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About Carthage

Quick Facts

The value of a Carthage education can’t be summed up in percentage points or statistics, but these quick facts will give you a quick look at what a Carthage education is all about.

The Basics

Academics and Outcomes

  • Majors, minors, and concentrations in more than 50 areas of study. (See all areas of study)
  • Professors, not teaching assistants, teach all classes. (Read more about our faculty)
  • Average class size is just 17 students. (See course schedules)
  • Curriculum designed to cultivate critical thinking and provide hands-on learning. (See the Carthage Plan)
  • Monthlong J-Term for travel abroad and in-depth study. (Read about J-Term)
  • Ranked in the Top 5 nationally for student participation in short-term study abroad. (Read why)
  • Named a top producer of Fulbright fellows four of the past five years. (Read about Carthage Fulbright winners)
  • Every student is automatically enrolled in The Aspire Program™ for career development. (See program details)
  • Within six months of graduation, 90 percent of alumni report landing a satisfying career position or enrollment in graduate school.

Lakefront Campus

  • Arboretum located on the shore of Lake Michigan. (Read more about our location)
  • More than $250 million invested in campus facilities in recent years, including our Science Center, A.W. Clausen Center for World Business, Campbell Student Union, Hedberg Library, N.E. Tarble Athletic and Recreation Center, Tarble Arena, The Oaks Residential Village, and The Tower Residence Hall.
  • Tarble Arena seats nearly 2,400 for basketball and volleyball games, concerts, and other special events.
  • Award-winning Hedberg Library includes a café offering bagels and smoothies.
  • N. E. Tarble Athletic and Recreation Center has a pool, indoor rock-climbing wall, and more.
  • A. W. Clausen Center for World Business features classrooms designed to enable lively discussion, a boardroom for student presentations, and a Starbucks.
  • Within an hour’s drive of both Milwaukee and Chicago. (Read more about area attractions)

Enrollment, Admissions, and Financial Aid

  • In 2020, 7,071 high school students applied for 727 positions in the freshman class.
  • More than 90 percent of students receive financial aid. (FAFSA code: 003839)
  • Carthage awards more than $2 million annually in competitive scholarships. (See a full list of scholarships)
  • Average high school GPA for Fall 2020 freshman applicants: 3.3 on a 4.0 scale.
  • Average ACT composite score: 24 for Fall 2020 freshmen.
  • Middle 50 percent of ACT scores: 21-27.
  • More than 50% of entering students are in the top 20% of their class.
  • In Fall 2020, Carthage welcomed its most racially diverse class ever; 27% of incoming students came from historically underrepresented minorities. 
  • Approximately 27% of Carthage’s student body self-identified as American Indian, Asian, Black, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, or multiracial in 2020.
  • Carthage is committed to closing equity gaps in higher education by the year 2030. (Read more about Carthage’s commitment to equity)
  • Competitive scholarships open to all majors, as well as for specific programs such as language, business, fine arts, math, and science. (See a full list of scholarships)
  • Request information
  • Apply online
  • Visit the Admissions website
  • Check out our online viewbook

Athletics

Student Life

  • More than 130 student organizations on campus.
  • Through the Carthage Activities Board (CAB), students pick, plan, and promote weekly campus events from movies, to musicians and bands, to comedians.
  • Carthage has 14 active sororities and fraternities; about 20 percent of students are involved in a Greek social organization.
  • 70 percent of students live on campus in residence halls and campus apartments; full-time undergraduate students are required to live on campus until their senior year.
  • The Tower Residence Hall is Carthage’s newest housing option. Its eight stories offer single and double rooms, semi-private bathrooms, and two floors of common space.
  • The Center for Faith and Spirituality welcomes those of all faith journeys. Weekly chapel services rooted in the Lutheran tradition and Catholic Mass are offered, along with interfaith discussions.

  • Quick Facts

    • Carthage is named a Best Midwestern College by The Princeton Review (2021), a designation given to only 25 percent of four-year schools.

    • The Tower, Carthage’s newest residence hall, provides some of the best views on campus — if not in the Midwest! In addition to #carthageviews of the lake from seven stories up, residents enjoy suite-style living and two floors of shared campus spaces for gaming, cooking, group meetings, or quiet studying. Learn more about all housing options.

    • You’re going to need brain fuel. Grab a morning coffee and a snack and Starbucks or Einstein Bros. Bagels. Later, meet friends at “The Caf,” where the specials change daily but the staples are constant, or swing through “The Stu” for wings, a burrito, or a sub. A new option, Carthage Cash, even covers some off-campus meals.

    • More than 90% of Carthage alumni report that they have secured a job or are continuing their studies six months after graduation. Visit The Aspire Center.

    • 91% of employers say critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills matter more than your major when it comes to career success. Learn more about how the liberal arts prepare you for a successful career.

