Is Williams worth the higher cost compared with Carleton for undergrad?

Probably not, unless the price gap is manageable for your family without extra strain or Williams offers something unusually specific that you know you will use. For overall undergraduate value, Carleton is already in the same tier of academic reputation, and gives you the core liberal arts advantages people often pay more for at Williams. When two schools are this close in outcomes and academic quality, a noticeable cost difference usually matters more than small prestige differences.

Carleton makes the most sense for the student who wants excellent academics, very strong faculty access, and serious intellectual culture without paying extra for a name bump that may not translate into clearly better long term results. It has an especially strong reputation for undergraduate teaching, and employers or grad programs that know elite liberal arts colleges already know Carleton well. If the higher Williams price means more debt, less flexibility after graduation, or more pressure on your family, that is a real downside that can outweigh any marginal advantage.

Williams can be worth the premium for a student who specifically values its particular network, resources, and setting enough to make active use of them. It has exceptional alumni engagement, deep tutorial-style academic options, and the Purple Valley location and culture appeal strongly to some students. If you are drawn to those features in a way that feels concrete rather than abstract, the extra cost may be easier to justify.

But if you are focusing on value of the degree itself, not just preference, this is usually a case where the less expensive option has the stronger cost-benefit profile. Williams may carry slightly more national name recognition in some circles, but Carleton is not a step down in the kind of way that typically justifies paying substantially more for undergrad.