Harvey Mudd College admission requirements for international students follow the normal first-year process: a Common App with two Harvey Mudd essays, a school report, one STEM teacher and one humanities or arts teacher recommendation, your transcript (translated into English if needed) and an English test score unless your school teaches in English. Harvey Mudd wants at least 100 on the TOEFL iBT, 7.5 on IELTS Academic or 130 on the Duolingo English Test. SAT and ACT scores are optional for fall 2027, but testing returns as a requirement for the fall 2028 cycle.
Harvey Mudd admitted 12% of first-year applicants for fall 2025, and about 11% of its 913 undergraduates are international. Need-based aid for international students is limited: the college says your level of need may affect your admission chances and that it can meet full need for only a handful of international students each year. Unlike many small colleges, it also offers merit awards that international students can win, including the $10,000-a-year Harvey S. Mudd Merit Award. Early Decision I closes on 15 November 2026 and Regular Decision on 5 January 2027. I checked these details on Harvey Mudd’s own pages on 29 October 2026.
Harvey Mudd College ranking
Harvey Mudd is #8 among National Liberal Arts Colleges in the U.S. News 2027 edition, released in September 2026, according to the list reproduced on the College Confidential forum. That puts it just behind Williams, Amherst and the five colleges tied at #3, which include its Claremont neighbours Pomona and Claremont McKenna. It is the only college in that group built around science, engineering and mathematics.
Harvey Mudd acceptance rate and class profile
Harvey Mudd’s Office of Institutional Research publishes a Facts and Figures sheet each year. These are the latest figures, for fall 2025.
| Measure (fall 2025) | Figure |
|---|---|
| First-year admit rate | 12% |
| Yield (admitted students who enrolled) | 37% |
| Undergraduate enrolment | 913 |
| International students | 11% of undergraduates, from 11 countries |
| Most represented countries | China (12), Canada (4), India (4), Pakistan (3) |
| Student-faculty ratio | 8:1 |
| Average scholarship award (2025-26) | $40,169 |
Harvey Mudd does not publish a separate acceptance rate for international applicants. With only about 100 international undergraduates spread across four classes, the number of international places each year is small, and the number of aided international places is smaller still.
Harvey Mudd tuition for international students (2026-27)
Harvey Mudd bills by semester. The table below doubles the fall 2026 figures to give the full 2026-27 year; spring 2027 charges are identical.
| Charge (2026-27) | Per semester | Full year |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $38,439.50 | $76,879 |
| Student body fee | $200.50 | $401 |
| Housing | $6,646.50 | $13,293 |
| Food (19 meals a week) | $5,744.50 | $11,489 |
| Total billed charges | $51,031 | $102,062 |
| Orientation fee (first-year students, once) | $250 | $250 |
Books, personal costs, travel and health insurance are on top of that. International students must enrol in the Claremont Colleges Student Health Insurance Plan; the tuition page I read does not list its price for 2026-27. For comparison, Harvey Mudd’s 2025-26 total for tuition, fees, room and board was $98,984, so charges rose by about $3,000 in one year.
Harvey Mudd scholarships for international students
Need-based aid
- Limited and need-aware: Harvey Mudd offers need-based aid to a small number of admitted international students, and says your level of need may affect your admission chances.
- Full need for a handful: the college says it can meet 100% of demonstrated need for only a handful of international students.
- No federal aid: international students cannot receive US federal or state aid (except under the California Dream Act for eligible students).
- First year only: if you enter without aid, you cannot apply for need-based aid in later years. Aid is reassessed every year for students who have it.
- No aid for international transfers: international transfer students receive no Harvey Mudd funding.
Merit scholarships open to international students
| Award | Value | How you are considered |
|---|---|---|
| Harvey S. Mudd Merit Award | $10,000 a year, renewable for four years | Automatic for all first-year applicants, including internationals and students not applying for aid |
| So International Scholarship | Amount not published | One international student per entering class, chosen on academic performance, regardless of need; renewal needs a 2.75 GPA |
| Esterbrook Merit Award and RIF Scholarship | Amounts not published | No separate application; Harvey Mudd says internationals are eligible for most merit awards |
| FIRST Robotics and VEX scholarships | Amounts not published | Require a statement of interest |
The merit scholarship deadline is 1 February 2027 for all rounds. Harvey Mudd says test scores are not used for merit scholarships, so applying test-optional does not cost you a merit award.
How to apply for Harvey Mudd financial aid as an international student
- File the 2027-2028 CSS Profile: Harvey Mudd’s code is 4341. Include your email address so the aid office can reach you.
- Use the paper alternative only if needed: if your country prohibits the online CSS Profile, send Harvey Mudd’s International Student Application for Financial Assistance directly to its Office of Financial Aid.
