Tailor-Made

9 December 2019

Helping students in the classroom and beyond

The student financial aid program is designed to ensure that top students from diverse backgrounds can benefit from and contribute to Carleton’s rich liberal arts tradition, no matter their financial circumstance.

Fifty-five percent of those enrolled this academic year—including the two seniors featured here—qualified for need-based aid, which typically includes some combination of grants and scholarships, student loans, and on-campus employment.


A student stands on a stairway
Sam Cooke ’20

Sam Cooke ’20

Psychology major (biochemistry minor) from Chesterfield, Missouri

“I fell in love with Carleton but was hesitant about attending because of the cost. The generous financial aid package I received made the decision for me.”

  • Class of 1967 Endowed Scholarship Fund • Established for the class’s 50th reunion to support students from low- and middle-income families
  • Carleton Grant • Funded by donations to the annual fund, earnings from the endowment, and the operating budget

“The most valuable thing I’ve learned after two summers working in a pediatric neurosurgical lab at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is that science is not formulaic. To generate results that are relevant and meaningful, you need creativity and flexibility.”

  • Independent Research Fellowship • Supports off-campus research experiences with funding from annual fund gifts and general endowment earnings
  • Carleton Interdisciplinary Science and Math Initiative • Combines grants from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute with funding from Carleton

“I studied cross-cultural psychopathology in Prague. While I was there, I climbed a mountain in slovakia. It was a six-hour ordeal, and I’ve never been prouder of myself for not falling down.”

  • Andrea Grove Iseminger ’59 Endowed Scholarship Fund for Off-Campus Studies • Awarded competitively to students with financial need traveling on a Carleton-sponsored program

a student plays a grand piano in a light-filled room
Daamir Robinson-Johnson ’20

Daamir Robinson-Johnson ’20

Linguistics major (French and music performance minor) from Philadelphia

“I decided to try voice lessons because a friend suggested it. I consider myself an introvert, so singing in front of people is completely outside my box. I never thought of myself as having a talent for singing, but now that I’ve gotten more comfortable with my singing ability, I do.”

  • Charlotte M. Sanford Scholarship Foundation at Carleton • Supports students who study music, art, and modern languages
  • Professor Violette Browne Memorial Scholarship • Covers private music lesson fees for students on financial aid
  • Frost Internship Fund • Provides funding to help students prepare for their post-Carleton lives
  • Carleton Grant • Funded by donations to the annual fund, earnings from the endowment, and the operating budget

“I went on Carleton’s French and francophone studies program in Paris. In the beginning I didn’t talk much in class, but as time went on, I became more comfortable with my ability to speak French. After the program, I did a summer research internship in a linguistics laboratory in Paris. The whole experience was absolutely amazing.”

  • Andrea Grove Iseminger ’59 Endowed Scholarship Fund for Off-Campus Studies • Awarded competitively to students with financial need traveling on a Carleton-sponsored program
  • Beverly Oyler Shivers ’56 Off-Campus Study Fund • Covers expenses for students traveling to a French-speaking country
  • Class of 1956 Scholarship Endowment for Students Studying Abroad • Awarded to students based on financial need