First-Year Applicants | Admission and Financial Aid (2024)

A personal essay is required within the application.

Fee waivers are available to those who demonstrate financial need. Request a fee waiver through the Common Application. The application platform may ask your counselor to complete a fee waiver form to affirm your request. We also honor fee waivers from the ACT, College Board, and NACAC.

An additional essay and short answer response are required.

HMC reserves the right to evaluate an application and render a final decision even if all pieces of the application have not been received.

Preparing for Harvey Mudd

We will always consider your academic profile within the context of your high school and what it offers. This means we won’t penalize you for not taking certain courses because they aren’t available and don’t need you to take every advanced class your school offers. However, taking challenging classes throughout high school will not only support your chance for admission but also position you for success at Harvey Mudd. We hope you will choose an appropriately challenging curriculum throughout high school and offer this guidance:

Requirements (for enrollment)+

  • One year of high school chemistry
  • One year of high school physics
  • One year of high school calculus

+If you are not able to complete these courses before high school graduation, we may offer you conditional admission and you will need to complete a one-semester college course and earn a B or better in order to enroll.

Recommendations

  • Four years of English
  • Two years of social sciences including history
  • Two years of a foreign language

Early Decision vs. Regular Decision

With Early Decision, you let us know we’re your top choice, and we give you a decision earlier than the rest of our applicant pool. Compare the information below to decide if Early Decision is right for you.

Early Decision:

Early Decision is not for everyone since we know that some students may need more time to make that sort of commitment and that many families will want to wait and have the option of comparing multiple financial aid packages that they may receive from applying Regular Decision. However, if you have done your research and discussed the Early Decision option and processes with your family and with a counselor if one is available to you, Early Decision can be a good alternative for you. Remember, you should only apply Early Decision to a college if you know it is your first choice.

  • We have two rounds of Early Decision with two different deadlines (November 15th and January 5th.) The only difference between these two rounds are the deadlines themselves.
  • Students may only have one Early Decision application active at any given time. If you are denied in the Early Decision 1 round at one school, you are welcome to apply Early Decision to a different school if they have an Early Decision Round 2 with a later deadline.
  • If you are denied during either Early Decision Round 1 or 2 at Harvey Mudd, you are not allowed to apply under the Regular Decision plan to HMC during that same year.
  • All students applying for Early Decision (either round) have the opportunity to apply to other colleges via Early Action (non-binding) Plans or Regular Decision.
  • However, if you are admitted under either Early Decision plan, you are expected to withdraw your applications to other colleges and not start new applications.
    • The one exception to this policy is if you and your family decide that the financial aid offered is not sufficient. In this case, you may withdraw from the Early Decision process. However, it also means that you are withdrawing from the first-year class. You may not come back at a later time if you find the HMC offer of financial aid was better than others that were offered.
      • Typically, this is the case for one or two students each year.

Regular Decision

When you apply through the Regular Decision program, you simply apply by our regular application date. Regular Decision may be right for you if you need more time to get your application ready, or maybe you have your eye on a few schools and want more time to weigh your options. Just remember: Many more students apply for Regular Decision admission than Early Decision so it takes us longer to evaluate these applications.

About 40% of the first-year class will have entered Early Decision so a larger pool of applicants competes for a smaller number of spaces in the first-year class. We want to see grades from the first term of your senior year before we make a final decision.

Home-schooled Students

As a home-schooled student, your application process and requirements are the same as any other first-year applicant to the College. The process begins by completing the Common Application.

What we are thinking as we consider your application

  • Did you follow an established curriculum and if so, from which source?
  • Did you take courses at local high schools or colleges?
  • Have you completed lab science courses? How were they taken?
  • What texts did you use? What about online resources or learning communities?
  • Who evaluated your work and overall learning progress?

Other Helpful Information

  • A detailed curriculum guide.
  • Official transcripts for high school or college courses you’ve completed.
  • Participation in group activities as evidence of wanting to be a part of an active, collaborative community.

Questions?

Please check ourApplication FAQsbefore emailingadmission@hmc.edu.

First-Year Applicants | Admission and Financial Aid (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you apply for an early decision and don't get enough financial aid? ›

In most cases, acceptance letters under Early Decision are binding – except for one condition: you can back out if you didn't receive enough financial aid to attend.

Does applying for financial aid hurt your college admissions chances? ›

Finally, simply applying for financial aid is often not enough to hurt admissions chances. At many schools, not only do you have to apply for aid for your admittance to be in any way endangered, but you actually have to qualify for need-based assistance.

Can you fail one class and still get financial aid? ›

Failing one class does not mean you'll automatically lose access to federal financial aid. But these funds do have academic eligibility requirements, as outlined in your school's satisfactory academic progress (SAP) guidelines.

Do admissions officers look at financial aid? ›

Admissions officers don't simply look at the fact that you are applying for financial aid, assume that you will need lots of it, and then deny you admission. Rather admissions officers review your application based on your merits. If you're a good candidate, they put you in the “accept” pile.

Can I reject an early decision if I can't afford it? ›

Admitted students who can't afford the cost of attendance can often back out of their early decision contracts without penalty. Alternatively, you may be able to negotiate for more aid by contacting the school's financial aid office and informing them of your situation.

Does early decision increase chances of financial aid? ›

Reduced financial aid opportunities: Students who apply under ED plans receive offers of admission and financial aid simultaneously and will not be able to compare financial aid offers from other colleges. For students who absolutely need financial aid, applying early may be a risky option.

What disqualifies you from FAFSA? ›

Other reasons for financial aid disqualification include: Not maintaining satisfactory progress at your college or degree program. Not filling out the FAFSA each year you are enrolled in school. Defaulting on a student loan.

How to get off financial aid suspension? ›

Consider appealing your financial aid suspension

Contact your school's financial aid office and see what you can work out with them. If it comes down to it, you can always try to file an aid appeal to plead your case (the process for doing this will vary from school to school).

Is it better to fail or drop a class with financial aid? ›

In most situations, withdrawing from a course should not affect your aid package. But if you fail to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress, or SAP, your aid may be affected. Withdrawing from a course can also change your enrollment status, which could reduce your aid.

What is a red flag for admissions officers? ›

Any evidence of plagiarism or academic dishonesty in an application can have severe consequences and raise serious red flags for admissions officers. Academic integrity is highly valued by colleges, and dishonesty in application materials can lead to automatic rejection.

What do admissions officers look at first? ›

Admissions officers look at “hard factors — GPA, grades, and test scores — and soft factors — essays, extracurricular activities, recommendations, and demonstrated interest — to gain a full picture of applicants.

Can I ask for more financial aid after acceptance? ›

Maybe that's because your top-choice school has offered you less aid than other schools, or because your financial circumstances have recently changed. Don't worry – your aid offer is not necessarily final. You can write a financial aid appeal letter to request a revised financial aid package.

What are the consequences of backing out of early decision? ›

In summary, there aren't any direct legal or financial consequences (aside from potentially losing your deposit) for not enrolling after being accepted through ED. However, it does reflect poorly on your moral compass, and thus could potentially affect your reputation within the admissions community.

Do people get denied early decision? ›

You may not apply to more than one college under early decision. If you are not accepted, you will either be rejected or deferred. Rejected applicants may not apply again that year. Deferred applicants will be reconsidered during the regular admission period, and are free to apply to other schools.

Can you break an ED agreement? ›

While the agreement is binding, it is not a legal one and you are not forced to attend the college or university if you truly don't want to. However, if you don't have a good reason for backing out of the Early Decision agreement, you could be hit with some serious consequences and penalties.

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