Harvey Mudd College

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Quick Stats
301 Platt Boulevard

Claremont, CA 91711

[map]
Phone: (909) 621-8000
2011-2012 Tuition
$42,410
tuition and fees
Students
773
enrolled
58%
male /
42%
female
Admissions
Jan. 2
application deadline
25.4%
accepted

More Information

_

U.S. News Rankings

Ranking score and category
U.S. News rank Category Name
#18 National Liberal Arts Colleges

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Summary

Harvey Mudd College is a private institution that was founded in 1955. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 773, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 33 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Harvey Mudd College's ranking in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 18. Its tuition and fees are $42,410 (2011-12).

Harvey Mudd College is located in Claremont, Calif., 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Harvey Mudd is one of the country’s top math, science, and engineering undergraduate colleges. The school offers a variety of student organizations on campus, from the break-dancing club to the Harvey Wallbangers Climbing Club, among others. The college does not recognize national fraternities or sororities on campus. Harvey Mudd competes in a joint intercollegiate athletics program with Claremont McKenna College and Scripps College, fielding NCAA Division III varsity sports for men and women in theSouthern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. As a residential college, freshmen are required to live on campus, and 99 percent of students remain on campus in one of the eight dormitories.

Harvey Mudd College offers a Bachelor of Science degree in math, science, and engineering majors. The school is part of the Claremont Colleges consortium, which includes Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, Pomona College, Pitzer College, Claremont Graduate University, and Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences. The school was founded by Harvey S. Mudd, a successful mining engineer. A well-known annual school tradition is Foster’s Run, organized by the Gonzo Unicycle Madness club, during which unicyclists ride to a local donut shop. Notable alumni include astronauts George Nelson and Stan Love, as well as U.S. diplomat Richard H. Jones.

School mission (as provided by the school):

According to its mission statement, Harvey Mudd College seeks to educate engineers, scientists, and mathematicians well versed in all of these areas and in the humanities and the social sciences so that they may assume leadership in their fields with a clear understanding of the impact of their work on society. The founders of Harvey Mudd College thus envisioned a distinctive educational experience for its students combining unusual breadth in their technical education with a firm academic grounding in the humanities and social sciences. The required curriculum has three components: the Common Core, which provides the foundation for advanced study; the program in Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts which emphasizes the liberal arts nature of a Harvey Mudd College education; and the Major, which builds depth and technical competence. Unifying all of these is an emphasis on strong oral and written communication, the development of computational skills, and direct experience with a research or design project. For example, Harvey Mudd College's signature Clinic Program provides students with an opportunity to work as part of a team on real projects that entrepreneurs, companies, or national laboratories sponsor. The academic programs are demanding, but the College fosters cooperation rather than competition under a successful student-led Honor Code. Almost every student lives on campus, where the atmosphere is characterized not only by trust, freedom, and responsibility, but also by a sense of humor, fun, and creativity. Students at Harvey Mudd College enjoy the kind of personal attention, small classes, and close working relationships with faculty mentors associated with the finest liberal arts colleges. Students also benefit from the advantages of a larger institution because of the unique Claremont University Consortium, whose member colleges are located across the street from one another and make available classes, dining halls, libraries, parties, sports teams, and other resources far beyond those any one such school could provide. Under the leadership of its new president, Maria Klawe, Harvey Mudd College has developed a vision for its future around six themes: (1) Innovation, Leadership, and Impact, Especially in Engineering, Science and Mathematics; (2) Focus on Experiential and Interdisciplinary Learning; (3) Unsurpassed Excellence and Diversity at All Levels; (4) Nurturing and Developing the Whole Person; (5) Global Engagement and Informed Contributions to Society; and (6) Improvement of Infrastructure and Resources to Support HMC's Commitment to Excellence and Building Community. The College is on its way to realizing its vision.

General Information

School type private, coed college
Year founded 1955
Religious affiliation N/A
Academic calendar semester
Setting suburban
2010 Endowment $208,454,344

Applying

When applying to Harvey Mudd College, it's important to note the application deadline is January 2, and the early decision deadline is November 15. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due February 20. The application fee at Harvey Mudd College is $60. It is most selective, with an acceptance rate of 25.4 percent.

