Application Tips for Parents & Counselors

At commonapp.org students create an account and complete the common application, submitted to Macalester. Students should take advantage of the many resources available there to help in the application process – including an Application Guide for First-Year Students.

Students applying to Early Decision will submit the Early Decision Agreement certifying that Macalester is their first-choice college and that, if admitted, they will enroll at Macalester and withdraw all other college applications. More about Early Decision

The agreement must be electronically signed by the student, a parent, and a high school counselor. Make sure each party has checked their inbox and spam folder to locate the email and form.

Students should request that their secondary school(s) send Macalester an official transcript(s) of all classes and grades beginning with 9th grade, through junior year.

Macalester requires two recommendation letters

• One recommendation letter from a counselor or school official
• One recommendation letter from a teacher – An evaluation from a teacher in one of the core academic subjects (English, social studies, world language, mathematics, or science).

Early Decision and Early Action applicants must self-report in-progress fall term grades using the In-Progress Fall Term Grades form in their portal checklist. Grades must be submitted between the following dates:

• ED I between November 1 and November 22 
• EA between November 1 and December 2
• ED II between January 1 and January 17

Regular Decision applicants must request that a school official (counselor or registrar) send us an updated transcript by February 14 if senior year first-term grades are not on the initial transcript. If an updated transcript is not available before February 14, please contact [email protected]. 

Macalester has a Test-Optional admissions policy. This includes ACT, SAT, SAT II, AP, and IB.

There will be no penalty for students who choose not to submit test scores in the selection process or distribution of merit scholarship. You can learn more about our Testing Policy here.

If it is believed the standardized test scores will add another positive layer to an application file, then students can submit scores to our office or they can be self-reported in the Common Application. Macalester’s testing codes are 2122 (ACT) and 6390 (SAT).

If a substantial commitment to the arts in the areas of fine arts, music, theater or dance exists, students are welcome to submit samples in their Applicant Portal.

High school juniors can interview as early as the January prior to their senior year. Seniors who wish to interview must do so by February 1 of their senior year. At certain times of the year, interviews may be reserved for seniors only. Each student may only interview once. Interview availability and registration can be found here.

Applicants are not required nor encouraged to submit more than the two required recommendations. However, if they wish to have an additional letter of support, we ask that they choose carefully to ensure that the additional recommendation provides a new perspective not already present in their application.

The first step when applying for need-based financial aid is to complete the CSS Profile. After completing the Profile, the College Board IDOC service will send you information and prompt you to upload 2022 tax documents. We prefer to receive financial aid materials by November 6 for Early Decision I and Early Action, January 8 for Early Decision II, and January 24 for Regular Decision. The financial aid application can still be completed after these dates, but please try to do so as soon as possible as it allows us the necessary time to review the application and follow up with any questions.

If you received a message from Macalester that your CSS Profile is missing but have already completed it, please know that it can take up to a week for Macalester to receive it. The checklist will be updated in the student’s Applicant Portal when items are received.

U.S. applicants applying for need-based financial aid should upload 2022 tax documents via the College Board IDOC service, which the student should have received access to after completing the Profile.

If you received a message from Macalester that tax documents are missing but you have already sent them, please know that it can take up to a week for Macalester to receive them. The checklist will be updated in the student’s Applicant Portal when items are received.

International applicants who need financial assistance are required to complete one of the following by November 6, 2023 (Early Decision 1 and Early Action), January 8, 2024 (Early Decision II), or January 23, 2024 (Regular Decision):

1. 2024-2025 International Student Financial Aid Application OR
2. CSS Profile (the 2025-2026 CSS Profile will be available beginning in October, 2024)

Financial aid applicants must also complete the Financial Declaration Form available on the Applicant Checklist in their portal.

International students who are NOT applying for financial aid must complete and submit the International Student Financial Obligations form confirming their understanding of the financial commitment of not applying for need-based financial aid. This form will be available in the applicant portal.

