Claremont McKenna College
What Claremont McKenna College's own numbers say, from its Common Data Set 2025-26.
See your odds at Claremont McKenna College →All 4 insights at Claremont McKenna College PRO
Early DecisionClaremont McKenna College
Claremont McKenna College's ED number is inflated.
22% of Early Decision applicants get in, but that pool includes recruited athletes and legacies, admitted at far higher rates. Without them, our estimate is about 17%. Everyone else: 7.4%.
ED, as reported22%
ED, without hooks (estimate)≈17%
Everyone else7.4%
Source: Claremont McKenna College's Common Data Set 2025-26; hooked share is an estimate (A12)
InternationalClaremont McKenna College
International applicants face 1.9× tougher odds at Claremont McKenna College.
4.9% of international applicants are admitted, against 9.4% overall.
Overall9.4%
International4.9%
Source: Claremont McKenna College's Common Data Set 2025-26
MoneyClaremont McKenna College
Claremont McKenna College meets 100% of need.
The average need-based grant is $66,407 a year.
Average grant$66k
Source: Claremont McKenna College's Common Data Set 2025-26
Early DecisionClaremont McKenna College
64% of Claremont McKenna College's class is filled in Early Decision.
That leaves about 119 seats for 5,961 applicants outside ED.
Admitted Early Decision64%
Everyone else36%
Source: Claremont McKenna College's Common Data Set 2025-26
9 more things the data says PRO
- Early Decision filled about 64% of the 2025-26 first-year class, more than 91% of similar colleges.
- After ED, 119 of 335 seats were left for 5,961 other applicants: about one seat for every 50.
- ED applicants were admitted at 22%, against 7.4% for everyone else: 3.0 times the rate.
- The share of women in the first-year class has fallen from 53% to 49% since 2019-20, about 0.7 points a year.
- It reports meeting 100% of financial need for first-years who have need.
- Applications rose 11% from 2018-19 to 2025-26 (6,272 to 6,939).
- 469 students stayed on the waitlist and 61 were admitted from it (13.0%).
- Only 34% of enrolled first-years sent an SAT score, so its SAT range describes a minority of the class.
- Men were admitted at a lower rate: 10.2% for women against 8.7% for men.
What students say PRO
From students' own posts on Reddit and admissions forums: self-reported, unverified, never used in your odds.
- Most admits who shared grades had GPAs of 3.7 to 4.0, and many reported SAT scores around 1470-1560 or ACT 30-36.
- Most admits aim at political science, public policy, economics, finance or international relations.
- Many admits did years of debate or Model UN, often as captain, founder or national-level competitor.
- Many admits had hands-on civic or policy work, like a legislative page role, law firm internships, a campaign job, an elected board seat or youth health advising.
- Of 8 admits who named a round, 7 applied Regular Decision and 1 Early Decision.
- Students report test scores are read in the context of the applicant's school, and that many admits applied without scores.
- Students describe the admissions interview as relaxed and conversational, and advise knowing the school well.
- Students report aid worries: offers that assume a high family contribution, and a view that CMC is weak on aid, though some international admits got large merit awards.
Every number, year by year: Claremont McKenna College on Open College Data. Something wrong? Suggest a correction.