Refugee, Displaced Person, Asylum Seeker and Stateless Applicants

Macalester welcomes all students who have experienced the effects of displacement to apply and will ensure applications are given full consideration regardless of their official status. In line with the United Nations, Macalester acknowledges differentiations beyond students with official status as an asylee or refugee in the United States, including students who identify as a:

If you, your family, or your school are affected by a natural disaster or school closings, and you have an application already submitted or wish to submit an application for Early Decision or Early Action, we are here to support you. Contact [email protected] to discuss special arrangements or a deadline extension.

Refugee currently residing in a country outside of the United States: Someone who has been forced to flee their country because of persecution, war, or violence and is recognized by their current country of residence as having official refugee status.
Displaced Person: Someone who has been forced to flee or leave their home or place of habitual residence as a result of armed conflict, internal strife, repeated violations of human rights, or natural and human-made disasters. This can include an Internally Displaced Person who has not crossed an international border but was forced to move to a different region within their own country to flee conflict.
Asylum Seeker: Asylum seekers say they are refugees and have fled their homes as refugees do, but their claim to refugee status is not yet definitively evaluated in the country to which they fled.
Stateless Persons: A stateless person does not have a recognized nationality and does not belong to any country. Statelessness situations are usually caused by discrimination against certain groups.

Financial Aid Policy

Macalester provides a financial aid package equal to 100% of demonstrated financial need for all admitted students Admitted refugee, displaced person, asylum seeker, and stateless person students who are not permitted by law to work in the U.S. would receive an additional Macalester student loan to replace the amount typically earned through student employment. Please note, applicants with the highest levels of financial need face the greatest levels of competition in the selection process.

Applicant who resides in the U.S but is not a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident
Candidates must complete the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Financial Aid PROFILE.
Applicant who resides outside the U.S
Candidates may complete the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Financial Aid PROFILE or the International Student Application for Financial Assistance. In addition, applicants must complete and submit the Financial Declaration form, available in the applicant portal. Apply for Aid

Requirements for Your Application to Macalester

Common App Account & Application

At commonapp.org you can create an account and choose Macalester for your college list. There are many resources to help you in your application process – including an Application Guide for First-Year Students.

In keeping with Macalester’s values, we encourage students who self-identify as a refugee, displaced person, asylum seeker, and stateless person, to indicate so on the Common Application. Students can identify themselves by providing documentation with their application such as proof of status in their current country of residence; scan of a United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) card; and/or personal narrative within the Common Application essay, Additional Information section, or Macalester supplemental questions.

Students who do not hold an official refugee or asylum status visa within the United States should select “I do not hold a currently valid US non-immigrant Visa” on the Common Application.

If you wish to be considered for financial aid, you must indicate your interest when you apply via the Common Application. Applying for financial aid.

Macalester does not have an application fee.
Early Decision Agreement

If you are applying Early Decision, the Early Decision Agreement certifies that Macalester is your first-choice college and agreement that, if admitted, you will enroll at Macalester and withdraw all other college applications. More about Early Decision
High School Transcript

Request that your secondary school(s) send Macalester official transcript(s) of all classes and grades beginning with 9th grade through junior year.

Applicants who are unable to contact school officials to make this request, or have concerns about how to submit their academic records due to circumstances beyond their control should contact [email protected].
Two Recommendation Letters
Required: 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).
Applicants who have been out of formal schooling for a significant amount of time or who do not have any way of contacting their previous school teachers/officials should contact [email protected].
Senior Year Grades
Early Decision applicants must self-report in-progress senior grades using the In-Progress Grades form in your portal checklist. Grades must be submitted between the following dates:
- ED I between November 1 and November 18
- ED II between January 1 and January 16
Early Action applicants are not required to submit in-progress fall term grades, and the grades are no longer part of the application checklist. This change ensures a streamlined and equitable evaluation for all applicants, regardless of high school context or grading schedules. All applications will be reviewed holistically based on the materials submitted.

Regular Decision applicants must request that a school official (counselor or registrar) send us an updated transcript by February 15 if senior year first-term grades are not on the initial transcript. If an updated transcript is not available before February 15, please contact [email protected].

For Non-U.S. Citizens/Permanent Residents

Proof of English Proficiency

Submission of English proficiency testing (EPT) is optional.

Macalester’s classes are instructed in English and only students who have a strong command of the English language (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) will be offered admission.

Therefore, proof of English Proficiency is recommended for international applicants whose first language is not English AND who have spent fewer than two years in a curriculum taught primarily in English in secondary/upper secondary schooling. This could be through testing such as the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test, or third-party interview services such as InitialView and Vericant.

Applicants who choose to submit English Proficiency Test scores as part of their application may submit them through the testing agency, within the Common Application, or self-reported through the Applicant Portal after they apply. Test scores cannot be deleted once submitted and will be considered as part of our holistic review process.

We may reach out to candidates to request English proficiency test results if the Admission Committee determines that it is necessary to make a decision.

Optional Items

ACT or SAT

Macalester follows a Test-Optional admissions policy. Applicants can choose to submit ACT, SAT, AP, and IB exam scores as part of their application.

Regardless of the presence of test scores, all applicants receive equal consideration for admission and scholarship opportunities. Choosing not to submit test scores will not disadvantage you in our selection process.

Applicants who submit test scores to our office may self-report them through the Common Application, submit them to [email protected], or request that official scores be sent to Macalester. Macalester’s testing codes are 2122 for the ACT and 6390 for the SAT.

View the Test Policy for more details and data about how the Admissions Office uses testing in the selection process.
Art Samples or Portfolio

If you have made a substantial commitment to the arts in the areas of fine arts, music, theater or dance, you are welcome to submit samples in your Macalester Applicant Portal after Macalester has received your application.
Online Interview

Due to capacity limitations, Macalester cannot accommodate requests for online interviews from international applicants (including students in the US with pending asylum cases). As an alternative, you may choose to submit an interview through InitialView or Vericant. These third-party interviews can help us learn more about you, but the questions will not be specific to Macalester. We realize there is a cost for these services.

Interviews are optional and not having an interview does not decrease a student’s chances for admission.

In some instances, the Admissions Committee may decide more information about an applicant would be helpful in making a final decision. Macalester reserves the right to invite certain applicants to schedule an optional interview with a member of the admissions team.
Additional Recommendation Letter

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