Financial Aid Office

Office Hours

The Financial Aid Office is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 12pm and 1pm to 4:30pm (Central Time) during the Academic Year.

Admitted Students

Congratulations to all admitted students for the 2026-2027 academic year! If you indicated an intent to apply for aid and you completed your financial aid application, we have posted a financial aid letter to your application portal and mailed a copy to your home address.

If you indicated an intent to apply for aid but have not completed your application, please do so as soon as possible. We will continue to award financial aid as applications are completed. Please check your application portal for missing items and review our aid application process.

Financial aid letters include documents with details about your financial aid package and available financing options. You can also contact us with any questions. We are eager to answer your questions and provide any additional information you might need.

Current Students

U.S. students who receive need-based financial aid must reapply for aid each year. Please review our instructions for reapplying for aid as a current student. Note that we do not require current students to complete the CSS Profile again.

We prefer that current students reapply for financial aid by May 15. This allows us to send out next year’s financial aid eligibility letters by mid-June. Students can review financial aid checklists in the Money Matters tab of 1600grand, and we also send biweekly reminder emails starting in January.

Communication From Our Office

In an effort to conserve resources, we will limit the number of paper financial aid eligibility notifications sent from our office. Students will receive initial eligibility notifications in the mail and electronically. Subsequent notifications will be electronic only. Paper notifications are sent to the permanent address on file with the Registrar.

If you would prefer to receive paper notifications (sent to your SPO during the academic year), please send an email to [email protected].

2025-2026 Key Facts and Figures

90% of Macalester students receive a grant or scholarship from Macalester.

The average need-based financial aid package totals $67,609

The average financial aid package includes the following:

Grants/scholarships: 83%
Loans: 7%
Student Employment: 5%

More financial aid facts and figures are available on our Macalester Financial Aid In Brief page.

Merit Scholarship Opportunities

More than half of Macalester students are recipients of a merit-based scholarship (many of those students also receive need-based financial aid). All applicants for admission are considered for Macalester’s merit scholarships; no additional scholarship application is required. Merit scholarship awards range from $8,000 to $100,000 over four years. More information about Macalester’s Merit Scholarships.