Claremont McKenna College

Admission to Claremont McKenna College is selective, and its standing has steadily climbed among top institutions. In the 2027 U.S. News Best National Liberal Arts Colleges rankings, the college reached 3rd place, rising from 11th in 2024. Securing a spot is difficult, as the college admitted only 9.6% of applicants in 2025, an acceptance rate higher than just 23% of peer private liberal arts colleges. Claremont McKenna also holds strong drawing power among those it accepts. Its 2025 yield rate reached 53.8%, well above the peer median of 36.2% and higher than 97% of peer schools. With more than half of admitted applicants choosing to enroll, the college consistently converts offers into incoming students. For prospective families, this combination of an upward-trending ranking, a single-digit admit rate, and an unusually high yield indicates that applicants face an exceptionally competitive admissions process where admitted candidates rarely turn down their offers.

Applicants to Claremont McKenna College must demonstrate top-tier academic credentials to be competitive in the admissions process. For enrolled students in 2025, the median SAT score was 1530, a mark that was higher than 83% of peer schools in a comparison group of private liberal arts colleges with similar rankings. On the ACT, the middle 50% of enrolled students scored between 33 and 35. Over the preceding decade, testing submission rates declined, with around one-quarter of students submitting SAT scores and an even smaller share providing ACT results in 2025. While testing policies have evolved, the scores achieved by students who submit them reflect an extremely accomplished cohort. Prospective candidates should expect that admitted peers present near-perfect secondary school academic records and rigorous coursework. Those who choose to submit standardized testing must aim for scores that align with these upper percentiles to present a compelling academic profile.

Degrees at Claremont McKenna College are heavily concentrated in economics and public affairs, fields that translate into lucrative early-career compensation. In 2025, the college awarded 374 bachelor's degrees, with the top three majors accounting for 45.2% of all graduating seniors. Econometrics and Quantitative Economics stood as the dominant undergraduate program by a wide margin, conferring 110 degrees. This flagship major also ranked 57th nationally in the 2027 U.S. News undergraduate economics rankings. Earnings data from 2023 underscore the strong market value of this focus: economics graduates achieved median earnings of $99,125 one year after graduation. Other popular programs like political science and interdisciplinary studies saw smaller cohorts with median starting salaries around sixty thousand dollars. Meanwhile, graduate study is minimal, confined to a small master's cohort in finance.

Claremont McKenna College educates a predominantly undergraduate student body that draws from diverse racial and geographic backgrounds. Across the campus community, White students form the largest single group, while Asian and international students constitute substantial segments of enrollment. Among the incoming first-year cohort in 2025, Asian students numbered 68, accounting for 20.2% of new undergraduates. International students in the same entering class totaled 48, representing 14.2% of the group. Continuing undergraduate cohorts display a similar balance, accompanied by sizeable representations of Hispanic and multiracial students, alongside smaller shares of Black peers. Graduate students represent only a tiny fraction of the overall institution. This demographic composition means applicants enter an academic environment where domestic minority and overseas perspectives are integrated across academic cohorts and student organizations, shaping campus discussions and collaborative projects.

The student body at Claremont McKenna College is concentrated almost entirely within traditional college ages. In 2025, undergraduates aged 18 to 19 accounted for 44% of the undergraduate population, while students aged 20 to 21 made up 43.7%. Only a small fraction of undergraduates were 22 or older, and the college enrolled just 3 graduate students. This age structure creates a campus environment centered on full-time, four-year residential degree progression. Because peers share the same stage of life, campus life, student clubs, and daily routines are designed around traditional undergraduate schedules and community activities rather than the needs of working adults or older professional students.

Claremont McKenna College maintains a substantial international presence at the undergraduate level, while graduate international participation remains limited. In 2025, international students comprised 15% of the undergraduate student body, a share that declined slightly over the previous decade but remained higher than 90% of peer schools in a comparison group of private liberal arts colleges with similar rankings. In contrast, graduate international enrollment decreased over time, dropping to zero in 2025. Among degree recipients in 2025, international students were heavily concentrated in quantitative and pre-professional fields. At the bachelor's level, international students earned 26.4% of degrees in the college's largest major, Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, with additional concentrations in Experimental Psychology and International Relations. At the master's level, international graduates accounted for 21.4% of degrees awarded in Finance. Prospective international applicants will find established academic communities in business and economics, while other humanities and social science fields draw almost entirely domestic cohorts.

Claremont McKenna College is part of the contiguous Claremont Colleges consortium, giving students access to neighboring institutions within immediate walking distance. Directly bordering the campus are several prominent liberal arts colleges. Pomona College is located just 0.3 kilometers away and tied for 3rd place in the 2027 U.S. News National Liberal Arts Colleges ranking. Harvey Mudd College, also 0.3 kilometers away, ranked 8th among national liberal arts colleges that same year. Adjacent to them are Scripps College, located 0.1 kilometers away and ranked 38th, and Pitzer College, situated 0.3 kilometers away and ranked 44th. This cluster of peer institutions creates an unusual concentration of selective undergraduate colleges sharing resources within a single neighborhood in Claremont, California.

Campus safety data for Claremont McKenna College show a decline in reported incidents over the past decade. The crime rate per 1,000 students decreased from earlier highs to 19 in 2025. Across the three-year period from 2023 through 2025, the vast majority of recorded reports involved vehicular property crimes and administrative infractions. Motor vehicle theft was the most common incident category, with 52 occurrences documented from 2023 to 2025. Disciplinary referrals for drug violations formed the second largest group, totaling 28 incidents over those years, followed by 22 reported cases of general theft. Violent and interpersonal offenses occurred far less frequently, with smaller counts of rape, sexual harassment, and dating-related violations reported during the same span. For prospective students and families, the record indicates that overall crime rates have trended downward, with property security on campus parking areas and student code enforcement representing the primary safety areas monitored by campus authorities.