How to Apply to Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College: Three Semesters of Common Core First, a Major Declared by the End of Sophomore Year and a Year-Long Clinic or Thesis, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Harvey Mudd College (HMC) is a science- and engineering-focused liberal arts college, and its undergraduate mathematics programme is run by the Department of Mathematics. Students apply to the College as a whole, not to the department. Here is what you need to know, based on the College’s website, organised for US domestic applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Computer science is not covered here; this site has a separate article on it, and other majors are not covered either.

1. Majors and areas

• The department’s programmes: the department page says it supports four undergraduate major programmes but lists five: the Mathematics Major, a Joint Major in Computer Science and Mathematics, a Joint Major in Mathematics and Climate, a Joint Major in Mathematics and Physics, and Mathematical and Computational Biology. The pages read do not give a degree label (such as BS). The joint major pages load their content dynamically, so their requirements were not read.
• Mathematics major curriculum: beyond vector calculus, linear algebra and differential equations, every math major takes discrete mathematics, analysis, probability, algebra and applied analysis, then chooses flexible electives toward graduate study or industry. All majors complete a year-long project, either the Mathematics Clinic (a team working on a problem sponsored by business, industry or government) or an individual Senior Thesis. The detailed course requirements are in the College catalog, which was not read; please check there.
• Cross-registration: the department says the other Claremont Colleges have around 30 more mathematicians, and HMC students can use their courses, including graduate courses at Claremont Graduate University.
• Statistics: the department pages read do not list a separate statistics major; statistical methods and analysis appear among research areas.

2. How admission to the major works: apply to the College, declare later

• At application: the application FAQ says you do not need a major selected before arrival. Applicants are asked which majors they lean toward; the College says this matters “to some extent” as it is building a class eager to study across the curriculum, but that it will not hold students to it.
• Declaring the major: all students take the Common Core in their first three semesters: one course each in computer science and engineering; one biology course and lab; two semesters of mathematics; one and a half semesters of physics and a lab; one semester of chemistry and a lab; a half-semester of college writing; a critical inquiry course from the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts (HSA); and a course on the impact of our work on society. Students are not allowed to declare a major before the end of the first year and must declare before the end of sophomore year. A grade requirement or cap on places is not stated in the pages read.
• Humanities, social sciences and arts (HSA): besides the Core, about 11 courses outside STEM are required.

3. Prerequisites and placement

• Enrollment requirements: one year each of high school calculus, chemistry and physics. If you cannot complete them before graduating, the College may offer conditional admission, and you must complete a one-semester college course with a B or better to enrol. Recommended (not required): four years of English, two years of social sciences including history, and two years of a foreign language.
• Math placement: the department says its default recommendation is that all students take the full Math Core. It offers challenge exams for Core and Major Core courses, typically three hours and closed book, one attempt per course, to be completed before noon on the first day of class. Passing earns a waiver of the course, which counts for prerequisites and programme requirements but awards no units towards graduation. Math 19 pre-tests are sent out in the summer, and students who pass may take the challenge exam during orientation; challenge exams for semester N courses are usually offered in semester N-1.
• AP/IB credit: the website is explicit that credit is not granted for AP/IB results or for college courses taken before high school graduation, and AP Statistics does not substitute for Math 62 (the department suggests Math 151). The department also says a year of high school calculus is an entrance requirement and that Math 19 includes both single and multivariable calculus, so students should not try to place out of it just because they have studied single-variable calculus. AP/IB scores may be self-reported and are looked at for rigour of the high school programme.
• Honors sequence: the pages read do not describe an honors math sequence.
• Math competitions: the admissions pages read do not say how competitions are viewed. The department says it sponsors a student team in the Putnam Competition and two teams in the MCM each year, and the RIF Scholarship (section 8) is described as for entering students who show promise in mathematical competitions such as the AHSME and the International Mathematical Olympiad.

4. Deadlines and application materials (from the College’s date table)

• Deadlines: Early Decision I (binding) 15 November, with decisions on 15 December; Early Decision II 5 January, with decisions on 15 February; Regular Decision 5 January, with decisions on 1 April; reply dates are 8 January, 26 February and 1 May. The merit scholarship deadline is 1 February in all three rounds. The table shows no year, so check that it applies to fall 2027 entry.
• How to apply and fee: the Common Application; the fee is $70 with fee waivers available, and the College also honors waivers from the ACT, College Board and NACAC.
• Recommendations: a school report/counselor recommendation, one STEM teacher recommendation and one from a humanities, social science or arts teacher; one additional letter is accepted. There is a personal essay plus two additional writing prompts: Q1, how an experience or community has shaped the problems you want to solve (500 words); Q2, a time asking for help made a difference (250 words).
• Interview: optional; interview deadlines are 15 November (ED I) and 15 December (ED II and RD).
• Testing: the College is test optional for fall 2027 applicants and returns to requiring testing for the fall 2028 application cycle. Scores for SAT/ACT/AP/IB can be self-reported; the SAT essay and ACT Writing are not considered. Only enrolling students who asked for their scores to be considered must submit official scores (College Board code 4341, ACT code 0282).
• Admission profile as printed: for the class of 2030, 4,971 applications, 654 admitted and 232 enrolled; middle 50% SAT math 770–800, SAT ERW 740–770, ACT composite 35–36.

