Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, California · Private · 1,388 undergraduates · cmc.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Test optional
Sending scores is your choice
Admit rate
9.4%
of 6,939 applicants
SAT (middle 50%)
1480 to 1540
of enrolled freshmen
Annual cost (2027-28)
$107,060Est.Estimate
before aid
Your chances and merit aid at Claremont McKenna College
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
9.4% of applicants admitted
Reach
It admits only 9.4% of applicants, so it's a reach for everyone.
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$107,060
a year in 2027-28, from a $107,060 sticker price
What to do with your 1510
Send your score
About 55% of freshmen here didn't send a score. We estimate their typical SAT at about 1410, and yours is above it.
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Test optional
You choose whether to send an SAT or ACT score. If you send one, it's considered.
- Superscores: it combines your best section scores from different test dates.
- You can type your scores into the application; official reports come later.
Changing for fall 2028: test required.
Source: Application Instructions for First-Year Applicants · Checked October 16, 2026
Application deadlines
- Nov1Early Decision · November 1, 2026Binding: if admitted, you commit to enroll.
- Dec1Priority deadline · December 1, 2026Apply by this date for the best chance at admission and scholarships.
- Jan10Early Decision II · January 10, 2027A second binding round, after Early Decision.
- Jan10Regular Decision · January 10, 2027The standard deadline.
Who gets in
9.4%
of applicants were admitted: 655 of 6,939 for fall 2025.
Early Decision
Binding. 22% of early applicants were admitted.
Wait list
711 students were offered a spot; 61 were later admitted.
Test scores of enrolled freshmen (fall 2025)
The shaded part shows the middle half of enrolled freshmen who sent scores: a quarter scored below it and a quarter above. 34% of them sent SAT scores and 14% sent ACT scores.
SAT total 1480 to 1540
Reading and Writing 730 to 760
Math 740 to 790
ACT composite 33 to 35
How enrolled freshmen scored on the SAT
- 1400 to 160096%
- 1200 to 13994.4%
- 1000 to 11990%
- 800 to 9990%
- 600 to 7990%
- 400 to 5990%
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$107,060
a year
- Tuition$81,440
- Fees$450
- Food and housing$25,170
Claremont McKenna College published $98,990 for 2025-26. Its 2027-28 prices aren't out yet.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24, by family income.
- $0 to $30,000$5,423
- $30,001 to $48,000$4,205
- $48,001 to $75,000$19,127
- $75,001 to $110,000$31,487
- Over $110,000$52,425
Financial aid
100%
of a student's financial need is covered, on average
$66,407
average need-based grant to freshmen, money you don't repay
7.1%
of freshmen got merit aid without financial need, $13,011 on average
- FAFSA
- Required for need-based aid. It's the free federal aid form.
- CSS Profile
- Required. It's a second, more detailed aid form some colleges use for their own grants.
- Aid priority date: 1/17
- Send your aid forms by this date to be first in line for the college's grant money.
- Aid deadline: 2/1
- The last day to send aid forms.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
Merit scholarships
Awards for grades and scores, on top of need-based aid. You don't repay them.
National Merit Claremont McKenna College Scholarship (NMSC college-sponsored)
National Merit
Deadline: Name this college your first choice with NMSC.
Details
Compare awards across colleges with the merit aid calculator.
AP credit
AP exams that earn credit can replace college courses, so you pay for fewer of them and may graduate sooner.
AP exams that earn credit
12 of 14
Earn credit with a score of 3
None
You need a 4 or 5 for credit here.
A 3-credit course is worth
about $8,140Est.Estimate
at 2027-28 tuition
Credit for each AP exam
| Exam | Score needed | Credits | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calculus AB | 4 | Placement in MATH031 CM | |
| Calculus BC | 4 | Placement in MATH032 CM | |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 4 | 1 | |
| English Language and Composition | 5 | Students may request Literature Department Chair permission to satisfy their FWS 010 CM general education requirement with a CMC Lit course numbered 60 or above. | |
| English Literature and Composition | 5 | Students may request Literature Department Chair permission to satisfy their FWS 010 CM general education requirement with a CMC Lit course numbered 60 or above. | |
| French Language and Culture | 4 | 1 | |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | 1 | |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 4 | 1 | |
| Latin | 4 | 1 | |
| Macroeconomics | 4 | Students may satisfy the ECON 050 CM social sciences general education requirement with ECON 101 CM or ECON 102 CM with a combined score of 9 or 10 on AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics. | |
| Microeconomics | 4 | Students may satisfy the ECON 050 CM social sciences general education requirement with ECON 101 CM or ECON 102 CM with a combined score of 9 or 10 on AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics. | |
| Psychology | 5 | CMC psychology majors may take any CMC psychology course numbered below 100 in lieu of PSYC 030 CM. | |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4 | 1 | |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4 | 1 |
Source: AP credit policy
After college
Graduate within 6 years
90%
Come back for a second year
98%
Typical earnings
$127,532
a year, 10 years after starting here
- Claremont McKenna College$165,345
- All colleges$89,628
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with Claremont McKenna College. The Claremont McKenna College logo is a trademark of the college.