- Upload documents to IDOC: the International Student Certification of Finances, your parents’ signed 2025 foreign tax return with an English translation, bank statements for the calendar year, and any brokerage statements.
- Check the Applicant Hub: it lists documents the aid office has not received.
- Never email ID numbers: send sensitive documents through IDOC or Harvey Mudd’s secure upload service.
| Round | CSS Profile due | IDOC documents due | Bank statements end on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Decision I | 15 November 2026 | 1 December 2026 | 31 October 2026 |
| Early Decision II | 5 January 2027 | 20 January 2027 | 31 December 2026 |
| Regular Decision | 1 February 2027 | 15 February 2027 | 31 December 2026 |
You get one chance at aid
Harvey Mudd does not give need-based aid to international students who enter without it. If your family cannot pay $102,062 a year for four years, apply for aid when you apply for admission.
Harvey Mudd admission requirements for international students: the application
| Part | What Harvey Mudd asks for |
|---|---|
| Application | Common App; $70 fee, with waivers through the Common App, ACT, College Board or NACAC |
| School documents | School report from your counselor and official transcript; English translations of any document not in English |
| Recommendations | One from a STEM teacher and one from a humanities, social sciences or arts teacher |
| Essays | Common App personal essay plus two Harvey Mudd questions (500 and 250 words) |
| Recommended extra | A profile of your secondary school explaining its courses and grading scale |
| SAT or ACT | Optional for fall 2027; required again from the fall 2028 cycle |
| Interview | Optional; book by 15 November (ED I) or 15 December (ED II and RD) |
Testing policy
Harvey Mudd is test-optional for students applying for fall 2027 entry. If you plan to send scores, the recommended last test dates are November for ED I and December for ED II and Regular Decision, and the self-report deadlines are 30 November 2026, 25 January 2027 and 5 February 2027. The college ignores the ACT writing section and the SAT essay. If you are younger and applying for fall 2028, plan to sit the SAT or ACT, because testing becomes required again.
English requirements
| Test | Minimum score |
|---|---|
| TOEFL iBT (Home or Paper Edition accepted) | 100 |
| IELTS Academic | 7.5 |
| Duolingo English Test (160-point version only) | 130 |
| Cambridge C1 Advanced | 190 |
| Cambridge C2 Proficiency | 200 |
You can self-report your score on the application or in the Applicant Hub; official reports are needed only if you enrol. If your school teaches in English, you can ask for a waiver, but Harvey Mudd grants it only after you submit your application. Note that the IELTS minimum of 7.5 is higher than at many colleges, so book early enough to retake if needed.
Harvey Mudd deadlines for fall 2027 entry
| Round | Application due | Decision | Reply by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Decision I (binding) | 15 November 2026 | 15 December 2026 | 8 January 2027 |
| Early Decision II (binding) | 5 January 2027 | 15 February 2027 | 26 February 2027 |
| Regular Decision | 5 January 2027 | 1 April 2027 | 1 May 2027 |
If a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, Harvey Mudd accepts applications through the next business day. Supporting documents sent through the Common App can arrive until 21 January 2027 for ED II and 6 February 2027 for Regular Decision. Harvey Mudd’s page shows the dates without years; the years above follow the fall 2027 cycle confirmed by its aid pages.
How to write the Harvey Mudd supplemental essays
For 2026-27 Harvey Mudd asks two questions:
- 500 words or fewer: describe how an experience or a community you belong to has shaped the problems you want to solve and the impact you want to make.
- 250 words or fewer: describe a time when asking for help made a difference in your work or wellbeing, and what you took from it.
For the first essay, name a real problem from your own surroundings, then show the steps you have already taken: the code you wrote, the measurements you made, the people you asked. Harvey Mudd’s curriculum mixes a common core in science and maths with humanities, social sciences and arts courses, and its Clinic programme puts students on projects for outside sponsors. If you can connect your problem to that kind of team work, do it in one or two sentences rather than a list of programmes.
The second essay tests whether you can work with others. Admissions readers at a small, intense college want students who use office hours and study groups. Pick a moment where you were genuinely stuck, and be honest about it.
A sample opening for the first essay, for illustration only:
“In Lahore the power goes off for two hours at a time, so I learned to write code on paper and test it in the forty minutes before my laptop battery died.”
The writer could go on to describe building a load-shedding schedule app for their street and the energy problems they now want to study as an engineering major.
What happens after you apply
- Applicant Hub: you get access to Harvey Mudd’s portal, where you can check missing items and self-report scores.
- English waiver: if you studied in English, request your waiver after submitting.
- Aid documents: upload your IDOC papers by the date for your round.
- Decision: 15 December, 15 February or 1 April, with merit awards announced alongside where offered.
- Reply and deposit: by 8 January (ED I), 26 February (ED II) or 1 May (RD).
- Visa: send official English scores, then Harvey Mudd issues the I-20 you need for your F-1 visa interview.
