Quad

Head-to-head

Amherst
Claremont McKenna

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Claremont McKenna grads earn $27.1K more ten years out than Amherst's ($104,736 vs. $77,644)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    Amherst costs about $16.7K less per year on average than Claremont McKenna ($47,160 vs. $63,885, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    Amherst's grants cover 46% of its full price on average, vs. 26% at Claremont McKenna

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    Claremont McKenna's yield is 12 pts higher than Amherst's

    Yield rate
  5. 5

    Amherst is a bit larger (1,911 vs. 1,388)

    Undergrads
  6. 6

    Amherst's SAT midpoint is 25 points higher than Claremont McKenna's

    SAT midpoint

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Amherst admits 9.0%, Claremont McKenna 9.4%; Claremont McKenna's yield is higher, at 51%.

Acceptance rate
Amherst9.0%
Claremont McKenna9.4%
Quad's selectivity
  • AmherstUltra selective
  • Claremont McKennaHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1400–1600
Amherst
1490–1580
Claremont McKenna
1480–1540
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • AmherstSchool record required
  • Claremont McKennaRigor and GPA very important

Who's on each campus

Amherst is a bit larger than Claremont McKenna (1,911 vs. 1,388 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Amherst1.9K
Claremont McKenna1.4K
Pell Grant share
Amherst20%
Claremont McKenna18%

Majors and faculty

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics leads at both; Amherst has 6 students per faculty member to Claremont McKenna's 8.

Students per faculty member
Amherst6 to 1
Claremont McKenna8 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • AmherstEconometrics and Quantitative Economics15%
  • Claremont McKennaEconometrics and Quantitative Economics29%

What each costs

Amherst costs about $16.7K less a year than Claremont McKenna on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Amherst$47.2K
Claremont McKenna$63.9K
Aid generosity
Amherst46%
Claremont McKenna26%

What each pays off

Claremont McKenna's former students earn more, a median $104.7K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 90% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Amherst$77.6K
Claremont McKenna$104.7K
Graduation rate
Amherst93%
Claremont McKenna92%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Amherst but held steady at Claremont McKenna; Amherst got more selective while Claremont McKenna held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • AmherstGrowing+62%
  • Claremont McKennaSteady+8%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Claremont McKenna College (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Claremont McKenna College Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Claremont McKenna College Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why