Spotlight on: Harvey Mudd College

Harvey Mudd College—the nation’s top ranked liberal arts college, according to Niche.com—was chartered in December 1955 and bills itself as the nation’s top liberal arts college of engineering, science and mathematics. Harvey Mudd opened its doors two years later in 1957. Its founders had a vision—to attract the nation’s brightest students and offer them a rigorous scientific and technological education coupled with a strong curricular emphasis in the humanities and social sciences. Graduates of Harvey Mudd earn PhD degrees in science and engineering at one of the highest rates in the nation.

Harvey Mudd had an enrollment of approximately 900 students for the 2024 - 2025 academic year. The student to faculty ratio at Harvey Mudd is 8:1. The most popular majors at Harvey Mudd are: Computer Science, Engineering, Computational and Applied Mathematics, Physics, Mathematics, and Bioinformatics. In addition to being ranked the 16th best college in the United States overall, Niche.com ranks Harvey Mudd as the seventh best school overall in the nation for Physics, 16th for Math, and 16th for Chemistry. Harvey Mudd students have a choice of approximately 14 possible majors.

According to its website, the founders of Harvey Mudd believed that integrating the humanities, social sciences and the arts into a rigorous and cross-disciplinary undergraduate STEM curriculum was key to creating the next generation of well-rounded leaders and compassionate problem solvers. The community of Harvey Mudd is guided by the following ten statements: 

1. Joyful, Powerful Liberal Arts STEM Education
2. Innovation and Scientific Discovery
3. Inclusive Excellence and Social Justice
4. Empowering Faculty as Teacher-Scholars
5. Teaching and Experiential Learning
6. Integrity, Shared Governance, and Leadership
7. A Healthy and Vibrant Campus Community
8. An Outstanding Place for Staff to Work
9. Elevating Our Brand and Reputation
10. Philanthropic Call to Action

Harvey Mudd’s mission statement touts its blended focus on the mathematics and the sciences as well as the humanities and the arts:

“Harvey Mudd College seeks to educate engineers, scientists and mathematicians well versed in all of these areas and in the humanities, social sciences and the arts so that they may assume leadership in their fields with a clear understanding of the impact of their work on society.”

How difficult is it to be admitted to Harvey Mudd? Here is an overview of its admissions statistics:
 
ADMISSION BY THE NUMBERS
For the class of 2028, the Harvey Mudd received 5,094 applications for its incoming freshman class, an 6.3% increase of applications from the previous year. From those applications, Harvey Mudd selected 12.4% of them for admission.
 
AVERAGE GPA & STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES
The average GPA for students admitted to Harvey Mudd is 4.17. Admitted students will have taken the most rigorous coursework possible in high school with a strong showing of AP/IB courses on their transcripts.

The average SAT score for applicants admitted to Harvey Mudd is 1530. Though Harvey Mudd has a test-optional policy for the submission of standardized test scores, potential applicants should have at least an SAT score of 1530 to be thought of as serious contenders.

The average ACT score for applicants admitted to Harvey Mudd is 35. Though Harvey Mudd has a test-optional policy for the submission of standardized test scores, potential applicants should have at least an ACT score of 35 to be thought of as serious contenders.
 
RECOMMENDED COURSEWORK
Applicants admitted to Harvey Mudd are required to have acquired the following credits in high school:
• one (1) year of calculus;
• one (1) year of chemistry; and
• one (1) year of physics.

Applicants admitted to Harvey Mudd are recommended to have acquired the following credits in high school:
• four (4) years of English;
• two (2) years of social science, including history; and
• two (2) years of a foreign language.

APPLICATION DEADLINES
Harvey Mudd has three admissions deadlines. Applicants seeking to apply to Harvey Mudd during the Early Decision I round must apply by November 15th. Early Decision II and Regular Decision applicants must apply by January 5th.

Early Decision I applicants are generally notified by mid-December. Early Decision applicants are generally notified by early- to mid-February. Regular Decision applicant are notified by mid-March. 
            
MERIT-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS
Harvey Mudd also has numerous merit-based scholarships for its applicants. For many of its merit-based scholarships, candidates are automatically determined upon applying to Harvey Mudd. Please see a list of these scholarships by clicking on the link below:
 
Harvey Mudd Merit-Based Scholarships


Students and families seeking a highly competitive and specialized program on an intimate campus should strongly consider Harvey Mudd as a potential candidate when considering selective colleges.