Claremont McKenna College

Claremont, CA · Private

Official website

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Admission rate

Claremont McKenna College admitted 9.6% of applicants university-wide (626 of 6,529).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide9.6%6266,529
In-state9.4%2372,528
Out-of-state13.8%2772,010
International applicants5.6%1121,991
Early Decision (binding)23.4%226967
Men9.8%2912,967
Women9.7%3123,225

Early Decision applicants were admitted at 23.4%, vs 9.6% overall — ED is a binding commitment.

Of 626 admitted students, 337 enrolled (53.8% yield).

Claremont McKenna College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024 — Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
1490–1550
ACT (mid-50%)
33–35
GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.50–4.00

Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)

Claremont McKenna College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024 — Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $93,510/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$67,980
Fees, housing, food, books & other$25,530
Sticker cost of attendance$93,510/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

Under $30k$15,308
$30k–48k$7,360
$48k–75k$16,389
$75k–110k$19,325
Over $110k$52,295

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

  • C. William Johnson Scholarship — Full tuition (Full Tuition)
  • CMC Grant — Varies (Need Based)
  • Claremont Scholarship — Half tuition (Merit)
  • Crown Scholarship — Full tuition (Full Tuition)
  • Founders Scholarship — Quarter tuition (Merit)
  • McKenna Scholarship — Full tuition (Full Tuition)
  • Need-Based Financial Aid for International Students — Varies (meets full demonstrated need) (Need Based)
  • Spitzer Scholarship — Full tuition (Full Tuition)

International applicants

Meets full demonstrated need for internationals.

  • C. William Johnson Scholarship — Full tuition (Full Tuition)
  • CMC Grant — Varies (Need Based)
  • Claremont Scholarship — Half tuition (Merit)
  • Crown Scholarship — Full tuition (Full Tuition)
  • Founders Scholarship — Quarter tuition (Merit)
  • McKenna Scholarship — Full tuition (Full Tuition)
  • Need-Based Financial Aid for International Students — Varies (meets full demonstrated need) (Need Based)
  • Spitzer Scholarship — Full tuition (Full Tuition)

Claremont McKenna College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Common Application or Coalition Application
  • School report and counselor recommendation
  • One teacher recommendation
  • Official high school transcript(s) from all secondary schools attended
  • Early Decision Agreement
  • FAFSA and CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE
  • Interview (recommended)
  • Application fee

International applicants

  • Common Application or Coalition Application
  • School report and counselor recommendation
  • One teacher recommendation
  • Official high school transcript(s) from all secondary schools attended
  • Early Decision Agreement
  • FAFSA and CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE
  • Interview (recommended)
  • Application fee
  • English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

Claremont McKenna College · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

The Common App personal essay is required (one of 7 shared prompts), plus 2 college-specific supplements:

  1. What led you to choose to apply to Claremont McKenna College? What are you most looking forward to?250 words · Required
  2. Please briefly describe a significant activity or experience that has been meaningful to you.250 words · Required

Draft these in the free Essay Coach

Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 3, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$104,736
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
91.4%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
98.1%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$13,500
At graduation

Claremont McKenna College · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023 — Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • U.S. News Liberal Arts: #7
  • WSJ: #6
  • Forbes: #26
  • Niche: #23

Deadlines

  • 2026-11-01Early Decision — Binding early round
  • 2027-01-10Regular Decision — Standard deadline

Claremont McKenna College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C21–C22 · 2024

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Social sciences (42%), Interdisciplinary studies (12%), Biological & life sciences (7%).

Student–faculty ratio: 8:1 · 78% of class sections have under 20 students.

Claremont McKenna College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024 — Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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