Claremont McKenna College: A Comprehensive Look at Student Demographics
Claremont McKenna College (CMC) stands out as a highly selective, independent, coeducational, residential, undergraduate liberal arts college. Located 30 miles east of Los Angeles in Claremont, California, CMC is a member of The Claremont Colleges, a seven-college consortium modeled after Oxford University. This unique structure allows students to access the resources of a large university-over 2,200 classes and activities-while maintaining close relationships with faculty in a small college setting. CMC's curricular emphasis is on the social sciences, particularly economics, government, international relations, and psychology. Experiential learning is a keystone of the curriculum, and more than 90 percent of students complete internships.
A Close-Knit Community Within a Consortium
CMC offers a "very challenging but rewarding" liberal arts education to a focused group of about 1,400 students. Students can take classes at any of the member colleges, and the colleges share libraries, student health, a bookstore, athletic facilities, and various student services. This gives CMC students the best of both worlds: the intimacy of a small residential college with small classes and a student-faculty ratio of 8:1, and the shared resources of a larger research university.
The Claremont Colleges consortium covers one square mile and includes Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, Pomona College, Scripps College, Claremont Graduate University, and Keck Graduate Institute. Approximately 8,300 students and 3,750 faculty and staff are part of this vibrant academic community. A remarkable 99% of CMC students cross-register at another Claremont College, further enriching their academic experience.
Student Life and Campus Culture
Student life centers on campus, with 96% of students living on campus; four years of housing is guaranteed. Claremont's dorms are divided into three regions: North Quad, Mid Quad, and South Quad. All dorm rooms are attended to by housekeeping staff every week. The Associated Students of Claremont McKenna College (ASCMC) is the official student government of Claremont McKenna College. CMC has numerous identity-based clubs and organizations, including 1 Gen, for first generation college students), Asian Pacific American Mentors, Black Student Associations, ¡Mi Gente!
CMC is known for its active party scene and relatively lenient alcohol policy. The college's social scene draws students from the other schools in the consortium and is enjoyed by many.
Read also: Exploring Claremont McKenna
The Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum
The Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum annually hosts more than 100 dinner and lecture events with speakers from a range of disciplines and ideological perspectives, serving as the college's central intellectual and social hub. The Athenaeum hosts speakers four nights a week and serves daily afternoon tea in its library, featuring chocolate-covered strawberries and pastries. Afternoon tea is free to students, faculty, and staff.
Academic Programs and Opportunities
CMC offers 33 on-campus majors, the most popular of which are economics, government, psychology, economics-accounting, and international relations. CMC students may also major in subjects not offered at CMC if another college in the consortium has such a major, such as computer science, which is offered by both Harvey Mudd College and Pomona College. All students must complete a senior thesis, which can be either one-semester in length or, to receive departmental honors, two semesters.
CMC also offers an Oxford-style tutorial Philosophy, Politics, and Economics major with two separate tracks of 14 students each. Other multidisciplinary majors include management engineering, philosophy and public affairs, science and management, econ-accounting, biology-chemistry, and environment, economics, and politics (EEP). CMC also offers the Robert A.
Many CMC students study abroad or participate in one of two domestic programs, one in Washington, D.C., and one in Silicon Valley. CMC sponsors 12 on-campus research institutes and centers. They seek to produce new research and publications while involving undergraduate students in rigorous academic work.
Demographics: A Closer Look
As of fall 2019, student enrollment consisted of 1,335 degree-seeking undergraduate students. In 2023, the enrolled student population at Claremont McKenna College is 36.6% White, 15.6% Asian, 15.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.16% Two or More Races, 5.06% Black or African American, and 0.145% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.
Read also: Exploring Claremont McKenna
Socioeconomic Diversity
CMC students' median family income was $201,300, the second-highest in California, with 58% of students coming from the top 10% highest-earning families and 15% from the bottom 60%. 21% of students were first-generation.
Geographic Diversity
Claremont McKenna ranks 233 out of 2,183 when it comes to geographic diversity. 54.55% of Claremont McKenna students come from out of state, and 17.76% come from out of the country. The undergraduate student body is split among 30 states.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Admission to the College is need-blind and emphasizes the demonstration of leadership accomplishments. CMC admits students on a need-blind basis and guarantees to meet all its students' financial needs as determined by the FAFSA and the College Board's CSS Profile. For the 2016-2017 year, CMC awarded $27,021,024 in financial aid.
In 2023, Claremont McKenna College received 5,799 undergraduate applications, with an acceptance rate of 11.1%.
Career Services and Opportunities
Undergrads at Claremont McKenna love to shower the “AMAZING career services center” with praise, and it’s no secret why: the Soll Center for Student Opportunity is with students every step of the way, from initial career exploration to landing that first job offer. The Center organizes its planning around interest clusters rather than majors, so students have the opportunity to explore resources that are adjacent to their focus and receive guidance from an expert career coach familiar with the cluster. Through their alumni career contacts database, the office also makes it simple for current students to connect with alums working in industries of interest. Beyond great support, CMC students benefit from many handsome opportunities: the Sponsored Internships & Experiences program provides funding for both domestic and international experiences, including summer research and writing fellowships. And funding is also available to help subsidize career development opportunities (such as conferences or fieldwork) throughout the academic year.
Read also: Navigating Student Health
Costs and Financial Aid
Tuition for the 2018-19 school year was $54,160 ($27,080 per semester) for a full-time student, and room and board on average $15,930 ($7,965 per semester for double room and 12 meals per week), for a total annual cost of attendance of $70,212.50 with other expected costs included. In 2023, the median undergraduate tuition at Claremont McKenna College is $63,800. After taking grants and loans into account, the average net price for students is $29,978. In 2023, 50% of undergraduate students attending Claremont McKenna College received financial aid through grants. Comparatively, 19% of undergraduate students received financial aid through loans.
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