Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, California · Website
$104,736
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$104,736
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Claremont McKenna College is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Claremont, California with 1,388 undergraduates and 3 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $28,849 a year (tuition and fees $67,980). It admits 9.6% of applicants and 91% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $104,736 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $13,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$28,849
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$67,980
US median $11,837
Admission rate
9.6%
US median 78%
Completion rate
91%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$13,500
About $143 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$104,736
Rank 31 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $28,849
- Tuition and fees
- $67,980
- Cost of attendance
- $86,500
- Students with a need-based grant
- 18%
- Students with federal loans
- 21%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $15,308
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $7,360
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $16,389
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $19,325
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $52,295
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $49,045 in 2015-16 to $67,980 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 9.6%
- Average SAT
- 1,527
- SAT reading, middle
- 725
- SAT math, middle
- 750
- ACT, middle
- 34
- Undergraduates
- 1,388
- Graduate students
- 3
- Part-time students
- 0.5%
- Women
- 50%
- Students per teacher
- 8
- Completion rate
- 91%
- Retention rate
- 98%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 46
- Endowment
- $1.3B
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 31 of 5,094 US colleges and 10 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $28,849 | $20,161 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $67,980 | $8,086 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 9.6% | 76% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 91% | 64% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 98% | 80% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $13,500 | $11,537 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $87,603 | $36,048 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $104,736 | $41,472 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 88% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
46 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 124 | $12,000 | $89,505 | $146,524 | $82,686 |
| Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 35 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,695 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 34 | Withheld | $42,552 | $73,826 | $63,293 |
| Systems Science and TheoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $88,036 |
| International Relations and National Security StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 28 | Withheld | Withheld | $96,520 | $66,596 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,693 |
| PhilosophyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,680 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,012 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $56,359 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesMaster's | Master's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $110,694 |
| Neurobiology and NeurosciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $62,451 |
| Public Policy AnalysisBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $73,721 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $76,194 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Area StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $56,625 |
| Engineering, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $93,989 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $107,009 |
| PhysicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $76,786 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,466 |
| Human BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $64,732 |
| Religion/Religious StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Claremont and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does Claremont McKenna College cost?
$28,849 a year is the average net price at Claremont McKenna College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $67,980, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $86,500. Families earning under $30,000 pay $15,308 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Claremont McKenna College?
9.6% of applicants are admitted to Claremont McKenna College. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,527 and the middle ACT score is 34. The median admission rate of colleges in California is 76%.
How much do Claremont McKenna College graduates earn?
$104,736 a year is the median pay of former Claremont McKenna College students who work, 10 years after they started ($87,603 after 6 years). That ranks 31 of 5,094 US colleges and 10 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Economics (Bachelor's) at $89,505.
How much student debt do Claremont McKenna College graduates have?
$13,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Claremont McKenna College graduates, about $143 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 21% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Claremont McKenna College?
91% of first-time, full-time students at Claremont McKenna College finish within 6 years. 98% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Claremont McKenna College?
Economics (124 bachelor's graduates), Research and Experimental Psychology (35 bachelor's graduates), Political Science and Government (34 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 46 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.