For Counselors

As counselors, mentors and advisors, you play an important role in the college admission process for the students you serve. At CMC, we value the relationships we build with you as well as with your schools and organizations. We greatly appreciate the valuable assistance you provide us as we recruit and evaluate applicants.

This webpage will keep you up to date on our counselor programs, admission policies, and news about the college. Check out our publications here!

Counselor Events

CMC admission officers are hosting virtual events for counselors throughout the fall. Check out our events to register. We look forward to connecting with you soon!

Who We Are

Claremont McKenna College educates students for thoughtful and productive lives and responsible leadership in business, government, and the professions. CMC attracts students who approach education pragmatically and who intend to make a difference in the world. It is a place where the world of ideas and events work together as one, as opposed to being polarized and isolated concepts and experiences. Graduates leave CMC well-prepared for the challenges of the 21st century.

• Enrollment Statistics
• CMC Factbook
• ​CMC Student Outcomes - Learn more about the post-graduate plans of CMC students!
• Get to know CMC's 11 Research Institutes and Centers. Our institutes and centers provide students with graduate-level research opportunities in conjunction with distinguished faculty.
• Athenaeum - The Athenaeum speaker series hosts prominent leaders from all over the world and from a variety of professions four nights a week throughout the academic year. This program highlights CMC’s dedication to creating an environment that values diverse perspectives and fosters the free exchange of ideas.

CMC Updates

​Fall Preview Program

During the fall, Claremont McKenna College will host a fly-in program for students from historically underrepresented communities - first-generation American, first-generation to college, students of color, low-income students, and students from rural communities - who demonstrate strong academic excellence and genuine interest in exploring all that CMC has to offer. This program is open for domestic high school students based in the United States who will be applying for fall admission. Prospective applicants get an inside look into the life of a "CMCer" and can expect the following learning outcomes:

• Discover CMC: The opportunity to explore the academic and co-curricular opportunities offered at CMC through workshops with students, alumni, faculty, and staff.
• College preparation: Providing information, tools, and assistance navigating the college application process.

You can find the application and more information regarding the program here. Please share this information with students interested in learning more about CMC. If you have any questions please reach out to the Preview Program team at preview@cmc.edu or 909.621.8088.

Test-Optional Admission Policy

CMC’s interim test optional policy is extended to applicants applying for the Fall 2025 entry term. This policy permits students to choose whether to submit SAT or ACT results for admission consideration as part of their academic record. Students will not be asked to disclose why they are not submitting scores and will not be disadvantaged in our process if they do not submit scores.

• For applicants using the Common Application, the test-optional question will appear in the CMC Questions section of the application.
• For applicants using the Coalition Application, the test-optional question will appear in the Application Questions section.
• For applicants using the QuestBridge Application, the test-optional question will be in the CMC-specific form available in the applicant portal after submitting the application.
• Some international applicants may still be required to submit English proficiency test scores. Please review the Application Instructions for International First-Year Applicants for more information about English proficiency requirements.

CMS Athletics

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) Athletics is a member of the NCAA Division III, the largest division of the NCAA with 430 members. CMS is also a member of the SCIAC, the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Claremont McKenna has top facilities including Roberts Pavilion, a campus jewel with state-of-the-art workout areas like the Nakasone Family Fitness Center.

• Top 10 Division III athletics program  
• 360+ total conference championships
• 10 national championships in six different sports
• 33 SCIAC All-Sports trophy wins, best in the league
• 300+ SCIAC All-Academic selections 

CMS information for prospective student-athletes is available at cmsathletics.org/recruiting/index.

CMC Resources

Charged with seeing the campus through the eyes of the student, The Soll Center for Student Opportunity assists students in exploring, cultivating, and articulating their skills, interests, and talents into real-world opportunities. Partnering with the multiple constituencies that advise, mentor, and guide our students, including faculty, staff, alumni, and parents, the Center aims to empower students to formulate individual goals and strategies for achieving them through the use of resources, thoughtful exploration, and early engagement in personal and professional development. The Center is home to three important resources:

• Career Services – The Career Services team is organized into eight "interest clusters" to help CMC students explore the many options available to them: Accounting & Financial Services; Consulting; Creative & Entertainment; Government, Law & Public Policy; Medicine, Healthcare & Biotech; Non-Profit & Education; Science & Environment; and Technology & Entrepreneurship. The team offers many services to help students learn about themselves, explore areas of professional interest, and create and implement a customized action plan. Career Services also guide students in how to: network and connect with students, alumni, faculty, parents, and employers; develop best-practice resumes and cover letters; explore what experiences and internships are best suited to their interests; and prepare for life after college including graduate school.
• Scholar Communities – The Scholar Communities Program is comprised of several individual experiential learning communities created to support students in a variety of disciplines and fields. Each Scholar Community provides powerful benefits to enrolled recipients from merit-based scholarships, need-based scholarships, designated funding for summer internships, research, service or academic travel, and faculty or staff mentorship.
• Sponsored Internships and Experiences – The Sponsored Internships and Experiences Program offers quality student summer experiences and internships across a variety of industries and locations. This past summer, 464 students benefited from roughly $2 million of financial assistance to help fund a unique set of international and domestic student experiences.
• The CARE Center (Civility, Access, Resources, and Expression) seeks to proactively engage and educate the CMC community through respectful and civil communication. It has a dual goal of providing a place for civil dialogue and expression while also providing resources to support inclusion and remove institutional barriers to student success. The Center's four core principles provide the foundation for all its activities: openness to all, intellectual pluralism, evidence-based decision making, and student-centeredness. The CARE Center provides students with counseling, advocacy, and advising in a supportive environment. In addition, the Center's Director and sixteen CARE Student Fellows, the Center hosts sessions on a variety of topics, such as academic advising, mental health, and financial aid. Collaboration with various resources across the Claremont Consortium ensures full access to CMC students.
• Financial Aid
  • Establishing the Kravis Opportunity Fund which provides students already receiving financial aid extra funding resources for summer internships and experiences.
  • Maintaining its commitment to meet 100 percent of a student’s demonstrated financial need, through generous financial aid packages often supported by the generosity of alumni, parents, and friends of the College.