If you’re reading this, you’re likely wondering if your child has the chops to get into Claremont McKenna College. We don’t blame you: Claremont McKenna is ranked #7 among liberal arts colleges by US News & World Report, and it’s ranked ranked #6 overall by The Wall Street Journal. Before we answer all your admissions questions, let’s learn why this small school packs such a punch. 

About Claremont McKenna College 

Claremont McKenna is located in Claremont, a suburb of Los Angeles, and is part of the Seven College Consortium. The 7 Cs consist of five undergraduate schools (Pitzer College, Pomona College, Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, Scripps College) and two graduate schools (Claremont Graduate University and the Keck Graduate Institute). Students at Claremont get to cross-register with all these other schools. 

Claremont McKenna has only 1,3700 undergraduate students. It has a strong pipeline to finance and consulting and, though it’s a liberal arts college with a strong academic culture, it’s not lacking for professionalization experiences, with 92% of students partaking in internships during their time at Claremont. 

Claremont McKenna has an acceptance rate of 9.6%. That means getting in will require strategic planning (and the help of Ivy Coach’s college admissions experts certainly wouldn’t hurt!). 

Claremont McKenna Admissions Requirements

Obviously, GPA, standardized testing scores, and extracurricular achievements are the key components of a successful application to Claremont McKenna College and to any school. That being said, what do these components actually look like for Claremont McKenna College admits? Without further ado, let’s dive in!

What Kind of GPA Is Necessary To Get Into Claremont McKenna?

The following is the class rank breakdown of Claremont McKenna’s Class of 2028 members, as reported in Claremont McKenna’s 2024-25 Common Data Set. Unfortunately, Claremont McKenna hasn’t reported any GPA data for recently admitted cohorts (they attribute this to the lack of standardization of GPA scales at schools across the country and point out that many CMC applicants apply from international schools where GPA is not computed), so the class rank data below is the closest to gauging the GPA requirements for admission in Claremont McKenna’s competitive admissions process.

Assessment	Percent
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	75%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	91%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	100%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	0%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	16.62%

What Kind of SAT or ACT Scores Are Needed To Get Into Claremont McKenna?

The average SAT score for the Claremont McKenna Class of 2028 was a 1520 and the average ACT score was a 34. Those are some mighty high scores! Though Claremont is test-optional and only 39% of applicants submitted scores, we at Ivy Coach believe that test-optional policies are nothing more than a happy-go-lucky fable. If you want in at Claremont McKenna, definitely nail those tests and submit those scores! 

What Classes Do Students Need to Take to Get Into Claremont McKenna?

Claremont McKenna lists the following as their minimum academic preparation to be required for admission: 

• Four years of English
• Three (preferably four) years of mathematics at least through precalculus (Calculus is recommended)
• At least three years of a foreign language (this can be three total years or up to the third level)
• At least one year of history
• At least two years of science

Of course, we would never recommend merely one or two years of preparation in any subject. We at Ivy Coach know that highly selective colleges like Claremont want to see students excelling in each core subject (English, history, math, science, and foreign language) all four years of high school. In fact, they expect to see five years for foreign language since most students begin their first level of foreign language in eighth grade.

What Kinds of Extracurriculars Does Claremont McKenna College Like To See?

We’re going to clear up a common misunderstanding: highly selective colleges are not looking for well-rounded students. They’re looking for a well-rounded student body comprised of students who are each singularly talented. 

In terms of extracurriculars, that means Claremont McKenna College is looking for depth over breadth. If you’re a member of the debate team, the robotics team, the field hockey team, and the drama department…well, then, you’re merely a member of those groups. You don’t stand out in any of these pursuits. Claremont McKenna College would much rather accept a nationally ranked debate champ than a kid who spent an hour or two on debate a week because he spent the rest forgetting Shakespeare lines and fumbling the ball in football practice. 

Claremont McKenna College Application Requirements

Claremont McKenna accepts the Common App or the Coalition App. They ask for one guidance counselor recommendation and one teacher recommendation. Finally, they ask applicants to respond to the two following supplemental questions: 

• CMC’s mission is to prepare students for thoughtful and productive lives and responsible leadership in business, government, and the professions. With this mission in mind, please explain why you want to attend Claremont McKenna College. (250 words)
• A critical part of fulfilling our mission is living out the commitments of CMC’s Open Academy: Freedom of Expression, Viewpoint Diversity, and Constructive Dialogue. We want to learn more about your commitment to listening and learning from others with different viewpoints, perspectives, and life experiences from your own. Describe a time when engaging with someone about a specific topic resulted in you changing your attitude, belief, or behavior, or you changed the belief or behavior of someone else. What was the change that occurred for you, and what facilitated that change? What did you learn from that experience, and how has it informed how you engage with others? (250 words)

Who Should Students Ask For Letters of Recommendation For Claremont McKenna? 

CMC applicants should ask a junior year teachers in a core subject. Obviously, the applicant should have a good relationship with the teacher or at least have performed well in their class. In addition, the recommender’s subject area should be related to the student’s hook: if a student’s singular hook is studying fruit fly DNA, it wouldn’t make sense if their recommender were their History or English teacher. 

Does Claremont McKenna Require An Interview? 

Claremont McKenna requires thirty-minute virtual interviews that are conducted either by admissions staff or Claremont seniors. 

What Are Claremont McKenna College’s Application Deadlines? 

Early Decision I applications to Claremont are due Nov. 1. Early Decision II  and Regular Decision applications are due Jan. 10. 

How Ivy Coach Helps Students Get Into Claremont McKenna  

If you’re interested in discerning if your child has a shot of getting into Claremont McKenna College, we recommend setting up Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session. Not only will you find out if your child has a chance of getting into Claremont McKenna College, but you’ll receive a game plan of how your child can optimize their admission to the best school possible.