Match #1
California Institute of Technology CalTech
Pasadena, CA
Profile closeness69/100
Admit rate3%
- 987 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Midsize
- Graduation rate 90%, close to 93%
- Enrollment 987 students, close to 921
The colleges most similar to Harvey Mudd College are California Institute of Technology CalTech, Franklin W Olin College of Engineering, and Rice University. Harvey Mudd College admits 13% of applicants and has an average net price of $39,347 a year; 9 of its 10 alternatives cost less and 4 admit a larger share of applicants, in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition.
Profile closeness (0–100) compares graduation rate, size, admit rate, net price, Carnegie class, and control with Harvey Mudd College. The order also uses CollegesRef matching tiers, so a later match can score higher. Admit-rate bars use a 0–100% scale.
Closest matches
Algorithm-ranked matches similar to Harvey Mudd College
Match #2
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
Needham, MA
Profile closeness65/100
Admit rate25%
- 377 students
- Private nonprofit
- Suburb: Large
- Graduation rate 97%, close to 93%
- Acceptance rate 18%, close to 13%
Match #3
Rice University
Houston, TX
Profile closeness52/100
Admit rate8%
- 4,776 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 95%, close to 93%
- Acceptance rate 8%, close to 13%
Match #4
Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT
Cambridge, MA
Profile closeness52/100
Admit rate5%
- 4,535 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Midsize
- Graduation rate 96%, close to 93%
- Acceptance rate 5%, close to 13%
Match #5
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Profile closeness46/100
Admit rate4%
- 7,554 students
- Private nonprofit
- Suburb: Large
- Graduation rate 92%, close to 93%
- Acceptance rate 4%, close to 13%
Match #6
Reed College
Portland, OR
Profile closeness71/100
Admit rate25%
- 1,320 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Enrollment 1,320 students, close to 921
- Same Carnegie classification
Match #7
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
Profile closeness61/100
Admit rate29%
- 3,876 students
- Private nonprofit
- Town: Distant
- Same Carnegie classification
- Same control type (private nonprofit)
Match #8
Union College-New York
Schenectady, NY
Profile closeness61/100
Admit rate44%
- 2,046 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Small
- Same Carnegie classification
- Same control type (private nonprofit)
Match #9
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA
Profile closeness60/100
Admit rate12%
- 7,304 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 94%, close to 93%
- Acceptance rate 12%, close to 13%
Match #10
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
Profile closeness51/100
Admit rate6%
- 5,693 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 93%, close to 93%
- Acceptance rate 6%, close to 13%
AI-assisted picks
Editor-curated list for Harvey Mudd College
Match #1
California Institute of Technology CalTech
Pasadena, CA
Profile closeness69/100
Admit rate3%
- 987 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Midsize
- Graduation rate 90%, close to 93%
- Enrollment 987 students, close to 921
Match #2
Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT
Cambridge, MA
Profile closeness52/100
Admit rate5%
- 4,535 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Midsize
- Graduation rate 96%, close to 93%
- Acceptance rate 5%, close to 13%
Match #3
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
Needham, MA
Profile closeness65/100
Admit rate25%
- 377 students
- Private nonprofit
- Suburb: Large
- Graduation rate 97%, close to 93%
- Acceptance rate 18%, close to 13%
Match #4
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
New York, NY
Profile closeness—
Admit rate21%
- 842 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
Match #5
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Terre Haute, IN
Profile closeness—
Admit rate77%
- 2,081 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Small
Match #6
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA
Profile closeness60/100
Admit rate12%
- 7,304 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 94%, close to 93%
- Acceptance rate 12%, close to 13%
Match #7
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus GA Tech
Atlanta, GA
Profile closeness—
Admit rate14%
- 18,785 students
- Public
- City: Large
Match #8
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI
Troy, NY
Profile closeness—
Admit rate63%
- 5,714 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Small
Match #9
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA
Profile closeness—
Admit rate60%
- 5,447 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Midsize
Match #10
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, CO
Profile closeness—
Admit rate61%
- 6,155 students
- Public
- Suburb: Large
Questions about Harvey Mudd College alternatives
What colleges are similar to Harvey Mudd College?
The closest matches to Harvey Mudd College are California Institute of Technology CalTech, Franklin W Olin College of Engineering, Rice University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT, and Stanford University. CollegesRef ranks them on admissions, cost, graduation rate, size, and campus profile using IPEDS and College Scorecard data.
Is Harvey Mudd College hard to get into?
Harvey Mudd College admitted 13% of its 4,737 applicants in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition, so it is highly selective. 4 of its 10 closest alternatives admit a larger share of applicants.
Which Harvey Mudd College alternatives cost less?
9 of the 10 closest alternatives have a lower average net price than Harvey Mudd College ($39,347 a year), including California Institute of Technology CalTech ($8,509), Rice University ($11,164), and Stanford University ($12,307). Net price is what first-time, full-time students paid after grants; your own price depends on family income.
