Claremont McKenna College admitted its lowest percentage of students on need-based financial aid last spring in more than 12 years. The statistic is part of a broader trend in data published by CMC that indicates the college is decreasing its financial aid coverage and lagging behind its peer institutions in financial aid investment. After four consecutive years of a steadily declining percentage of students receiving need-based financial aid, CMC reported an all-time minimum of 37.6% last year, according to CMC’s Common Data Set. A promotional pamphlet in CMC’s Office of Admissions said 33% of this year’s first-year class received need-based financial aid.
Tag: Claremont McKenna College
Ups and downs: Two power outages hit 5Cs in first half of semester
Two major power outages hit the Claremont Colleges this fall, disrupting campus operations and raising questions about electrical infrastructure reliability across the consortium. The Oct. 12 outage led to multiple disruptions including a loss of power at Auen Hall at Claremont McKenna College and Liam Grady PZ ’30 being stuck in an elevator for an hour and a half.
CMC’s 1946 Challenge raises $1.4 million, breaks fundraising record
Claremont McKenna College raised $1.4 million in under two days last week, setting a donation record in its annual 1946 Challenge, a fundraising initiative to reach 1,946 donors in 1,946 minutes. Student phone bankers took part in the record-breaking campaign that led 2,060 donors to contribute over Oct. 14 and Oct. 15.
Report finds four Claremont Colleges linked to ‘uncivil’ discourse programs with billionaire, anti-activist ties
A September report by higher education research collective UnCivil called out four Claremont Colleges for their ties to civil discourse programs it says embrace anti-activist agendas or are funded by billionaire-led conservative nonprofits: the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, the Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) and BridgeUSA.UnCivil aims to map the donor networks and conceptual origins of the Civil Industrial Complex, or the series of conservative campus initiatives and private- and state-funded “civic thought” centers that claim to support civil discourse and viewpoint diversity.
New visa and CPT restrictions threaten international students’ off-campus jobs
After the Trump administration placed new restrictions on Curricular Practical Training (CPT), a program that has historically allowed F-1 international students to work off campus, some international students have had to turn down jobs, while others expressed uncertainty about future opportunities.
In August, ICE sent a memo to colleges and universities directing them to issue CPT only when an internship or practical training experience is necessary for graduation, a stricter interpretation of the existing policy. The memo states that “improper CPT authorization” could result in “administrative or legal consequences,” such as a college losing its ability to enroll international students.
CMC celebrates 50 years of co-education
From Sept. 25 to Sept. 26, Claremont McKenna (CMC) celebrated its 50th anniversary of co-education. CMC was initially founded as a men’s college in 1946, but officially opened enrollment to all genders in 1976. The Sept. 25 panel invited members from the class of 1980 — the first class of graduates that included women — to reflect on the historical evolution of CMC’s co-education, during which speakers emphasized the importance of accessible education to all genders. In interviews with TSL, some alumni explained what it was like to be women at CMC then and how that experience persists today.
William Dudley kicks off first semester as CMC’s sixth president
William Dudley took on the mantle of president at Claremont McKenna College in July, officially succeeding Hiram Chodosh. Originally a philosophy professor and most recently the president of Washington & Lee University, Dudley will be the college’s sixth president.
CMC ranks second in FIRE free speech rankings, other 5Cs receive failing grades
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) gave Claremont McKenna College (CMC) the second-place spot on its 2027 College Free Speech Rankings, a report that rates the free speech climates at college and university campuses nationwide. CMC received a passing “B-” grade from FIRE, while all of the other undergraduate Claremont Colleges received failing “F” grades.
Of the 261 colleges surveyed, Pitzer College ranked 160th, Scripps College ranked 167th, Harvey Mudd College ranked 184th and Pomona College ranked 226th. While the other Claremont Colleges saw increases in their rankings compared to last year, CMC dropped by one rank, losing its first-place spot to the University of Chicago.
CMC and Scripps join SoCal campaign for stricter gas boiler regulations
Claremont McKenna College and Scripps College passed resolutions this month to support phasing out large industrial gas boilers in Southern California.
Jaden Yang PO ’28 and Clarissa Aquino PZ ’26 have led the charge at the 5Cs to pass student resolutions on gas boilers. The end goal of the campaign is to convince the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), a government agency that oversees air quality standards, to phase out the use of medium to large-sized boilers across Southern California.
They hope to get all 5Cs to support the resolution by the end of April, so they can show full support for shifting away from gas boilers at the SCAQMD’s next board meeting on May 1.
Inside-Out program plans restructuring following Norco prison closure
Following a year of uncertainty regarding the program’s future, the 5Cs’ Justice Education Center (JEC) appointed a new interim director, Tessa Hicks Peterson, last month. Peterson has since initiated plans to pilot multiple new partnership models next fall for Inside-Out, as the program navigates reconstruction following its partner institution’s, the California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) — also known as Norco prison — closure in the fall.
Inside students currently participating in Pitzer’s Pathway-to-BA program are set to graduate on May 19 after fulfilling the 32-credit course requirement. They will then be relocated to other prisons in California, but they haven’t been told which facilities they’ll be transferred to, according to Peterson.