Claremont, CA · Private · 1,388 undergraduates · suburban
Claremont McKenna College
Highly selective
Claremont McKenna is a leadership-focused liberal-arts college with porous boundaries: mixed-year residence halls, consortium courses, interdisciplinary sequences, and research institutes all push students beyond a fixed first-year cohort or single department.
Institutional profile
Top tier Exceptional in career outcomes, and exceptional in academic standing.- Admission
- 11.1% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 91.8%
5,799 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$104,736 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Claremont McKenna apart
Consortium academic permeability
Students may pursue CMC, intercollegiate, and approved off-campus majors; interdisciplinary sequences draw courses across departments and colleges; research institutes offer structured faculty work.
Mixed-year residential life
CMC has no first-year-only dormitories. Fourteen residence halls and an apartment complex intentionally mix class years, while consortium dining and activities widen the social map.
Research institutes and interdisciplinary sequences
The Claremont Colleges occupy roughly one square mile; nearly all CMC students take at least one course at another consortium institution.
The CMC boundary
Move beyond one cohort and one department
CMC combines a close home college with practical academic and social crossings across the Claremont consortium.
Start in a mixed-year hall
Class years meet earlier than in a first-year-only system.
Cross departments and colleges
Interdisciplinary sequences and consortium access broaden the plan.
Put inquiry to work
Institutes offer routes into faculty-linked work and public questions.
Can I get in?
11.1% admitted
A leadership claim must be grounded in evidence: how the student has shaped a group, pursued a question, or used responsibility with consequence.
Recent applicant pool
5,799About 11 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 29% submitted an SAT, and 16% submitted an ACT. Because ACT scores came from few admitted students, the range describes that self-selected group rather than the full class.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Claremont McKenna, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Claremont McKenna weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
Students may pursue CMC, intercollegiate, and approved off-campus majors; interdisciplinary sequences draw courses across departments and colleges; research institutes offer structured faculty work.
Make the institutional fit specific
A leadership claim must be grounded in evidence: how the student has shaped a group, pursued a question, or used responsibility with consequence.
Use the application route carefully
CMC allows an optional two-minute video response and remains test-optional through fall 2027.
Give commitments a clear through-line
Activities and recommendations should show sustained contribution, not a collection of disconnected credentials.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
CMC allows an optional two-minute video response and remains test-optional through fall 2027.
Fee waiver: accepted
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Claremont McKenna
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Read the outcomes panel alongside the claremont colleges occupy roughly one square mile; nearly all cmc students take at least one course at another consortium institution. Completion, borrowing, and field mix matter more than one university-wide earnings figure.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Economics
Research and Experimental Psychology
Political Science and Government
Systems Science and Theory
International Relations and National Security Studies
What is campus life like?
Claremont McKenna beyond the classroom
The Claremont Colleges occupy roughly one square mile; nearly all CMC students take at least one course at another consortium institution.
Consortium academic permeability
Students may pursue CMC, intercollegiate, and approved off-campus majors; interdisciplinary sequences draw courses across departments and colleges; research institutes offer structured faculty work.
The residential structure matters
CMC has no first-year-only dormitories. Fourteen residence halls and an apartment complex intentionally mix class years, while consortium dining and activities widen the social map.
Dining follows the residential map
Campus dining is part of the daily social pattern; compare the meal-plan structure and nearby options against the routine you expect.
Mixed-year residential life
The Claremont Colleges occupy roughly one square mile; nearly all CMC students take at least one course at another consortium institution.
Use the institution beyond class
Student organizations, faculty programs, research, service, and campus events are most useful when they reinforce a clear academic or personal direction.
Research institutes and interdisciplinary sequences
The strongest social fit comes from understanding how housing, traditions, organizations, and the surrounding setting shape an ordinary week.