As a new host of high school seniors eagerly await college decisions, a few Carleton-hopefuls have been rewarded for taking a chance and showing commitment. Early decision round 1 (ED1) results were released on Dec. 13, 2023 by the Offices of Admissions and Student Financial Aid. The acceptance rate for ED1 was just over 30%, significantly higher than Carleton’s overall acceptance rate of 18%. Over 600 students applied through the ED1 process, with 191 students being accepted. 12 Posse Scholars and 19 QuestBridge College Match Scholars were a part of this cohort.
This first group of students making up the class of 2028 are just as diverse as the current student body at Carleton. 16% of accepted ED1 students for the class of 2028 are the first in their family to attend a four-year college— the same percentage of first gen students as the class of 2027. Additionally, 20% of accepted ED1 students are Pell Grant eligible, a marker for diversity in socioeconomic status.
57% of students qualify for need-based financial aid, closely matching the number of Carleton students who currently receive aid: 55%. Carleton matches 100% of demonstrated financial need for all students, prioritizing need-based over merit-based aid in its financial aid practices. For the ED1 cohort, the average Carleton grant is $62,705, just under the average for the current Carleton student body, $66,566.
This cohort is also geographically diverse, with students from 34 states and the District of Columbia. Beyond the United States, 6% of ED1 admits are dual citizens and an additional 7% are international students, compared to the 11% of the current student body which are international students.
Not only do these students mark the beginnings of a new class at Carleton, they also mark the first students at Carleton admitted after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision banning the consideration of race in college admissions. This statistic would suggest that the SCOTUS decision has had little to no impact on the diversity of students at Carleton thus far.
