Carleton CollegeStudent Guide

Academic dates, campus language, housing, and student-life references for Carleton College. Free for students.

Private Non-Profit Liberal Arts College in Northfield, MN. Operating on a semester system.

Looking for dorms? Scroll for the dorm and housing breakdown below.

Free for all Carleton College students. No credit card required.

2K+

Total Enrollment

Liberal Arts College

Institution Type

20

Housing Buildings

570

Housing Capacity

Student guide · Fall Term 2026

The semester, explained for Carleton College

Dates from the active academic calendar, plus the campus language and local details students actually need. Every entry comes from DormWay's approved campus reference library.

Relevant term
Fall Term 2026
Campus terms
23
Local details
17

Academic calendar

Fall Term 2026 runs Sep 8, 2026 – Dec 2, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.

8 entries
  1. Summer Term 2026
  2. Fall Term 2026Relevant now
  3. Winter Term 2027
  4. Spring Term 2027
  5. Summer Term 2027
  6. Fall Term 2027
  7. Winter Term 2028
  8. Spring Term 2028

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Campus language

Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.

23 terms

B

Burton
Burton Hall dining room, the primary dining hall on the west side of campus.

C

CAAS
Center for Academic Achievement and Support.
Carl
A nickname for a Carleton student.
Cassat
Cassat Hall, a modern dormitory known for its sustainability features.
CSA
Carleton Student Association, the student government body.

F

Friday Flowers
A tradition where students buy flowers for friends and place them in campus mailboxes (pigeonholes).

G

Goodhue
Goodhue Hall, a dormitory located on the far east side of campus near the Arb.
GSC
Gender and Sexuality Center, providing resources and support for LGBTQ+ students.

J

James
James Hall, a modern dormitory often paired with Cassat.

K

KRLX
The student-run radio station (88.1 FM).

L

LDC
The Language and Dining Center, the primary dining hall on the east side of campus.

M

Midwinter Ball
A formal dance held during the winter term, often abbreviated as MWB.
Musser
Musser Hall, a large first-year dormitory.

O

OIL
Office of Intercultural Life, supporting students of color and cultural programming.

R

Rotblatt
An annual marathon softball game with one inning played for every year of the college's existence.

S

SAO
Student Activities Office, responsible for campus events and club oversight.
Sayles
Sayles-Hill Café, a retail dining location and social hub in the student center.
Schiller
A bust of Friedrich Schiller that is traditionally 'kidnapped' and displayed at campus events.
Schulze
Schulze Cafe, located in the Anderson Hall atrium serving coffee and snacks.
Sevy
Severance Hall, a residential building on the mini-bald spot.

T

The Arb
The Cowling Arboretum, 800+ acres of natural land adjacent to campus.
The Bald Spot
The central campus green used for frisbee in the fall and ice skating in the winter.

W

Watson
Watson Hall, the tallest residential building on campus.

Places and practicalities

Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.

17 details
Anderson
Anderson Hall, a major science facility connected to Olin and Hulings.
burton_dining_hall
Burton Dining Hall
CMC
Center for Mathematics and Computing.
Convo
Convocation, a weekly lecture series held on Fridays in Skinner Memorial Chapel.
east_dining_hall_ldc
East Dining Hall (LDC)
Hasenstab
Hasenstab Hall, the home of the Political Science department.
Laird
Laird Hall, housing the English department and administrative offices.
Northfield Option
The policy allowing seniors to live in non-college-owned housing in the town of Northfield.
OneCard
The official student ID card used for building access, dining, and library services.
Reading Days
The designated study period between the end of classes and the start of final exams.
sayles_caf
Sayles Café
schulze_caf
Schulze Café
The Cave
A student-run music venue and lounge located in the basement of Evans Hall.
The Hub
The online portal for student records, registration, and financial information.
The Libe
Gould Library, the main campus library.
The Weitz
Weitz Center for Creativity, a hub for arts, cinema, and theater.
weitz_caf
Weitz Café

Quick answers

Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.

What academic term is relevant now?
Fall Term 2026 runs Sep 8, 2026 – Dec 2, 2026.
How much campus context is included?
23 approved campus terms and 17 local details are included in full.
Are all approved campus terms included?
Yes. The complete approved glossary is available in the scrollable, searchable campus-language section.
Where does this guide come from?
Calendar dates, campus terms, and local details come from DormWay's approved campus reference library.

Get to know your university

Assisted

Find a few communities to try at Carleton College

These are things we discovered from public campus sources. We are constantly looking for more.

Tell us what we missed
Interest filters
  • Major-aligned clubs, pre-professional groups, and research communities.
  • Performing arts, visual arts, student publications, film, and music.
  • Cultural orgs, identity communities, and faith-based groups.
  • Volunteer groups, civic engagement, mutual aid, and student government.
  • Outdoor clubs, intramural sports, club sports, and rec center programs.
  • Entrepreneurship, hackathon teams, makerspaces, and engineering project teams.
  • Casual hangouts, interest groups, and open events without applications.

DormWay is still mapping student communities at this campus.

We only show recommendations once we have enough public sources for Carleton College.

These are things we discovered. We are constantly looking for more.

Tell us what we missed

Recommendations are based on public campus sources. We do not endorse student organizations.

Using DormWay at Carleton College

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Life in Northfield for Carleton College Students

Everything you need to know about living and studying in Northfield.

Timezone

Central Time (CT)

Median Rent

$1,400

Cost of Living Index

97

Student Population

7,000

City Transportation

Walkability

67

Bikeability

56

Public Transit

Northfield Lines, Minnesota Valley Transit Authority commuter connections

Nearest Airports

Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport

Climate Averages

Climate

Humid continental

Avg Annual Temp

44.7°F

Avg Snowfall

45.4 in

Campus Operations Snapshot

Parking and Transit

Recreation Center Lot

surface_lot • Limited

Typically assigned for temporary permits and general student parking.

Campus News

Latest updates from Carleton College

Carleton Class of 1974 Center awarded rare LEED Platinum certification

The Class of 1974 Center achieved the highest possible rating from the U.S. Green Building Council for its sustainable design.

Sep 3, 2026

Read More

The Princeton Review names Carleton one of the nation's Best Colleges for 2027

Carleton was ranked #3 for Best Classroom Experience and #5 for Friendliest Students in the latest Princeton Review rankings.

Sep 1, 2026

Read More

College Street transformation into pedestrian boulevard complete

The multi-phase project to convert a stretch of College Street into a pedestrian-friendly space is now finished for the new academic year.

Sep 3, 2026

Read More

Campus Network rolling outage occurred Saturday, September 5, 2026 from 8-9 AM for maintenance.

Campus Network rolling outage occurred Saturday, September 5, 2026 from 8-9 AM for maintenance.

Read More

Upcoming Events

What's happening at Carleton College

New Student Week - Class of 2030

September 8, 2026

Carleton College Campus

Orientation and welcome activities for the incoming Class of 2030, including move-in day and community meetings.

Quand la terre respire: A multimedia installation by Sarah Abdel-Jelil '16

September 8, 2026

Hamlin Creative Space, Weitz Center for Creativity

A multimedia installation beginning on the first day of New Student Week.

Opening Convocation

September 14, 2026

Skinner Memorial Chapel

The official start of the 2026-2027 academic year at Carleton College.

SUMO Movie: The Dark Knight

September 18, 2026

Weitz Cinema

Student Union Movie Organization screening at 10:00 PM.

SUMO Movie: The LEGO Batman Movie

September 18, 2026

Weitz Cinema

Student Union Movie Organization screening at 8:00 PM.

Convocation with Jonathan Capehart '89

October 2, 2026

Skinner Memorial Chapel

Weekly convocation featuring journalist Jonathan Capehart.

Arboretum History Walking Tour

October 4, 2026

Meet in front of the Carleton Recreation Center

A guided walking tour exploring the history of the Cowling Arboretum.

Dorms & On-Campus Housing at Carleton College

All first-year students are required to live on campus unless granted an exemption.

4 known dorm and housing options. Every known option is shown below.

Sayles-Hill Campus Center

Capacity: 200

Room types: single, double

Goodsell Observatory Dormitory

Capacity: 150

Room types: single, double

Wesbrook Hall

Capacity: 100

Room types: single, double, suite

Lyman Hall

Capacity: 120

Room types: single, double, apartment

Campus Details

Academic System

Semester

Control

Private Non-Profit

Email Domain

@carleton.edu

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