Carleton College

Faculty research shapes classroom learning at Carleton. Professors in chemistry, economics, music, and psychology involve students in questions that connect scientific inquiry with culture, society, and everyday life. Students can study fields including computer science, engineering, environmental studies, neuroscience, physics, statistics and data science, as well as languages, arts, humanities, and social sciences. The curriculum supports connections between areas such as mathematics and music or art and anthropology.

Carleton’s liberal arts focus allows students to explore broadly while developing depth in a major or minor. The college offers about 1,000 courses and 54 majors and minors. Students also create and lead organizations, participate in theater, music, outdoor activities, and sports, and take part in faculty research. The Office of Off-Campus Studies has expanded learning opportunities beyond Northfield for 50 years.

Most students live on campus, with 96 percent in campus housing, creating a setting where academic and social life overlap. Northfield provides the college’s local setting, including connections to the city’s history through faculty and student activities. Four out of five students come from outside the Midwest, giving international students a broader U.S. community. Carleton distributes need-based financial aid and meets 100 percent of each family’s demonstrated eligibility, though prospective international students should review how aid and admission policies apply to them.