After Macalester College: graduation, pay and debt
Saint Paul, Minnesota · Private · 2,131 undergrads
90% of Macalester College students finish within six years, the typical student earns $69,951 ten years after starting and graduates leave with $21,500 in federal loans at the median.
The short answers
$70k
median pay 10 years after starting college.
90%
finish within six years.
82%
finish in four years.
92%
of first-years come back for year two.
$21.5k
median federal debt at graduation.
89%
of borrowers were paying down their loans three years after leaving.
All the federal numbers
Finishing
Finished in four yearsIPEDS, fall 2023
82%
Finished within six yearsIPEDS, fall 2023
90%
First-years who came back for year twoCollege Scorecard, fall 2024
92%
Men who finished within six yearsIPEDS, students who started in 2017
88%
Women who finished within six yearsIPEDS, students who started in 2017
92%
Students in that six-year groupIPEDS, students who started in 2017
542
Earned a degree or certificate here within eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
90%
Still enrolled here after eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
7%
Students in that eight-year groupIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
582
Transferred to another collegeCollege Scorecard, earlier release
3.3%
Pay after college
Median pay 6 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$52,752
Median pay 10 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard, 2022-23
$69,951
Earning more than $25,000 six years after startingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
59%
Debt and paying it back
Median federal debt, students who graduatedCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
$21,500
Median federal debt, everyone who borrowed (finished or not)College Scorecard, earlier release
$19,500
Median federal debt, students with a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$19,500
Median federal debt, students without a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$19,476
Paying down their loans 3 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
89%
Paying down their loans 5 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
90%
Paying down their loans 7 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
93%
Where these numbers come from
- Admit rate and applicants: Common Data Set, fall 2025 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
- GPA, early rounds and wait list: Common Data Set, fall 2025 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
- Cost, pay and debt: College Scorecard, 2024-25 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
- Deadlines: macalester.edu, 2026-27 (checked Nov 5, 2026)
- Test rule: macalester.edu, fall 2027 (checked Nov 2, 2026)
Updated Nov 5, 2026Spot a mistake?How we get our numbers