Claremont McKenna College

Yes — CMC is highly selective, admitting about 9.4% of applicants in the most recent cycle. The college offered admission to roughly 655 of nearly 6,900 applicants and enrolled about 335 first-year students. Rigor of course load, GPA, the application essay, recommendations, and extracurriculars are all weighed as very important factors in its holistic review.

CMC's binding Early Decision rounds are admitted at a noticeably higher rate than the 9.4% overall figure. Early Decision I and II together drew 978 applications and admitted 216 — about a 22% early admit rate, well above the overall rate. CMC offers ED I (closing November 1) and ED II (closing January 10) but no Early Action plan.

No. CMC is test-optional, so you may apply without submitting scores. Among enrolled first-years who did submit, the middle 50% scored 1480–1540 on the SAT and 33–35 on the ACT, and standardized test scores are only "considered" rather than a very important factor.

A 1500 is competitive — it sits right at the median for enrolled students. The middle 50% of enrolled first-years scored between 1480 and 1540 on the SAT (33–35 on the ACT), with the 50th percentile at 1510. Because CMC is test-optional, a strong score helps but is weighed only as a "considered" factor behind GPA, rigor, and essays.

CMC does not publish an average high school GPA, citing the difficulty of standardizing GPAs across its large international applicant pool. It does report class rank: among the 15% of enrolled first-years who submitted one, about 64% were in the top tenth of their class and 94% in the top quarter. The rigor of your course load and overall academic record are weighed as very important factors.

Tuition and required fees run about $67,980 per year, with on-campus food and housing adding roughly $20,830. CMC meets 100% of demonstrated financial need; about 39% of undergraduates receive need-based aid, with an average need-based package near $69,932.

The social sciences — including CMC's signature economics and government programs — are by far the most popular area, accounting for about 42% of bachelor's degrees. Interdisciplinary studies (12%), psychology, the biological sciences, and economics-and-business programs round out the most-conferred fields.

Yes. CMC rates the application essay as a very important factor in its holistic review, on par with GPA, course rigor, recommendations, and extracurriculars — and above standardized test scores, which are only "considered." With a 9.4% admit rate, a specific, well-revised essay is one of the clearest ways a strong applicant can stand out.

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