5. US domestic applicants

• Tuition (2026-27): the cost page lists a single price, with no in-state or out-of-state difference: tuition $76,879 and a student body fee of $401; for on-campus students, housing $13,293, food $11,489 (19-meal plan), personal expenses $1,400, books and supplies $800 and a new student orientation fee of $250, totalling $104,512 (off campus $90,912; off campus with family $83,793; transportation varies and is not included in the totals). The rates for fall 2027 entry are not stated in the pages read.
• Aid: the application FAQ says admission is need-blind for domestic students and need-aware for international students. Need-based scholarships (the Harvey Mudd College Scholarship, federal grants and state grants) are only for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. CSS Profile and FAFSA dates: 15 November (ED I), 5 January (ED II) and 1 February (RD). The share of need the College meets is not stated in the pages read.
• Merit scholarships: first-year applicants may be considered, judged mainly on academic achievement with no regard to financial need and without standardized test scores. The awards listed are the President’s Scholars Program, the Harvey S. Mudd Merit Award, the National Merit Scholarship, the FIRST Robotics Scholarship, the RIF Scholarship, the Esterbrook Merit Award and the VEX Scholarship; transfer students are not eligible.
• In-state priority or guaranteed admission: not stated in the pages read.

6. International applicants

• Who counts as international: anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident applies as an international student, wherever they attend school; the procedures are the same as for domestic first-year and transfer applicants.
• English requirements: Duolingo English Test (the 160-point version) minimum 130, TOEFL iBT (Home Edition or Paper Edition) 100, IELTS Academic 7.5, or Cambridge English C1 Advanced 190 / C2 Proficiency 200. Scores can be self-reported or sent officially, and official scores are required only from admitted students who enrol. The requirement is waived if the applicant’s school uses English as the primary language of instruction, and it can be waived only after the application is submitted.
• Materials: English translations of any credentials not in English; a profile of the secondary school (course system, grading scale, rigour) is recommended.
• Aid: the website says international students cannot apply for federal or state aid (except under the California Dream Act); the College offers need-based International Student Scholarships to a limited number of students. Funding is limited, financial need may affect admission, and the College can meet 100% of demonstrated need for “only a handful” of international students. International students may apply for some merit awards, including the So Scholarship, offered only to international students. Students who do not apply for or receive aid as first-year international students will not be considered for aid in later years. Scholarships beyond tuition, fees, books and supplies are subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding, and international students must join the Claremont Colleges’ Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP).

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: whether Gaokao results are considered or how they are used is not published on the pages read; please contact admission@hmc.edu.
• Transcripts and school-leaving materials: no China-specific requirements are published; the general international requirements are in section 6 (translations, school profile, English results).
• International curricula: students taking AP or IB can self-report results for application purposes, but no credit is given after enrolment (see section 3).

8. Costs, scholarships and outcomes

• Costs: see section 5.
• Department scholarships: the Department of Mathematics packages the RIF Scholarship each year: a one-year, non-renewable package for up to three incoming students with exceptional mathematical ability, with a minimum of $1,000, not need-based, open to non-majors and international students, and all first-year applicants are considered with no separate application. The department also administers the Giovanni Mathematics Fellowship (at least $500 a year to mathematics majors) and the Chavin Prizes ($100 each for authoring a paper in the mathematical sciences).
• Research: the department says students can do research with faculty through independent study, a summer research experience or the senior capstone.
• Outcomes (the College’s own wording): the department page says two-thirds of all HMC students go on to graduate school. The admissions outcomes page says about 60 percent of seniors enter the workforce with a median starting salary of $112,500, and close to 30 percent pursue postgraduate degrees. The two pages differ and both are College-wide figures, not math-major data.

9. Transfer students

• Eligibility: at least one year of full-time academic work in good standing by the term of entry; the College requires at least two years as a full-time student at HMC; it does not admit students who already hold a bachelor’s degree; it does not accept mid-year transfers; international students may apply only if not seeking financial aid.
• Deadlines and materials: transfer applications are due 15 March, with decisions on 5 May and a reply date of 1 June; the CSS Profile and FAFSA are due 2 March. The table shows no year, so check. The fee is $70; materials are the Common Application, a mid-term report, a college/transfer report, two college instructor recommendations (one in math or science and one in humanities or social sciences), all college and high school transcripts, and the supplemental essays above. No transfer interviews are offered.
• Credit and the math major: the College says applicants should try to emulate the Core Curriculum, and that fit with the Core is almost always more important than the intended major. The relevant department reviews the courses, most majors can be completed within four semesters at HMC, and a few with sequential courses may need a fifth. The registrar gives a credit estimate a few days after admission, faculty make official placement decisions during Orientation, and transfer students may take placement exams; no advance credit evaluation is given. Only college courses completed after high school graduation are considered, and AP/IB and courses taken during high school earn no credit. A math-specific GPA or calculus/linear algebra threshold is not stated in the pages read.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• ED I 15 November; ED II and Regular 5 January; $70 fee; one STEM and one humanities/social science/arts teacher recommendation; testing optional for fall 2027
• CSS Profile and FAFSA (dates in section 5); merit scholarship deadline 1 February

International applicants (including China):

• TOEFL 100, IELTS 7.5, Duolingo 130 or Cambridge C1/C2 (or a waiver); translations for non-English documents
• Aid must be requested at application and places are very limited

After entry:

• Common Core in the first three semesters; Math 19 pre-test and challenge exams; no declaring before the end of the first year, and declare by the end of sophomore year; finish with a Clinic or Senior Thesis

Transfer students:

• 15 March; at least one year of full-time college work; at least two years at HMC; match courses to the Core

Sources: Harvey Mudd College, Department of Mathematics; Mathematics program; Mathematics major; Placement and challenge exams; Majors overview; Common Core Curriculum; Apply and deadlines; First-year applicants; International applicants; Transfer applicants; Application FAQ; Cost of attendance; International student financial aid; Merit-based scholarships; RIF Scholarship; Need-based scholarships; Alumni outcomes. The testing policy on the apply page is stated for fall 2027 entry; please check that the dates also apply to fall 2027 and see the College’s website for the latest.