Claremont Mckenna College

Claremont McKenna College's published cost of attendance is $86,500, but need-based aid reshapes that figure meaningfully across income levels. Low-income families pay approximately $15,308 per year in net price — a figure that reflects the college's commitment to meeting demonstrated financial need.

Middle-income families see annual costs around $16,389, while higher-income families pay approximately $52,295. Azimuth ranks Claremont Mckenna College #945 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown. For a fuller picture of how sticker price and net price diverge, see [net price illusion](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/).

As a small liberal arts college, Claremont McKenna structures its aid primarily around demonstrated financial need. Families apply using the FAFSA and CSS Profile, and the college participates in federal, state, and institutional aid programs.

The relatively narrow gap between low- and middle-income net prices suggests that aid is concentrated toward the lower end of the income distribution, where it has the most impact on access. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $13,500, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $52,129; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions.

For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $110,798, median federal debt of $13,500 projects to a monthly payment of about $153 under standard ten-year repayment. For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use [Azimuth's Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Graduates of Claremont Mckenna College earn median earnings of $110,798 four years after enrollment, placing Claremont Mckenna College in the 99.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $57,042 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band).

Azimuth ranks Claremont Mckenna College #36 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Claremont Mckenna College's concentration in Social Sciences, which accounts for 45% of degrees awarded — the largest share by a wide margin, followed by other STEM fields at 2% and Arts at 2%.

Economics combines the largest cohort with strong pay, making it the program that contributes most to the institution's overall return profile. Azimuth ranks Economics #5 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions [per the program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/), with 129 graduates earning median earnings of $146,524 — 1.8x the national benchmark for the field.

The Political Science program graduates 46 students and Azimuth ranks it #52 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning median earnings of $73,826. Azimuth ranks International Relations and National Security Studies #2 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning median earnings of $96,520 — 1.4x the national benchmark for the field.

Claremont Mckenna College's program mix is rooted in Social Sciences, with Social Sciences accounting for 45% of graduates, followed by other STEM fields at 2% and Arts at 2%. The concentration in policy, economics, and government fields gives the institution a program-mix signature closer to a liberal-arts policy school than a broad-based private university.

Economics is the program that combines the largest cohort scale with strong earnings, anchoring the institution's overall return profile. Across 23 programs serving roughly 447 students annually, 3 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold.

The strongest national ranks cluster in policy-oriented and quantitative social-science fields. Azimuth ranks Economics #5 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, with 129 graduates earning $146,524.

Azimuth ranks International Relations and National Security Studies #2 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, with 30 graduates earning $96,520. Azimuth ranks Political Science #52 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, with 46 graduates earning $73,826.

Many of Claremont Mckenna College's dominant programs — particularly Economics, Political Science, and Research Psychology — feed into grad-school-dependent pathways in law, public policy, and finance, where four-year earnings undercount lifetime trajectory because a meaningful share of graduates continue to professional or graduate school. Economics and Political Science lean more toward high-mobility direct-to-workforce pathways, where four-year earnings better reflect labor-market outcomes.

The [supply and demand for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) framework provides context for how these fields align with national wage trends, and the [program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) explains how Azimuth evaluates programs across cohort size, earnings, and benchmark performance.