 1 |
| Burundi 1 | Mauritius 1 | Sweden 1 |
| Cambodia 1 | Nigeria 1 | Thailand 1 |
| Canada 3 | Pakistan 1 | Turkey 1 |
| China 22 | Peru 1 | Ukraine 1 |
| Dominican Republic 1 | Poland 1 | United Arab Emirates 1 |
| Egypt 1 | Singapore 2 | United Kingdom 3 |
| Germany 1 | Slovakia 1 | Vietnam 2 |
| Hong Kong 1 |
11% international
8% U.S. dual citizen
55 languages spoken at home
Racial Diversity
33% people of color
18% report two or more races
Asian 16%
Hispanic or Latino 9%
Black or African American 8%
American Indian or Alaska Native 1%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 1%
Ready to Explore
It’s a good thing members of the Class of 2023 don’t have to declare their majors upfront.
40% are undecided
50% are interested in multiple academic divisions, like sciences and the arts
Extracurricular Activities
The Class of 2023 stayed busy in high school.
Community service 84%
Varsity athletics 60%
Music 45%
Paid job 42%
Student government 25%
Internship/research 24%
Theater 18%
Speech/debate 17%
Test Scores
| TEST | MIDDLE 50% |
FULL RANGE |
| SAT Math | 700–780 | 490–800 |
| SAT Reading and Writing | 680–750 | 530–800 |
| ACT Composite | 31–34 | 20–36 |
All About Aid
- Carleton met the full financial need of all students in the Class of 2023
- 295 students (55% of the class) are receiving more than $12.8 million in need-based Carleton grants
- The average need-based grant is $43,688
- The average need-based financial aid award is $52,249, including grants, scholarships, work study, and loans
Generous Support Makes it Possible
Once students subtract their grants, scholarships, loans, and student employment earnings, they’re left with yearly net cost—the amount their family is expected to contribute.
Every case is different, but here are examples of average net cost for members of the Class of 2023 who qualified for financial aid:
| Family Income |
Average Financial Aid Award |
Average Net Cost |
| Less than $40,000 | $70,936 | $2,395 |
| $40,000–$80,000 | $65,827 | $6,499 |
| $80,000–$120,000 | $55,438 | $17,172 |
| $120,000–$160,000 | $46,925 | $25,341 |
Carleton is committed to meeting 100 percent of each family’s demonstrated need for all four years. To get an approximation of how much financial aid your family might qualify for, use our financial aid estimator.
Financial Snapshot
$71,769
The 2019–20 comprehensive fee, including tuition, room and board, and an activity fee
100%
We meet the full demonstrated need of every student. We don’t assume students will need to take out private loans or find outside scholarships.
8
We limit first-year students’ jobs to 8 hours per week so they have plenty of time for academics and extracurricular activities.
$21,035
The average Carleton student’s debt at graduation is well below the national average ($31,400).
< 1%
The student loan default rate among Carleton alumni is nearly zero.