Harvey Mudd College supplemental essays
Harvey Mudd College asks for two supplemental essays in 2026-27. Common App. Personal statement required (250-650 words).
That is two supplements plus the Common App personal statement: three pieces of writing in all. Early Decision closes November 15, 2026, Early Decision II closes January 5, 2027 and Regular Decision closes January 5, 2027. The prompts carry these limits: 500 words or less, 250 words or less. Every Harvey Mudd College prompt is printed on this page in full, with its word limit and who has to answer it, checked against the college’s own admissions page.
Deadlines
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Early Decision | November 15, 2026 |
| Early Decision II | January 5, 2027 |
| Regular Decision | January 5, 2027 |
Checked against www.hmc.edu/admission/apply/first-year-students. Confirm on the college’s own page before you submit.
The essays, 2026-27
Required · 500 words or less
The problems that Harvey Mudd College students hope to tackle are shaped by their experiences, values, and communities. Through our intentionally interdisciplinary curriculum and our mission to develop “a clear understanding of the impact of their work,” Mudders develop the skills needed to address these complex challenges and contribute meaningfully to society. Share how an experience you’ve had or community you belong to has shaped the kinds of problems you want to solve and the impact you want to make.
Labelled 'Question 1' on HMC's page. The first paragraph is the framing text HMC prints above the question; the second paragraph is the question itself. HMC calls this piece the 'additional essay'.
Get a free read on this essayPaste your draft, see the verdict before you pay.No draft yet? Pick a topic for this promptRequired · 250 words or less
No one succeeds alone, and at Harvey Mudd College, no one expects you to. In and out of the classroom, HMC students are encouraged to embrace challenges, collaborate with one another, and ask for support when they need it. Describe a time when asking for help made a difference in your work or wellbeing. What led you to reach out, and what did you take away from the experience?
Labelled 'Question 2' on HMC's page. HMC calls this piece the 'short answer response'.
Get a free read on this essayPaste your draft, see the verdict before you pay.No draft yet? Pick a topic for this prompt
Your Harvey Mudd College checklist
Two supplements, all required. The first deadline, Early Decision, is November 15, 2026.
- Common App personal statementRequired250-650 words
- Supplement 1Required500 words or less
- Supplement 2Required250 words or less
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Getting into Harvey Mudd College
Harvey Mudd College admits 12.7% of applicants. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1500-1570 on the SAT and 34-36 on the ACT.
About 1 in 8 applicants are admitted, at a college of 921 undergraduates.
| Enrolled students | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total | 1500 | 1540 | 1570 |
| SAT reading and writing | 730 | 750 | 770 |
| SAT math | 770 | 790 | 800 |
| ACT composite | 34 | 35 | 36 |
What SAT score do you need for Harvey Mudd College?
A 1570 puts you in the top quarter of the students who enrolled, a 1540 at their midpoint, and a 1500 at the bottom quarter, meaning one in four enrolled students scored below it. The same three points on the ACT are 34, 35 and 36. A quarter of an enrolled class scoring under the 25th percentile is not a rounding error, so a score below the range is a reason to strengthen the rest of the application rather than a reason not to apply.
US Department of Education, College Scorecard (2026-09-17). Percentiles describe students who enrolled, not everyone admitted. SAT totals are the reading and math bands added together, which is how every source in this market reports them and is an approximation of about 10 to 20 points, because the two sections are correlated.
- What SAT score do you need for Harvey Mudd College?
- Harvey Mudd College sets no minimum. Among students who enrolled, the middle 50% scored 1500-1570 on the SAT: a 1500 sits at the 25th percentile, 1540 at the median and 1570 at the 75th. A score at or above 1570 is a clear strength in the application; below 1500 it is the part of the file the rest has to make up for. These are the figures Harvey Mudd College reports to the US Department of Education, released in the College Scorecard of 2026-09-17.
- What ACT score do you need for Harvey Mudd College?
- The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 34-36 on the ACT, with a composite of 35 at the median. There is no cutoff: a quarter of the enrolled class scored below 34. Reported by Harvey Mudd College to the US Department of Education, College Scorecard release of 2026-09-17.
- What GPA do you need for Harvey Mudd College?
- The honest answer is that the federal data behind this page does not contain one. Colleges report their admit rate and their enrolled students' test scores to the Department of Education; they do not report a GPA distribution, so any site quoting an exact average GPA for Harvey Mudd College is either reading that college's own Common Data Set or estimating. What the reported data does say is that Harvey Mudd College admits 12.7% of applicants, and the more selective a college is, the closer to the top of the class its admitted students sit and the more the strength of your course load counts alongside the number itself.
- How hard is it to get into Harvey Mudd College?
- Harvey Mudd College admits 12.7% of the people who apply, which is about 1 in 8 applicants. At that rate no set of numbers makes admission likely, a perfect one included, because the college turns away far more qualified applicants than it takes. Strong grades and scores get the application read; the essays, the recommendations and what you have actually done decide it from there.
What Harvey Mudd College costs after grant aid, by family income, from the same federal data.
Sort your whole college list into reaches, targets and likelies, or find colleges that fit your GPA and test scores. Both are free and neither needs an account.
Harvey Mudd College essay questions, answered
- Does Harvey Mudd College have supplemental essays?
- Yes. Harvey Mudd College asks for two supplemental essays in 2026-27. Every prompt is printed in full on this page. Word limits: 500 words or less, 250 words or less.
- How many essays do you write for Harvey Mudd College in 2026-27?
- Two supplements, plus the Common App personal statement.
Schools with similar admit rates
Harvey Mudd College admits 12.7% of applicants. The colleges either side of it in our set by admit rate, most selective first, each with its own prompts and deadlines: Carnegie Mellon University (11.7%), Washington University in St. Louis (12.1%), Haverford College (12.4%), Bates College (13.3%), Davidson College (13.4%), Hamilton College (13.6%).