Admit rate has ranged 10%–18% over the last 5 years. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Harvey Mudd College is a tiny, hyper-selective STEM powerhouse where brilliant oddballs thrive. With a curriculum that fuses rigorous engineering and science with humanities, a fiercely collaborative culture, and graduates who command Silicon Valley salaries, it's the nerd's nirvana—if you can get in.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
High school transcript
Letters of recommendation
College-prep program
TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
Grade point average
Class rank
Test scores (SAT/ACT)
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
921
In-state tuition
$68,613
Out-of-state tuition
$68,613
Location
Claremont, CA
Top Majors
Engineering (28%), Math & CS (24%), CS (17%)
Average Grant
$29,814
Acceptance Rate
12.33%
Graduation Rate
94%
Early Career Salary
$87,000
Students Receiving Aid
70%
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$138,687
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
3.9×
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Graduation rate
92%
First-year retention
96%
Pell (lower-income) share
28%
Endowment / student
$493,539
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
Financial health
3.0 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Computer Science$142,581
Mathematics and Computer Science$122,038
Engineering, General$81,997
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
1
Per 1,000 students
1.09
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
176
Summer high
89°F
Winter low
46°F
Annual rain
33.3"
Annual snow
3.5"
Natural-hazard risk
Very High
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
152
Scholarly works
4,589
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Future-scholar output
Science & engineering PhDsper-capita yield 28.7
Share of this school’s graduates who go on to earn research doctorates (2010–20), by national rank and per-capita yield (NSF institutional-yield ratio). A signal of a research-oriented student culture — not a causal promise, since it partly reflects who enrolls. Only top producers appear. Source: NSF NCSES, Baccalaureate Origins of U.S. Research Doctorate Recipients.
Economic mobility
Mobility rate
2.9%
Bottom → top quintile
74%
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at Harvey Mudd College?
Harvey Mudd College's acceptance rate is approximately 13% (Claremont, CA), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
What SAT score do you need for Harvey Mudd College?
Admitted students at Harvey Mudd College typically score 1500–1570 on the SAT (the middle-50% range). Scores outside this band are still admitted, especially with strong applications.
How much does Harvey Mudd College cost?
At Harvey Mudd College, the average net price (after aid) is about $35,924 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend Harvey Mudd College?
Harvey Mudd College enrolls approximately 921 undergraduate students.
Where is Harvey Mudd College located?
Harvey Mudd College is located in Claremont, CA.
Admissions
Getting into Harvey Mudd is like solving an advanced physics problem—possible, but only for the most prepared. The college admitted just 12.33% of applicants in the most recent cycle, with 5,217 applications for roughly 643 spots. Middle 50% SAT scores range from 1500–1560, and ACT scores cluster between 34–36. Notably, HMC is Test-optionalA policy where you choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores. If you don't, the rest of your application carries more weight., but those who submit scores are in the 99th percentile. The enrolled student body reflects this selectivity: 34% of admitted students choose to attend, suggesting those who get in often have multiple elite options.
Harvey Mudd’s academic program is a cross-disciplinary gauntlet designed to produce scientists who can think like philosophers and engineers who code like pros. The top majors are:
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Engineering (28%)
Mathematics & Computer Science (24%)
Computer Science (17%)
Physics (14%)
Every student completes the Common Core, which includes humanities and social sciences—unusual for a STEM school. The curriculum’s signature blend means graduates emerge as ‘unicorns’ in tech: engineers who write well, programmers who understand ethics, and researchers who collaborate across fields. As one Quora user put it: ‘You want to get a great education in the sciences and some humanities? This is the place.’
Imagine a sleepaway camp for overachieving nerds, and you’ve got Harvey Mudd. With no Greek life, the dorms become the social hubs, hosting everything from ‘Ditch Day’ puzzle wars to midnight coding sessions. The vibe is intense but supportive: ‘Everybody helps everybody with their work,’ notes a Reddit user. Students bond over shared suffering (see: the infamous ‘Clinic Program’, where teams solve real-world industry problems) and trips to LA for concerts or beach escapes. Almost everyone lives on campus, creating a tight-knit, slightly chaotic community where you’re as likely to debate Kant at 2 AM as debug a robot.
Harvey Mudd’s outcomes read like a Silicon Valley recruiter’s wishlist. A staggering 94% graduation rate sets the stage for median early-career salaries of $87,000, soaring to $115,107 within six years. The college’s tiny size (just 219 degrees awarded in 2024) means its alumni network is elite but tight—think FAANG engineers, SpaceX researchers, and startup founders. Notably, graduates earn $27,000 more than peers from similar institutions, a testament to HMC’s reputation for producing adaptable problem-solvers.
At $60,616 per year (after average aid), Harvey Mudd isn’t cheap—but 70% of students receive financial aid, with an average grant of $29,814. The college meets 100% of demonstrated need, blending grants, scholarships, and work-study. For middle-class families, the Net priceWhat a family actually pays after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the sticker price — usually far less than the published cost. often drops dramatically: one calculator showed a $40,074 annual cost for recipients. Still, 41% take out loans, a reminder that even with generosity, this education requires investment.
Harvey Mudd is the anti-stereotype STEM school: a place where future engineers read poetry, computer scientists debate ethics, and everyone survives on a mix of caffeine and camaraderie. Its magic lies in scale and culture—small enough that every student gets attention, yet rigorous enough to push them to extremes. The result? Graduates who don’t just build tech but reimagine it, armed with both technical chops and humanistic depth. As one alum put it: ‘At Mudd, you learn to solve problems no one has seen before.’ That’s why tech giants and grad schools fight for Mudders—and why getting in remains one of academia’s hardest puzzles.
Harvey Mudd College logo · sourceVisit Campus | About | Harvey Mudd College · sourceFramed: Why is Harvey Mudd College's campus so brutal? - The Student Life · sourceVisiting Harvey Mudd College | Admission and Financial Aid | Harvey Mudd College · source
