Harvey Mudd College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes

Harvey Mudd College is a private institution located in Claremont, California and one of the highly selective schools in the country. For the most recent reporting cycle, Harvey Mudd College admits roughly one in four applicants, with an overall admission rate of 13%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1537 and an ACT composite around 35. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $32,492 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Harvey Mudd 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 Harvey Mudd College?

Most admitted students at Harvey Mudd 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 Harvey Mudd College weight in admissions?

Harvey Mudd College reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2025-2026). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.

SAT and ACT scores Harvey Mudd College typically admits

The middle-50 SAT Math range is 760–790, with an EBRW midpoint near 735. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 34–36. 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.

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.

How much does Harvey Mudd College actually cost?

Published tuition is $66,255 for in-state students and $66,255 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $21,710 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $32,492 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 14% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.

Application deadlines and early decision data for Harvey Mudd College

Will my child graduate from Harvey Mudd 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.

Most popular majors at Harvey Mudd College

The most popular undergraduate programs at Harvey Mudd College, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Mathematics and Computer Science, Engineering, General and Computer Science. Across all programs, Harvey Mudd College confers roughly 219 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Engineering, General program report a median income of about $123,894 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.

Is Harvey Mudd College safe? Campus crime & safety

In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Harvey Mudd College disclosed 12 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 13.0 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 0 violent offenses and 2 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.

What is campus life like at Harvey Mudd College?

About 97% of undergraduates at Harvey Mudd College live in campus housing, making it a largely residential campus. In Greek life, 0% of men join a fraternity and 0% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.

Other colleges in California parents ask about

• Stanford University
  4% acceptance
• University of California-Berkeley
  12% acceptance
• University of California-Los Angeles
  9% acceptance
• University of Southern California
  10% acceptance
• University of California-Davis
  42% acceptance
• University of California-Irvine
  26% acceptance
• University of California-San Diego
  25% acceptance
• University of California-Santa Barbara
  63% acceptance

Common questions parents ask about Harvey Mudd College