    • Lots of schools wear the four-year label. Carthage stands behind it. More than 90% of Carthage graduates earn their degrees in four years. Learn more

    • Oscars. Emmys. Tonys. Golden Globes. The playwrights we’ve brought in have them. Each year, the Carthage Theatre Department commissions an original script by a renowned playwright for its New Play Initiative. Carthage students then work with the writer to stage it. 

    • Carthage has ranked as a top Fulbright producer for four of the past five years. Read about Carthage Fulbright winners.

    • Things look new at Carthage because they are. Our science center, student union, athletic and recreation center, and numerous residence halls have all been constructed or newly renovated in the last 15 years.

    • Carthage offers majors, minors, and concentrations in more than 50 areas of study, from marketing to neuroscience, nursing to music theatre.

    • Our Summer Undergraduate Research Experience offers select students a research budget, one-on-one mentoring with a professor, and 10 weeks of analyzing, deciphering — and getting paid.

    • So the lake is kind of a focal point, but there’s a lot more to love about our campus — like the fact that our more than 80-acre campus is also an arboretum and wildlife sanctuary. Focused on keeping campus lush forever, we plant between 50 and 75 new trees every year from a variety of species.

    • Carthage was founded in 1847. That’s more than 170 years of leaders, makers, and go-getters going out and going forth. Read more about Carthage’s rich history.

    • Our athletes rank up some impressive stats. So does our fitness center. The N. E. Tarble Athletic and Recreation Center (better known as the TARC), is home to a 16-lane swimming pool, 200-meter indoor track, two racquetball courts, an indoor rock climbing wall, and a 5,000-square-foot fitness center.

    • Carthage fields 24 NCAA Division III sports, including basketball, football, lacrosse, volleyball, and water polo. Our varsity teams play in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin — regularly taking home hardware from one of the nation’s toughest Division III conferences.

    • More than 90 percent of students receive financial aid. Carthage awards more than $20 million in scholarship and grant assistance. That includes $5.5 million in competitive scholarships in business, mathematics, science, languages, the fine arts, leadership, and overall academic strength. Learn what’s available.

    • Abraham Lincoln was an early Trustee of the College, and U.S. Secretary of State John Hay was a Carthage alum. The two still have a proud place on our campus. Spend some time with them in our Sesquicentennial Plaza. On warm days you’ll find professors leading their classes here.

    • Come to Carthage; hear yourself think — think … think …
      Legend has it that Sesquicentennial Plaza holds a perfect echo. Just stand with both your feet on the “1847,” face Straz, and start talking. “You’re the only one who can hear you, but you’ll be crystal clear,” promises English and theatre alumna Mikaley Osley.

    • Our Great Lake provides Carthage students with some amazing views. Think classes on the beach, lake views from the lab, and sunrises from your dorm room. “I love waking up in the morning with the sun shining off the lake. Nothing compares to the view in the morning,” recalls biology and neuroscience major Ann O’Leary.

    • Carthage awards up to 35 Presidential Scholarships each year, which range from $25,000 up to full tuition. Learn more.

    • For a full decade, NASA has selected Carthage students to conduct research aboard its zero-gravity aircraft. Lately, the stakes have risen. A team of underclassmen is grinding to prepare a tiny but powerful Earth-imaging satellite for launch to the International Space Station. Learn more about the space sciences at Carthage

    • Carthage is the only college or university in the Midwest where every freshman takes a full-year sequence of foundational texts of the Western intellectual tradition. Learn about Intellectual Foundations.

    • With a student-faculty ratio of 13:1, your professors will know who you are. They will also know who you want to be — and how to get you there. Meet our faculty.

    • There are more than 130 student organizations on campus, from Amnesty International to Fencing to Frisbee, Chem Club to Stand Up Comedy. See how easy it is to get involved.

    • True story: There are more than 27 art galleries, a dozen museums, and nine theatres within 25 miles of Carthage. Some highlights: The nationally recognized Racine Art Museum, the world-renowned Art Institute of Chicago, and the Milwaukee Art Museum. Learn more about our location.

    • What’s better than one professor? Two professors. What’s better than two professors? Two professors from totally different fields teaching a single class. There’s debate. Discussion. Differing perspectives. This is where the magic happens. That’s why every student takes a Carthage Symposium.

    • You can’t hide here — not with only 17 other students in the classroom with you. That’s going to be rough some mornings. But later, when you’re able to argue your point of view thoughtfully, express your opinions succinctly, and meet challenges head-on, without fear … Yep, you’ll thank us.

    • Carthage is ranked in the Top 5 in the country for student participation in short-term study abroad. Every J-Term, hundreds of students travel all over the world on faculty-led study tours. Imagine a month in Sweden, Rome, Cuba, Senegal, India, Japan …

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