Claremont McKenna College
Claremont McKenna College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Claremont McKenna College Featured Rankings
- #5 Small Colleges in California
- #6 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Psychology Majors
- #8 Communications Liberal Arts Colleges
- #8 Business Liberal Arts Colleges
- #10 Liberal Arts Colleges in California 2026
- #10 History Liberal Arts Colleges
- #13 Economics Colleges and Universities
- #14 Private Colleges in California
- #15 Communications Colleges and Universities
- #19 Engineering Liberal Arts Colleges
- #19 Earth Sciences Liberal Arts Colleges
- #21 Religious Studies Liberal Arts Colleges
- #22 Math Liberal Arts Colleges
- #23 Physics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #24 Political Science Liberal Arts Colleges
- #24 English Liberal Arts Colleges
- #24 Chemistry Liberal Arts Colleges
- #24 Philosophy Liberal Arts Colleges
- #24 Liberal Arts Colleges for Biology Degrees
- #25 Economics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #30 Best Colleges in California 2026
- #41 The Fastest Traditional MBA Degree Programs
- #43 Best Small Colleges 2026
- #45 Best Liberal Arts Colleges 2026
- #50 Best Undergrad Colleges 2026
- #50 Best Undergrad Private Colleges
About Claremont McKenna College
According to Wikipedia, Claremont McKenna College is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It has a curricular emphasis on government, economics, public affairs, finance, and international relations. CMC is a member of the Claremont Colleges consortium.
Claremont McKenna College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,799 | 10% | 98% | 90% | 1515 | 34 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Claremont McKenna College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $72,120 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $5,423 |
| 30K - 48K | $4,205 |
| 48K - 75K | $19,127 |
| 75K - 110K | $31,487 |
| 110K+ | $52,425 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Claremont McKenna College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Claremont McKenna College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $127,532 a year, and 97% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Claremont McKenna College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 1,419 | 1,416 | 3 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Claremont McKenna College?
Claremont McKenna College is located at 500 E 9th St, Claremont, CA 91711-6400.
How Safe is Claremont McKenna College?
Relative to its enrollment, Claremont McKenna College has a violent crime rate of 0.29% and a property crime rate of 1.15%. Claremont has a violent crime rate of 0.51% and a property crime rate of 1.94%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Claremont McKenna College Known For?
Claremont McKenna College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Economics
- Literature
- Political Science
- Business
- Philosophy
- Religious Studies
- Sociology
- Computer Science
- Psychology
- Mathematics
- Chemistry
- Law
- Earth Sciences
- History
- Engineering
- Biology
- Physics
- Communications
- Anthropology
Claremont McKenna College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Claremont McKenna College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Claremont McKenna College ranks #124 in the U.S. and #529 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #191 in the U.S. and #541 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #208 in the U.S. and #797 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #219 in the U.S. and #690 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #239 in the U.S. and #781 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #267 in the U.S. and #1137 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #267 in the U.S. and #963 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #278 in the U.S. and #1141 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #286 in the U.S. and #706 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #299 in the U.S. and #1172 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #317 in the U.S. and #1667 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #323 in the U.S. and #1102 worldwide for influence in Law.
Claremont McKenna College ranks #339 in the U.S. and #1438 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #349 in the U.S. and #983 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #390 in the U.S. and #2395 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #433 in the U.S. and #1818 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #447 in the U.S. and #2045 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #521 in the U.S. and #1897 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesClaremont McKenna College ranks #831 in the U.S. and #2544 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesWho Are Claremont McKenna College's Most Influential Alumni?
Claremont McKenna College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Economics, Literature, and Philosophy. Here are some of Claremont McKenna College's most famous alumni:
- Tibor Machan
- A Hungarian-American philosopher.
- Robin Williams
- An American actor and comedian .
- Craig A. Evans
- An American Bible scholar.
- Don Daglow
- An American computer game and video game designer, programmer and producer.
- Orley Ashenfelter
- An American economist.
- George S. Day
- An American marketing educator.
- Ronald J. Pestritto
- An American academic.
- Philip Clayton
- An American Christian philosopher.
- Thomas B. Coburn
- An American academic administrator.
- Patrick T. Riley
- An American political scientist .
- Gary S. Lawson
- An American lawyer and professor in Boston.
- Beck A. Taylor
- An American academic administrator.
Who Are Claremont McKenna College's Most Influential Faculty?
Claremont McKenna College's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Economics, Literature, and Philosophy. Here are some of Claremont McKenna College's most famous faculty:
