Most Carleton financial aid is in the form of need-based aid. However, Carleton participates in three merit scholarship programs: the National Merit Scholarship Program, the National Achievement Scholarship Program, and the National Hispanic Recognition Program. Students who are finalists in these programs are eligible for Carleton scholarships of $2,000 per year.

It's important not to get "sticker shock" when you start looking at colleges. The important number is the amount you will actually have to pay, not what the college costs--and there's often an enormous difference between the two. Carleton is committed to meeting the full demonstrated financial need of all admitted students. So be sure you don't narrow your choices down until you know the true bottom-line cost to you and your family.

Actually, the full cost of attendance for the 2008-2009 school year was $50,000. BUT before you go into a money coma or decide that it is out-of-reach, you should know that the cost of attending Carleton is different from the expected family contribution. We know that many of our students cannot afford to pay the full cost of attendance (which includes tuition, room, board and fees, labs, field trips, student publications, and college events). In fact, slightly more than 50% of Carleton's students receive some form of financial aid.

What Carleton works to do is to meet 100% of a student's demonstrated financial need through grants, scholarships, loans and work-study. We operate with a need-based financial aid system, which means that we award aid based on a family's financial profile, not on a student's past achievements in academics, athletics or any other arena. This allows us to support all of our students across their four years and 90% of Carleton's students graduate within 4 years.

Private institutions cost more, but they also tend to have more available grant money and other sources of funding that do not require repayment.

Carleton's financial aid is primarily need-based. This means that we try to meet 100% of demonstrated need for every student through a variety of sources, including grants, scholarships, loans and work-study. Those scholarships that are included in a student's financial aid package are typically not merit-based. That is, students are granted scholarships to meet demonstrated need, not to reward them for past achievements.

Around 50% of Carleton students qualify for some form of financial aid. 65% of financial aid awards are in the form of need-based grants and scholarships, which do not need to be repaid. The average Carleton grant: $25,831, though the size of the grant will vary from one student to another based on the family's financial profile. More about Carleton financial aid.

Carleton's financial aid is primarily need-based. This means that we try to meet 100% of demonstrated need for every student, regardless of entry status. Financial aid is recalculated each year and is based on a family's current financial status (as shown on FAFSA and CSS Profile forms). Your demonstrated capacity to contribute is the only factor used to determine how much and what kind of aid you will receive.

International students are not eligible for federal aid. However, Carleton works to meet 100% of every student's demonstrated financial need. We do accept a few international students every year whose financial need is met through a combination of grants, scholarships, and loans. Learn more about financial aid for international students.

The Carleton Grant alleviated in a very significant way the burden that paying for college can be. This allowed me to come to Carleton without taking enormous amounts of loans.

I had difficulties getting my financial aid filled out because of family problems, and Carleton was the most patient and understanding of my situation. Also, the financial aid package made a first-class education more accessible to me than I had imagined.

Carleton admitted me with a full financial aid package. I was thrilled when I saw the offer and now I am grateful to Carleton for the privilege of being here with all the assistance I could ever dream of. My mother often tells me that I should always put an extra effort in whatever I am engaged in at Carleton because the school has made a huge investment in my education, it is a privilege that many would be thrilled to have.

I wouldn't have been able to attend Carleton if it hadn't been for a generous financial aid package. Of the private schools where I got accepted, it was actually the one that would have cost me the least to attend. I could have gotten virtually a free ride from the UCs, but I really wanted to attend here.

Carleton was the only one of my top-choice colleges to offer me any financial aid. They gave me enough aid to make coming here manageable. I was thrilled.

I didn't apply to any financial safety schools--the five I did apply and get accepted to were all about equally costly. I think I already knew Carleton was the place for me, so I guess it was lucky that they offered me the best aid package of the five. Rather than being a deciding factor, I think it sealed the deal. Tuition is still a burden - on my parents now and on me in a few months when I graduate and the loan companies come knocking - but we got together and decided that the Carleton experience would be worth it. And it has been.

Most schools told me that I didn't qualify for financial aid, but Carleton agreed to hire me for work study. The money and experience have been very valuable.

Financial aid definitely influenced my college decision. Not being from the most economically advantaged background, I was concerned with how I would be able to afford a college as expensive as Carleton. If the financial aid had not been up to par, I would be at the U of M instead.

I was always drawn to Carleton, but the fact that Carleton made itself just as affordable, if not more so, than any other school I applied to made the decision that much easier.