Claremont McKenna Requirements for Admission

What are Claremont McKenna's admission requirements? While there are a lot of pieces that go into a college application, you should focus on only a few critical things:

  • GPA requirements
  • Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
  • Application requirements

In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into Claremont McKenna and build a strong application.

School location: Claremont, CA

This school is also known as: Claremont McKenna College, CMC


Admissions Rate: 11.1%

If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are.

The acceptance rate at Claremont McKenna is 11.1%. For every 100 applicants, only 11 are admitted.

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This means the school is extremely selective. Meeting their GPA requirements and SAT/ACT requirements is very important to getting past their first round of filters and proving your academic preparation. If you don't meet their expectations, your chance of getting in is nearly zero.

After crossing this hurdle, you'll need to impress Claremont McKenna application readers through their other application requirements, including extracurriculars, essays, and letters of recommendation. We'll cover more below.


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Claremont McKenna GPA Requirements

Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.

The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school's average GPA for its current students.

Average GPA: 4.09

The average GPA at Claremont McKenna is 4.09.

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(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA. This school did not officially report its average GPA, but we've estimated it here using data from over 1,000 schools.)

With a GPA of 4.09, Claremont McKenna requires you to be at the top of your class. You'll need nearly straight A's in all your classes to compete with other applicants. Furthermore, you should be taking hard classes - AP or IB courses - to show that college-level academics is a breeze.

If you're currently a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change in time for college applications. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 4.09, you'll need a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate. This will help you compete effectively against other applicants who have higher GPAs than you.


SAT and ACT Requirements

Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Only a few schools require the SAT or ACT, but many consider your scores if you choose to submit them.

Claremont McKenna hasn't explicitly named a policy on SAT/ACT requirements, but because it's published average SAT or ACT scores (we'll cover this next), it's likely test flexible. Typically, these schools say, "if you feel your SAT or ACT score represents you well as a student, submit them. Otherwise, don't."

Despite this policy, the truth is that most students still take the SAT or ACT, and most applicants to Claremont McKenna will submit their scores. If you don't submit scores, you'll have one fewer dimension to show that you're worthy of being admitted, compared to other students. We therefore recommend that you consider taking the SAT or ACT, and doing well.

Claremont McKenna SAT Requirements

Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school's average score.

Average SAT: 1490

The average SAT score composite at Claremont McKenna is a 1490 on the 1600 SAT scale.

This score makes Claremont McKenna Strongly Competitive for SAT test scores.

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Claremont McKenna SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)

The 25th percentile SAT score is 1470, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1530. In other words, a 1470 on the SAT places you below average, while a 1530 will move you up to above average.

Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:

SectionAverage25th Percentile75th Percentile
Math760740790
Reading + Writing730710770
Composite149014701530

SAT Score Choice Policy

The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.

Claremont McKenna has the Score Choice policy of "Highest Section."

This is also known as "superscoring." This means that you can choose which SAT tests you want to send to the school. Of all the scores they receive, your application readers will consider your highest section scores across all SAT test dates you submit.

Click below to learn more about how superscoring critically affects your test strategy.

How does superscoring change your test strategy? (Click to Learn)

For example, say you submit the following 3 test scores:

Section R+W Math Composite
Test 1 700 300 1000
Test 2 300 700 1000
Test 3 300 300 600
Superscore 700 700 1400

Even though the highest total you scored on any one test date was 1000, Claremont McKenna will take your highest section score from all your test dates, then combine them to form your Superscore. You can raise your composite score from 1000 to 1400 in this example.

This is important for your testing strategy. Because you can choose which tests to send in, and Claremont McKenna forms your Superscore, you can take the SAT as many times as you want, then submit only the tests that give you the highest Superscore. Your application readers will only see that one score.

Therefore, if your SAT superscore is currently below a 1530, we strongly recommend that you consider prepping for the SAT and retaking it. You have a very good chance of raising your score, which will significantly boost your chances of getting in.

Even better, because of the Superscore, you can focus all your energy on a single section at a time. If your Reading score is lower than your other sections, prep only for the Reading section, then take the SAT. Then focus on Math for the next test, and so on. This will give you the highest Superscore possible.


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Claremont McKenna ACT Requirements

Just like for the SAT, Claremont McKenna likely doesn't have a hard ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get tossed in the trash.

Average ACT: 34

The average ACT score at Claremont McKenna is 34. This score makes Claremont McKenna Extremely Competitive for ACT scores.

