Claremont McKenna College

Admission at Claremont McKenna College

Claremont McKenna College admits about 10% of applicants, which makes it highly selective. Admission is holistic: four years of transcript and course rigor first, then essays and activities, then recommendations and test scores. At this admit rate a strong profile is a reach for everyone; the essays and the activities list are where the decision is made.

GCC applicants: international curricula (IB, American Diploma with APs, A-levels) are read in their own terms. English proficiency tests are usually waived for English-medium schools; check the university's waiver rule. Saudi students on a Ministry scholarship should confirm the programme is on the approved list before applying Early Decision.

Claremont McKenna College supplemental essays, 2026-27

1. Why CMC?250 words

   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.

2. Open Academy dialogue essay250 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?

3. Video: responsible leadership (optional)

   An important part of Claremont McKenna College's mission is preparing students for responsible leadership. How do you define 'responsible leadership,' and how have you demonstrated responsible leadership in your family, community, or school?

4. Video: public policy issue (optional)

   At CMC, we promote the understanding of public policy issues as it makes our students and alumni more effective leaders in their respective career fields. What is a public policy issue (whether locally, nationally, or globally) that you feel passionately about, and how do you hope to address it either in the present or the future? How can CMC assist you with addressing the issue?

5. Video: Athenaeum speaker (optional)

   The Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum is the heart of intellectual and social engagement at Claremont McKenna College, bringing students, faculty, and staff closer together through active discussion on a daily basis. If you could invite someone to speak at the Athenaeum, who would they be, what questions would you ask them, or what topic would you want to discuss with them at the Athenaeum dinner?

6. Video: challenging collaboration (optional)

   Collaboration involves working with people towards a common goal or project. It is a challenging skill that develops with time and experience. We want to learn more about the challenges you have encountered with collaboration. Tell us about when a collaborative effort you were involved in was challenging or even failed. What did your experience teach you about collaboration, and share how it has informed your leadership style?

Every US applicant also writes the Common App personal statement: 650 words, seven prompts. Admitify's coach reads drafts line by line and never writes for the student.

Strong for

Economics · Politics / IR · Business