Updated March 12, 2025

Claremont McKenna College – Acceptance Rate and Statistics

Claremont McKenna College is known for its small class sizes and classic liberal arts curriculum. Spread over 69 acres, the campus is an environment built for students who want to build close relationships with their professors and peers. Claremont McKenna is a small college, with a total undergraduate enrollment of around 1,4000 students. The student to teacher ratio is a tight 8:1.

Claremont McKenna is located in Claremont, California, just 35 miles east of Los Angeles. It’s also connected with the Claremont Colleges, five undergraduate liberal arts colleges and two graduate institutions that students can take advantage of for academics and extracurriculars. There are over 50 student organizations, including Blockchain Club, Commercial Real Estate Club, Crochet Club, Poker Club, and Coastal Caretakers.

The most popular majors of 2024 included economics, government, psychology, international relations, and philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE).

Students at Claremont McKenna tend to study economics, business, and the social sciences.

Claremont McKenna College Admissions Statistics

Claremont McKenna has a competitive admissions process, with just 9.6% of applicants receiving an admissions offer last year. If you’d like to apply, you can choose from the Early Decision I, Early Decision II, or Regular Decision deadlines.

Note that Claremont McKenna’s Early Decision cycles are binding — meaning you’ll be required to attend if you receive an offer of admission.

2023-2024 Claremont McKenna (Class of 2028) Acceptance Rate

Admission CycleNumber of applicantsNumber admittedAcceptance rate
All Applicants6,5296269.6%

Claremont McKenna College Acceptance Rate History

YearNumber of applicantsNumber admittedAcceptance rate
2023-2024 (Class of 2028)6,5296269.6%
2022-2023 (Class of 2027)5,70959110.4%
2021-2022 (Class of 2026)5,63263311.2%
2020-2021 (Class of 2025)5,30670813.3%
2019-2020 (Class of 2024)6,06662510.3%

Claremont McKenna Class of 2028 Middle 50% score range of admitted students (25th and 75th percentiles)*

SAT Math750-780
SAT ERW720-750
SAT Composite1490-1520
ACT Math31-33
ACT Reading33-35
ACT Science32-33
ACT English34-35
ACT Composite33-34

*What does this mean? The middle 50% score range refers to students from the 25th to the 75th percentile of admitted students. So if 100 students were admitted and we ranked their SAT scores from lowest to highest, we’d be looking at 50 students’ stats (from student 25 through student 75).


Claremont McKenna College’s admissions site provides a comprehensive overview of their admissions process, with information about each admissions component. Although they don’t mention much about what they’re looking for, they mention these values:

  • Freedom of expression
  • Diversity of opinion
  • Civil discourse
  • Mutual respect

You can demonstrate your unique perspective through your essays, academic profile, letters of recommendation, interview, video response, and activities.

Other colleges you may be interested in:

College NameNumber of applicants (Class of 2028)Number admitted (Class of 2028)Acceptance rate (Class of 2028)
Pomona College12,2498116.6%
Williams College15,4111,1597.5%
Amherst College13,7431,2389%

Wondering how to get into Claremont McKenna College? PrepMaven can help you along the way. Whether you’re looking to boost your test scores, write a killer personal statement, or improve your GPA, we can be a helpful resource. With tutors who are graduates of top universities, valedictorians, National Merit Finalists, and National AP Scholars, we’re here to help you no matter what step you’re at in the admissions process.

Give us a call at 609-945-2264 or fill out our website form to learn how our flexible packages can work for you.


Alexis

Alexis is a tutor, writer, and producer. She graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. As a tutor, she loves to help students explore their unique stories and share their personal journeys through impactful essay writing.


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