For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity most selective
Fall 2010 acceptance rate 25%
Application deadline January 2
SAT/ACT scores must be received by February 20

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at Harvey Mudd College is 9:1, and the school has 61.9 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Harvey Mudd College include: Engineering; Physical Sciences; Mathematics and Statistics; Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services; and Biological and Biomedical Sciences. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 97.8 percent.

Class sizes
Class sizes
Student-faculty ratio 9:1
4-year graduation rate 80% - High
Five most popular majors for 2010 graduates
Engineering 42%
Physical Sciences 19%
Mathematics and Statistics 12%
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services 11%
Biological and Biomedical Sciences 7%

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Student Life

Harvey Mudd College has a total undergraduate enrollment of 773, with a gender distribution of 58.2 percent male students and 41.8 percent female students. 99.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 1.0 percent of students live off campus. Harvey Mudd College is part of the NCAA III athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at Harvey Mudd College.

Total enrollment 773
Student gender distribution
Student gender distribution
Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity
Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity
Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority
Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority
Collegiate athletic association NCAA III

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Campus Info & Services

Harvey Mudd College offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, women's center, placement service, health service, and health insurance. Harvey Mudd College also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Of the students at Harvey Mudd College, 25 percent have cars on campus. Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Harvey Mudd College.

Students who have cars on campus 25% - Low
Health insurance offered Yes
Students required to own/lease a computer No

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Paying for School

At Harvey Mudd College, 53.5 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $29,588.

Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

Tuition and fees $42,410 (2011-12)
Room and board $13,858 (2011-12) - High
Financial aid statistics
Financial aid statistics

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Student Reviews

Harvey Mudd will give you a wonderful education. The courses are very interesting, but also very intense. While most schools require 4 classes per semester to graduate, Mudd requires 5 and a lab. All of my professors know my name and it is very easy for me to meet with them and discuss homework problems. While Mudd is only about 750 kids, you have the other 4 colleges as a resource to go and meet new people. There are a total of 5000 on all five of the colleges. While each of the 5 colleges has its own stereotype, Mudd is the only college that has stereotypes within the individual dorms. I live in North Dotrm which is the dorm for kids who like sports and like to party. I spent most of my time at my dorm hanging out with friends and doing homework. I rarely do my homework at the library.

Jake Sophomore

Harvey Mudd has many great characteristics... and a lot that could change. The students are all really nice and their is not a competitive atmosphere, despite the emphasis on academics. The professors are also really amazing and really care about the students. The focus on academics is at time really intense, just this weekend I spent 14 hours in a computer lab working on a project with my team for a presentation. And that happens quite often. School is a little small sometimes... everyone knows everything about everyone and that can get annoying. People are always impressed when I tell them I go to Mudd and they have heard about the school. I recently interviewed for an internship (which I got) and the person I interviewed with was in awe of Mudd and said the smartest man he ever knew went to Mudd. I spend most of my time underground... all the engineering labs are underground, its annoying. It's a nice, small college town. The town of claremont is really nice, even though there are a lot of old people. I don't like the administration, I don't get the feeling they care about the students, they care about the image of the school more. The profs are great though. There is a lot of school pride, but more dorm pride. Everyone feels they belong to a specific dorm. I'll always remember walking around campus and hearing people discussing quantum mechanics for fun. Science is a immense part of our lives. Students complain about how difficult and stressful it is here. This school really humbles you, it hurts your self esteem. But I think I'll be a stronger person by the time I graduate and will be more than prepared for the reali world.

chelsea Sophomore

The school is pretty small so you get to know everyone quite well, including your professors. A large class is 30 people, a small one might be 5 or 6 students. The professors know who you are and care about your education. Sure there are a few bad professors, but overall the caliber of education in very excellent. The homework load is quite high and you are expected to put in a lot of time outside of all of your classes. Additionally, a normal class load is 5 classes (3 science + 2 humanities) and 1 to 2 labs. If you want to work hard and learn a lot, this is the place to be.

Matt Senior

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* Overview details based on 2010 data

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