International Applications will not be complete and will not be reviewed without these required forms.

Students who do not apply for need-based financial aid at the time they apply for admission will NOT be considered for need-based scholarships or aid at any point during their four years at Macalester after an admission decision is released. This is a necessary policy to help with allocated limited financial aid funds.

For more information, frequently asked questions and answers can be found here.

Macalester practices holistic admission review. Factors such as academic performance in context, teacher recommendations, essays, leadership experience and potential, extracurricular involvement, and standardized testing results are thoroughly reviewed by the Admissions Committee. The most important part of an application is something students have already been working on throughout high school: their performance in high school! It is this performance that is the best predictor of success in college.

We understand that some school districts modified their grading processes to a Pass/Fail system, while other districts continue to use their Letter Grade system. We review applications on a case-by-case basis and are very intentional about understanding the context of a student’s high school experience. We will review the transcript within the context of how the school district responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We know some students were challenged by the transition to virtual class sessions and this may have impacted their ability to be successful. We encourage those students to let us know about their experiences with virtual learning in the Common Application, under the Education Progression section and/or the Additional Information section.

Macalester has a Test-Optional admissions policy. This includes ACT, SAT, SAT II, AP, and IB.

We aim to reduce the anxiety many students experience regarding standardized exams and hope to provide applicants more freedom and flexibility in presenting their best selves to the Admissions Committee.

There will be no penalty for students who choose not to submit test scores in the selection process or distribution of merit scholarships. You can learn more about our Test Policy here.

If it’s believed standardized test scores will add another positive layer to an application file, students can submit scores to our office or self-report them in the Common Application. 

Admissions interviews at Macalester are recommended, but not required. Interviews are conducted online by Admissions counselors, interns, and interviewers, and usually take 30 minutes. Seniors who wish to interview must do so by February 1 of their senior year. Each student may only interview once.

We view the college interview as an opportunity to learn more about the experiences, backgrounds, interests, and fantastic personalities of high school students. We also want the interview to be a time in which students can learn more about Macalester. During interviews, students can expect to be asked questions about their high school environment, extracurricular activities, and other interests. Students will also have time to ask their own questions about the Mac community. In the end, our hope is that each interview is more like a conversation over virtual coffee than a job interview.

Find more information here.

The best preparation for college is a balanced and rigorous high school curriculum. For balance students should take classes in all five academic core subjects: English, mathematics, history or social science, laboratory science, and world language. Students should challenge themselves by taking the advanced curriculum available at their school. Some examples include honors, Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. Most applicants will complete at least 20 academic core courses by the time they graduate high school.

If students would like the perspective of an admissions staff member on their course selection in high school, please contact [email protected].

For students admitted to Macalester through the first-year admissions program, Macalester will accept for credit a maximum of thirty two (32) Macalester credit hours earned from a college or university prior to matriculation at Macalester. Summer session college credits, Minnesota Post-Secondary Education Options Program credits, International Baccalaureate credits, General Certificate of Education (GCE), and AP Program credits are included under this limitation. For more information refer to the Registrar FAQ.

Since school systems vary a great deal, we look at an applicant’s high school record in the context of their school system, rather than listing a minimum GPA. We also recognize that many school systems around the world do not report a GPA or rank in class, and in those cases that information is not required. Whatever the system, we look for evidence that the applicant has performed at a very high level academically and has pursued a rigorous curriculum.

Congratulations on starting your search early! Academically, sophomores and juniors should focus on their classes, paying attention to the recommended secondary school curriculum mentioned in the question “What classes should I take in high school? and take advantage of the rigor available to them. Continue involvement in extracurriculars they care about that are available. We encourage them to keep an open mind and start thinking about what their priorities (college size, setting, particular majors or extracurriculars, etc.) are for college. Then connect with the staff and students at those colleges to get a taste of the college experience before narrowing down a list. Macalester’s programming and visit opportunities can be found here.