About
Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It has a curricular emphasis on government, economics, public affairs, finance, and international relations. CMC is one of the seven members of the Claremont Colleges consortium.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 37 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 34 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing3 · 8.1%
- No Data34 · 91.9%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
WASC Senior College and University Commission
Action history · 1
- Jun 2022Renewal of AccreditationWASC Senior College and University Commission
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 255 students received $1.7M in Pell grants, alongside $3.2M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 98 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Claremont McKenna College
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 14
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus36
- Non-campus1
Includes 5 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
- Religion1
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Claremont McKenna College vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Claremont McKenna College selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectClaremont McKenna College | 91% | — | 1,393 | $27,384 | Baccalaureate |
| 94% | 9.0% | 1,914 | $18,246 | Baccalaureate | |
| 95% | 7.1% | 1,881 | $20,786 | Baccalaureate | |
| 90% | 20.4% | 2,128 | $27,320 | Baccalaureate | |
| 91% | 13.4% | 1,869 | $18,127 | Baccalaureate | |
| 88% | 14.5% | 1,788 | $15,608 | Baccalaureate | |
| 90% | 12.4% | 1,431 | $25,210 | Baccalaureate | |
| 91% | 10.7% | 2,803 | $25,934 | Baccalaureate | |
| 93% | 7.1% | 1,700 | $19,424 | Baccalaureate | |
| 89% | 21.0% | 2,857 | $26,181 | Baccalaureate | |
| 92% | 7.5% | 1,623 | $18,686 | Baccalaureate | |
| 91% | 18.6% | 2,462 | $38,182 | Baccalaureate | |
| 94% | 14.0% | 2,241 | $23,911 | Baccalaureate | |
| 92% | 14.0% | 2,407 | $25,008 | Baccalaureate | |
| 93% | 16.5% | 4,011 | $27,888 | Baccalaureate | |
| 94% | 8.3% | 2,164 | $14,852 | Baccalaureate | |
| Peer group median | 92% | 13.4% | 2,021 | $24,460 |
Institutions like Claremont McKenna College
Explore the federal data for institutions in Claremont McKenna College's comparison group.
- BaccalaureateMassachusetts
Amherst College
Grad rate94%Admit rate9.0%Enrollment1,914Net price$18,246View data - BaccalaureateMaine
Bowdoin College
Grad rate95%Admit rate7.1%Enrollment1,881Net price$20,786View data - BaccalaureateMinnesota
Carleton College
Grad rate90%Admit rate20.4%Enrollment2,128Net price$27,320View data - BaccalaureateNorth Carolina
Davidson College
Grad rate91%Admit rate13.4%Enrollment1,869Net price$18,127View data - BaccalaureateIowa
Grinnell College
Grad rate88%Admit rate14.5%Enrollment1,788Net price$15,608View data - BaccalaureatePennsylvania
Haverford College
Grad rate90%Admit rate12.4%Enrollment1,431Net price$25,210View data - BaccalaureateVermont
Middlebury College
Grad rate91%Admit rate10.7%Enrollment2,803Net price$25,934View data - BaccalaureateCalifornia
Pomona College
Grad rate93%Admit rate7.1%Enrollment1,700Net price$19,424View data - BaccalaureateMassachusetts
Smith College
Grad rate89%Admit rate21.0%Enrollment2,857Net price$26,181View data - BaccalaureatePennsylvania
Swarthmore College
Grad rate92%Admit rate7.5%Enrollment1,623Net price$18,686View data - BaccalaureateNew York
Vassar College
Grad rate91%Admit rate18.6%Enrollment2,462Net price$38,182View data - BaccalaureateVirginia
Washington and Lee University
Grad rate94%Admit rate14.0%Enrollment2,241Net price$23,911View data - BaccalaureateMassachusetts
Wellesley College
Grad rate92%Admit rate14.0%Enrollment2,407Net price$25,008View data - BaccalaureateConnecticut
Wesleyan University
Grad rate93%Admit rate16.5%Enrollment4,011Net price$27,888View data - BaccalaureateMassachusetts
Williams College
Grad rate94%Admit rate8.3%Enrollment2,164Net price$14,852View data
Claremont McKenna College Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Research conducts research to support the continuing academic advancement of Claremont McKenna College, institutional decision-making, and strategic planning. We coordinate the collection and dissemination of campus information for internal and external purposes, as directed by the Dean of the Faculty.
Visit IR office page- John HallerDirector of Institutional Research
Common Data Set
Claremont McKenna College's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.
Selectivity & Admissions
Admissions funnel
C16,939 applied → 655 admitted (9.4%) → 335 enrolled.
Selectivity
C1Most selective — 9.4% acceptance rate.
Admit rate by gender
C1Admit rate varies by gender.
SAT range (middle 50%)
C9Middle 50% SAT 1480–1540 (median 1510).
ACT range (middle 50%)
C9Middle 50% ACT 33–35 (median 34).
High-school class rank
C10Share of enrolled first-years by HS class-rank band.
Waitlist outcome
C2711 offered a waitlist spot, 469 accepted it, 61 admitted (13.0% of those who stayed on).
What matters in admission
C7Relative importance of each admission factor.
Affordability & Value
Where grant aid comes from
H180% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.
Graduate debt
H4/H534% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $27,023 on average.
Outcomes & Equity
Graduation & retention
B6-year graduation rate 91%; first-year retention 98%.
Equity: Pell graduation gap
B4Pell-grant recipients graduate 1 pts above the overall rate (92% vs 91%).
Academic Experience
Class-size distribution
I385% of classes have under 20 students; 1% have 50+.
Faculty profile
IKey faculty indicators.
Degrees by discipline
JSTEM-dominant: ~13% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.
Student Body & Diversity
Undergraduate race/ethnicity
B2Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.
International students
B214% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).
Undergrad vs graduate
B11,378 undergraduates and 2 graduate students.
Transfer Path
Transfer admissions
D1307 transfer applicants → 25 admitted (8.1%) → 14 enrolled — more selective than first-year admission.
Reports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookFactbook | Claremont McKenna College2026The Factbook for Claremont McKenna College, prepared by the Office of Institutional Research, provides comprehensive data on key metrics like admission rates, financial aid, enrollment figures, class sizes, and academic outcomes. It includes information on historical enrollment, faculty resources, institutional research data, student life, and post-graduation career outcomes. The data spans various academic years up to 2025 and is a critical resource for assessing the college's performance in preparing students for leadership roles across business, government, and the professions.cmc.edu
Grants & funding (6)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
- opportunityNancy Weiss Malkiel Scholar AwardsWoodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundationinstitution_site$17,500
- awardCalifornia Historical Society Book AwardCalifornia Historical Society and Heydayinstitution_site$5,000
- opportunityAmerican Institute of Indian Studies FellowshipsAmerican Institute of Indian Studiesinstitution_site
- opportunityBellagio Residency ProgramRockefeller Foundationinstitution_site
- opportunityCareer Enhancement Fellowship ProgramWoodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundationinstitution_site
- opportunityEvidence for Action: Investigator-Initiated Research to Build a Culture of HealthRobert Wood Johnson Foundationinstitution_site
Notable alumni of Claremont McKenna College (11)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Steve BullockPolitics
- David DreierPolitics
- Surin PitsuwanPolitics
- Michael ArringtonBusiness
- Michael S. JeffriesBusiness
- Julie SweetBusiness
- George R. RobertsBusiness
- Thomas PritzkerBusiness
- Orley AshenfelterAcademia
- John KingEntertainment
- William W. CrouchMilitary
Frequently asked questions about Claremont McKenna College
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Claremont McKenna College.
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