Claremont McKenna College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Hamilton, California · Private nonprofit · Highly selective · CDS 2024-2025
Claremont McKenna College is a private institution located in Hamilton, California and one of the highly selective schools in the country. For the most recent reporting cycle, Claremont McKenna College admits roughly one in four applicants, with an overall admission rate of 12%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1480 and an ACT composite around 33. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $29,107 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Claremont McKenna College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Claremont McKenna College?
Most admitted students at Claremont McKenna College present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Claremont McKenna College weight in admissions?
Claremont McKenna College reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Class rank
- • Academic GPA
- • Standardized test scores
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Interview
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
- • Level of applicant's interest
SAT and ACT scores Claremont McKenna College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 720–780, with an EBRW midpoint near 705. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 33–34. Scores below the 25th-percentile mark are accepted occasionally, but the realistic submission target for most families is the school's middle-50 floor or higher.
| 25th percentile | 1450 |
| 50th percentile | 1490 |
| 75th percentile | 1530 |
| % submitting SAT | 23% |
| 25th percentile | 33 |
| 50th percentile | 34 |
| 75th percentile | 34 |
| % submitting ACT | 14% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 79% |
| Top 25% of class | 97% |
| Top 50% of class | 99% |
| % submitting class rank | 19% |
How much does Claremont McKenna College actually cost?
Published tuition is $67,024 for in-state students and $67,024 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $16,790 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $29,107 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 13% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | — |
| Out-of-state tuition | $73,206 |
| Room and board | $18,446 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $29,107 |
| Application fee | $60 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Claremont McKenna College
| Regular deadline | 1/15 |
| Notification date | 1-Apr |
| Reply deadline | 1-May |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | 11/1 |
| ED acceptance rate | 19% |
Will my child graduate from Claremont McKenna College?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Other colleges in California parents ask about
- Stanford University4% acceptance
- University of California-Berkeley12% acceptance
- University of California-Los Angeles9% acceptance
- University of Southern California10% acceptance
- University of California-Davis42% acceptance
- University of California-Irvine26% acceptance
- University of California-San Diego25% acceptance
- University of California-Santa Barbara63% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Claremont McKenna College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Claremont McKenna College recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Claremont McKenna College
What GPA do I need for Claremont McKenna College?
Most admitted students at Claremont McKenna College present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school.
What SAT or ACT score does Claremont McKenna College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 720–780, with an EBRW midpoint near 705. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 33–34.
How much does Claremont McKenna College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Claremont McKenna College after grants and scholarships is $29,107 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Claremont McKenna College realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Claremont McKenna College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Claremont McKenna College, and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.