Common mistakes international applicants make
- Assuming test-optional means tests do not matter. At a college this mathematical, a strong SAT Math score still helps if you have one.
- Missing the IELTS 7.5 bar. A 7.0 that would be fine elsewhere falls short here.
- Taking the old Duolingo scale. Harvey Mudd accepts only the 160-point version.
- Getting the recommendations wrong. You need one STEM teacher and one humanities, social sciences or arts teacher, not two science teachers.
- Late bank statements. ED I statements must run to 31 October 2026, and IDOC papers are due on 1 December 2026.
- Applying as a transfer and expecting aid. International transfers get none.
Costs that aid does not cover
- Return flights between home and Los Angeles.
- The mandatory Claremont Colleges student health insurance unless your aid package includes it.
- Visa, SEVIS and passport fees.
- English test, CSS Profile and Certification of Finances costs.
- US tax on scholarship amounts above tuition, fees, books and supplies, which Harvey Mudd says is subject to federal withholding.
Graduate admissions at Harvey Mudd
Harvey Mudd’s admission office handles first-year and transfer students only; its pages do not list graduate degree programmes. If you want a master’s or PhD in Claremont, look at the consortium’s graduate schools, Claremont Graduate University and Keck Graduate Institute, which run their own admissions.
Majors and campus life at Harvey Mudd
Harvey Mudd has 913 undergraduates and an 8:1 student-faculty ratio. Its largest majors by degrees awarded are engineering, computer science and the joint computer science and mathematics major. Other majors include mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, several joint majors and mathematical and computational biology. Every student also takes humanities, social sciences and arts courses, and 186 students did summer research in the latest year reported.
The college is one of the Claremont Colleges in Claremont, east of Los Angeles. Students can take classes, eat and join clubs at Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Scripps and Pitzer, which makes a 900-student college feel much bigger. Our Claremont McKenna guide and Pomona College guide cover the neighbours.
Harvey Mudd compared with similar colleges
| College | U.S. News 2027 | Acceptance rate (latest) | 2026-27 cost | Aid for internationals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey Mudd | #8 liberal arts | 12% (fall 2025) | $102,062 billed | Limited need-based aid; $10,000 merit award open to internationals |
| Pomona | #3 (tie) liberal arts | 7.1% (2024-25 CDS) | $95,670 billed | Need-aware; full need; no merit |
| Claremont McKenna | #3 (tie) liberal arts | About 9.4% (fall 2025) | $101,990 total | Need-aware; CMC’s own aid form; merit awards |
| Swarthmore | #3 (tie) liberal arts | About 7.4% (Class of 2030) | $98,370 total | Need-aware; full need; no loans |
Harvey Mudd has a higher admit rate than its three neighbours in this table, but a far smaller international aid budget. It is the only one with a named merit award that every international applicant is automatically considered for. If you want a technical university with need-blind aid for internationals, read our MIT admission guide.
Who should apply to Harvey Mudd
Apply if you are strong in maths and science, want small classes and real research, and still want to study writing, history or music. Harvey Mudd suits students who like hard problem sets and working in teams. Families who can pay most of the cost should look closely, because merit money of $10,000 a year is open to international students.
Think twice if you need a full scholarship and Harvey Mudd is not your clear first choice, or if you want a wide range of humanities majors. Spread your list with need-blind colleges such as Amherst and with options from our list of the best American scholarships for international students.
FAQ on Harvey Mudd College admission for international students
What is the Harvey Mudd acceptance rate for international students?
Harvey Mudd does not publish one. Its overall admit rate for fall 2025 was 12%, and international students make up about 11% of undergraduates.
Does Harvey Mudd give scholarships to international students?
Yes. All international applicants are considered for the $10,000-a-year Harvey S. Mudd Merit Award and the So International Scholarship, and a small number receive need-based aid.
Is the SAT required at Harvey Mudd for 2027?
No. Harvey Mudd is test-optional for fall 2027 applicants and will require testing again for the fall 2028 cycle.
What IELTS score does Harvey Mudd require?
The minimum is 7.5 on IELTS Academic. The other minimums are TOEFL iBT 100 and Duolingo 130.
Sources and updates
English minimums, translation rules and the international aid policy come from Harvey Mudd’s international applicants page and its international student financial aid pages, including the deadline pages for each round. Application parts, essay prompts, fees and testing policy come from its first-year applicants and Apply pages. Merit award details come from the Harvey S. Mudd Merit Award and international scholarships pages. 2026-27 charges come from the Harvey Mudd tuition and fees page; enrolment, admit rate, international share and 2025-26 costs come from the Office of Institutional Research’s 2025 Facts and Figures. The U.S. News rank is from the 2027 list as reproduced on College Confidential; the U.S. News site could not be loaded. Checked on 29 October 2026.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
