Claremont McKenna
克莱蒙麦肯纳- Tier 2
- Claremont, CA
- Data last checked 2026-10
Claremont McKenna admits about 9% of first-year applicants. The middle 50% SAT range is 1490–1550, and the GPA reference is 3.80 (Unweighted 4.0 scale, 25th percentile). Optional for the 2026-27 cycle (fall 2027 entry); SAT / ACT required again from the 2027-28 cycle (fall 2028 entry). Applying for financial aid can affect admission for international students. A year costs about $101,990 (2026-27).
Admit rate by applicant pool
At the same school, admit rates can differ a lot depending on who is applying.
Source: Fall 2025 · CDS
Flagship Majors and Admit Data
| Major | Admit rate | vs overall | One-liner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economics / Econ-Accounting★ Flagship | ≈ overall 9% | ≈ overall | |
| Government★ Flagship | ≈ overall 9% | ≈ overall | |
| Finance & Accounting sequence | ≈ overall 9% | ≈ overall |
Where no official major admit rate is published, difficulty is estimated from the school's public information.
US applicants
- Overall admit rate
- 9%. The actual number for the domestic pool (which holds most seats) is roughly aligned with the official figure.
- Financial aid / FAFSA
- Need-blind for domestic; FAFSA aid applications don't affect admission (need-aware applies only to international).
- Privates have no in-state preference
- Domestic applications don't differentiate by state, but schools care about state representation (over-concentrated areas face competitive squeeze).
- Test policy
- Optional for the 2026-27 cycle (fall 2027 entry); SAT / ACT required again from the 2027-28 cycle (fall 2028 entry). Official policy ›
- Application timing
- ED/EA deadlines early November, RD January. Domestic families typically begin college visits at the end of 11th grade.
International (F-1) applicants
- International friendliness 3 / 3
- High international ratio (15%+), relatively friendly
- Need-blind for international
- ✗ No — F1 applicants applying for aid see significantly lower admit rates (need-aware)
Cost per year
Published cost of attendance for 2026-27 (tuition, housing, food, books and fees): about $101,990.
This is the published sticker price; what a family actually pays depends on financial aid and scholarships.
Waitlist
| Cycle | Accepted a waitlist spot | Admitted from waitlist | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | 469 | 61 | 13% |
| Fall 2024 | 621 | 33 | 5.3% |
| Fall 2023 | 396 | 44 | 11% |
- Other rules
- Admission from the waitlist takes your ability to pay into account (unlike regular admission for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, where it doesn't)
Numbers are from the school's Common Data Set (section C2), checked 2026-10. They can change a lot from year to year; the school's latest release is authoritative. Official waitlist policy ›
Already on a waitlist? The Application Rescue Kit lays out the timeline and real cost of four paths: waitlist, gap year, transfer and spring admission ›Transfer
Fall transfer, Fall 2025: 307 applied and 25 were admitted (about 8.1%).
Requirements:CMC does not separate applicants by type of school; anyone who has attended any college in the U.S. or abroad counts as a transfer. The only required course is precalculus, and calculus is strongly recommended for students entering at a higher class level.
Are popular majors open to external transfers?
- Computer scienceLimitedCMC does not offer its own computer science major, only a computer science course sequence and a data science major; to major in computer science, you apply to Harvey Mudd's computer science major after you enroll.
Claremont McKenna · US College Application Deep Read · Chinese-American Lens
In the Chinese-American US college application pool, Claremont McKenna sits in the Elite-select private (high-pressure layer for Chinese-American families) layer. Overall admit rate is 9%, with traditional strength in Economics / Business / Liberal Arts, and Economics / Econ-Accounting as the entry that Chinese-American families track most.
Claremont McKenna is need-aware for international applicants — requesting financial aid reduces admit probability, intl-friendliness 3/3. Hardware bar: GPA 25th 3.80/4.0, SAT mid-range 1490-1550, AP expectation 7 courses. Only half of admission is on the numbers — the other half is EC depth, essays, and recommendations. Test scores are a ticket, not a verdict.
If you or a parent is evaluating whether Claremont McKenna is a reach, match, or safety in this US college application cycle, the "I have 4.0 / 1500, can I get in?" question is not answerable from public forums alone — real judgment requires layering this season's admissions policy, your high-school competitive density, within-major selectivity, and ED/EA timing into one model. At the elite-select tier, EA vs ED choice can shift admit probability by 1-2 tiers; lock the call before September. The Kaiso engine assigns Claremont McKenna to a tier based on your real profile, and every judgment is auditable.
What parents ask about Claremont McKenna
What is Claremont McKenna's undergraduate admit rate?
Claremont McKenna (克莱蒙麦肯纳) overall undergraduate admit rate is about 9% (private or public). SAT mid-range (25-75 percentile) 1490-1550. GPA threshold reference 3.80 (Unweighted 4.0 scale, 25th percentile). Data last verified 2026-10.
Does Claremont McKenna require the SAT or ACT?
Optional for the 2026-27 cycle (fall 2027 entry); SAT / ACT required again from the 2027-28 cycle (fall 2028 entry).
What early rounds does Claremont McKenna offer?
2026-27 cycle: ED1 due Nov 1, ED2 due Jan 1, RD due Jan 1. ED is binding: if admitted, you must enroll.
What are Claremont McKenna's admit rates for in-state, out-of-state and international applicants?
International applicants 4.9%. Source: Fall 2025 · CDS.
How much does a year at Claremont McKenna cost?
Published cost of attendance for 2026-27 (tuition, housing, food, books and fees): about $101,990. This is the published sticker price; what a family actually pays depends on financial aid and scholarships.
How hard is it to transfer into Claremont McKenna?
Fall transfer, Fall 2025: 307 applied and 25 were admitted (about 8.1%). CMC does not separate applicants by type of school; anyone who has attended any college in the U.S. or abroad counts as a transfer. The only required course is precalculus, and calculus is strongly recommended for students entering at a higher class level.
How many students get in from Claremont McKenna's waitlist?
Fall 2025: 469 accepted a waitlist spot and 61 were admitted (about 13%); Fall 2024: 621 accepted a waitlist spot and 33 were admitted (about 5.3%); Fall 2023: 396 accepted a waitlist spot and 44 were admitted (about 11%). These numbers can change a lot from year to year; the school's latest release is authoritative.
What are Claremont McKenna's flagship majors?
Claremont McKenna flagship majors: Economics / Econ-Accounting, Government. CMC 最热专业，华尔街 feeder，比例接近 40%
Is Claremont McKenna friendly to international (F1) applicants?
Claremont McKenna is need-aware for international students — F1 applicants applying for aid see significantly lower admit rates. International friendliness 3/3.