Founded in 1955, Harvey Mudd is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. In 2025-2026, their student body was almost equal in its gender divide, with 51% female students and 49% male students. The school ranked #10 in the 2026 US News & World Report list of “Best Liberal Arts Colleges”.

Students who aren’t afraid to get a little messy (just kidding, we don’t know exactly how much mud there is at Harvey Mudd College) and attain admission to this rigorous school: take heed. The school’s acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 was only 12.7%, so top grades, scores, and a strong application will be expected by admissions officers. 

Let’s dive into some more details about what the typical Harvey Mudd accepted student profile looks like, specifically as it relates to grades and GPA.

The High School Class Ranks of Harvey Mudd Students

Harvey Mudd historically has not released the high school GPA data of its students, leaving hopeful Mudders muddled about what they may need to do in order to get admitted to this STEM-focused college. 

However, if we look at the class rank information for the past two years for Harvey Mudd’s enrolled students, it’s possible to glean a general sense of where students should be within their own curriculum to see if they should bother filling out an application to Harvey Mudd.

GPA Percentage of Harvey Mudd College Class of 2028 Students

From the Harvey Mudd 2024-2025 Common Data Set:

Assessment	Percent
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	92%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	100%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	100%

GPA Percentage of Harvey Mudd College Class of 2027 Students

From the Harvey Mudd 2023-2024 Common Data Set:

Assessment	Percent
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	83%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	98%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	100%

There is a little variance between the Class of 2027, whose GPAs were slightly lower overall, and the Class of 2028, almost all of whom had GPAs that placed them in the top tenth of their high school class. But since there were only 2% of outliers who weren’t in the top quarter of their graduating class, combined with the decreasing acceptance rate, it’s looking like gaining admission to Harvey Mudd will include a top GPA in those applications.

Harvey Mudd Acceptance Rates for the Classes of 2024-2028

Of the 5,094 applicants who applied to join Harvey Mudd’s Class of 2029, a mere 645 were admitted. Again, that’s a 12.7% acceptance rate, down just a touch from last year’s 13.1% acceptance rate for the Class of 2028. Looking at the acceptance rate for the past five years is another way to indicate the school’s exclusivity over time.

Harvey Mudd Class Year	Acceptance Rate
Class of 2030	Not Yet Released
Class of 2029	N/A
Class of 2028	12.7%
Class of 2027	13.1%
Class of 2026	13.4%
Class of 2025	18%
Class of 2024	13.7%

The Class of 2026 is clearly an outlier, with that acceptance rate being about 5% higher than all the other years. This may not be because Harvey Mudd accepted a higher number of students that year, but rather, because that year saw the lowest number of applicants for them in the past five years: 3,397 total. 

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with Harvey Mudd Candidacy

For students particularly passionate about engineering or STEM careers, Harvey Mudd may be a great choice to add to the college list. But what are your student’s chances of getting admitted, and how do they stack up against the other top engineering programs for undergraduates?

GPA is, after all, only a small piece in the college admissions puzzle. There are many other factors that admissions officers consider when looking over a student’s application for the requisite 7 or 8 minutes they spend on each one.

If you’re thinking, “Wow, that really doesn’t sound like a lot of time,” you’d be right. That’s why it’s especially crucial to wow admissions officers right off the bat, from that very first sentence. Don’t enable them to put your student into a box because all they have on their application are the three most common high school extracurriculars and a lack of consistency in the key courses college admissions officers are specifically looking for during their review process.

Curious to learn what those courses are, and other mistakes that students make as they go through the college admissions process? Fill out our complimentary consultation form to set up a call with us and learn more about Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session, where our former elite university admissions officers can provide a roadmap to smoothly guide your student through optimizing their case for admission to the best school possible.