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The 25th percentile ACT score is 33, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 35.

Even though Claremont McKenna likely says they have no minimum ACT requirement, if you apply with a 33 or below, you'll have a very hard time getting in, unless you have something else very impressive in your application. There are so many applicants scoring 34 and above that a 33 will look academically weak.

ACT Score Sending Policy

If you're taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.

Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.

This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school's ACT requirement of 35 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. When you have the final score that you're happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.

ACT Superscore Policy

By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.

We weren't able to find the school's exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore. Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send in to Claremont McKenna, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 35.


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SAT/ACT Writing Section Requirements

Currently, only the ACT has an optional essay section that all students can take. The SAT used to also have an optional Essay section, but since June 2021, this has been discontinued unless you are taking the test as part of school-day testing in a few states. Because of this, no school requires the SAT Essay or ACT Writing section, but some schools do recommend certain students submit their results if they have them.

Claremont McKenna considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration. You don't need to worry too much about Writing for this school, but other schools you're applying to may require or recommend it.



Final Admissions Verdict

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Because this school is extremely selective, getting a high SAT/ACT score and GPA is vital to having a chance at getting in. If you don't pass their SAT/ACT and GPA requirements, they'll likely reject you without much consideration.

To have the best shot of getting in, you should aim for the 75th percentile, with a 1530 SAT or a 35 ACT. You should also have a 4.09 GPA or higher. If your GPA is lower than this, you need to compensate with a higher SAT/ACT score.

For a school as selective as Claremont McKenna, you'll also need to impress them with the rest of your application. We'll cover those details next.

But if you apply with a score below a 1530 SAT or a 35 ACT, you unfortunately start out with the odds against you and have a tiny chance of getting in. There are just too many students with high SAT/ACT scores and strong applications, and you need to compete against them.


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We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.

Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.


Admissions Calculator

What are your chances of admission at Claremont McKenna College?
Chances of admission with these scores:

Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are.

Pick your test: SAT ACT

SAT Score
Your GPA

Note: Your admission decision relies not only on your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but also on your coursework difficulty, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. This tool provides only a simplistic estimate of your chances of admission. Instead of treating this tool as a crystal ball, we recommend you consider the big picture of what your chance means:
  • 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
  • 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
  • 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
  • 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
  • 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in
We recommend you apply to schools across a range of chances. Applying to some safety schools will guarantee you have a college to go to, while applying to some reach schools will give you a shot at getting into the school at the top of your range.

How would your chances improve with a better score?

Take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?

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Application Requirements

Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of Claremont McKenna here.

Application Requirements Overview

  • Common Application Accepted
  • Electronic Application Available
  • Essay or Personal Statement Required for all freshmen
  • Letters of Recommendation 2
  • Interview Not required
  • Application Fee $70
  • Fee Waiver Available? Available
  • Other Notes

Testing Requirements

  • SAT or ACT Considered if submitted
  • Scores Due in Office February 1

Coursework Requirements

  • Subject Required Years
  • English 4
  • Math 3
  • Science 2
  • Foreign Language 3
  • Social Studies 1
  • History 1
  • Electives

Deadlines and Early Admissions

  •  
    • Offered? Deadline Notification
  • Regular Admission
    • Yes January 10 April 1
  • Early Action
    • No
  • Early Decision
    • Yes November 1 December 15

Admissions Office Information


Other Schools For You

If you're interested in Claremont McKenna, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to Claremont McKenna.


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Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are have higher average SAT scores than Claremont McKenna. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Harvard University Cambridge, MA 1550 35
University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 1540 35
Brown University Providence, RI 1540 35
Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA 1540 35
Yale University New Haven, CT 1540 34
University of Chicago Chicago, IL 1540 35
Rice University Houston, TX 1530 35

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Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

If you're competitive for Claremont McKenna, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 1510 32
Tufts University Medford, MA 1500 34
Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 1500 34
Northeastern University Boston, MA 1500 34
Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA 1485 34
Emory University Atlanta, GA 1484 33
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 1470 33

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Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

If you're currently competitive for Claremont McKenna, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If Claremont McKenna is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Villanova University Villanova, PA 1440 33
Binghamton University Binghamton, NY 1430 31
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY 1428 32
Boston University Boston, MA 1418 32
University of Washington Seattle, WA 1410 32
Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY 1396 31
University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 1355 29

Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2024 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.


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Want to build the best possible college application?

We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League.

We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.

Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.


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