What a friend would tell you
What Scripps is looking for
Scripps wants confident, intellectually ambitious women who chose a women's college intentionally. Explain why the single-sex environment matters to you and how you'll use the Claremont Consortium's resources. Show critical thinking and a willingness to engage with ideas, not just recite accomplishments. Students who connect their interests to Scripps' interdisciplinary Core curriculum stand out.
What students wish they'd known
Claremont is a quiet suburb 35 miles east of LA; getting to the city requires a car or the Metrolink commuter train. At 1,050 students, the campus is tiny, and social dynamics are intense. While the Consortium provides access to four other campuses, Scripps students sometimes report feeling overshadowed by Pomona or Claremont McKenna. Career services and alumni networks are limited compared to larger institutions. STEM facilities lean on the Consortium's shared resources.
Scripps might be a fit if...
- You want a women's college experience with the resources of five schools at your doorstep in sunny Southern California
- You're drawn to interdisciplinary humanities and arts with a feminist intellectual tradition
- You want small classes and close faculty relationships at a school where women's voices are centered, not competing for airtime
Scripps Admissions Strategy
1.2x
Early Decision Advantage
Early Decision admits at 1.2x the RD rate. The trade: ED is binding. Apply only if you'd say yes on the spot.
Early Decision: the numbers
Scripps's Early Decision acceptance rate is 47.0% vs 38.3% overall. ED is binding. If you are admitted, you are committing to enroll. This signals strong commitment and gives a meaningful admissions advantage.
Deadlines: ED November 15 · RD January 8
Deadlines: ED November 15 · RD January 8
Test Policy
Test-optional
You choose whether to send scores. A strong score helps your case; a weak one is better left off.
Demonstrated Interest
Not Tracked
Not tracked. Skip the info-session circuit and put those hours into the application itself.
Interview
Optional on campus
Yield Rate
49%
49% of admits enroll, which is typical for a selective school. Waitlists here move every year.
Want the strongest possible application to Scripps, plus better odds and merit offers everywhere else you apply?
Join the free one-hour workshop from two Harvard grads who have helped 3,000+ students get in. Parents welcome.
Cost & Financial Aid at Scripps
$90,000
Sticker Price
$5,000
Avg Merit Aid
Need-blind admissions. Meets 100% of demonstrated need. 88% receive financial aid.
What you get for it: Scripps spends about $61,000 per student per year on instruction and student resources, roughly 4x the $15K national average. You see it in class sizes, faculty access, and research budgets.
What Scripps Graduates Get
$54,000
Avg Starting Salary
93%
Employed or in Grad School
61%
Graduate in 4 Years
The 4-year number is the on-time rate; the 6-year rate (82%) is the one schools usually advertise. A wide gap means many students pay for extra semesters.
Scripps Campus & Culture
The Campus
Scripps' 30-acre campus in Claremont, California, is built around a series of Mediterranean-style courtyards with tiled fountains, bougainvillea, citrus groves, and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. Margaret Fowler Garden, with its mural by Mexican artist Alfredo Ramos Martinez, is the quiet centerpiece. The Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery and the Humanities Building frame the central quad. The other four Claremont Colleges are within a five-minute walk, and the San Gabriel Mountains rise behind campus.
The Social Scene
Women-centered, intimate, strong co-curricular culture
Scripps Traditions & Trivia
Denison Door Ritual
First-year students process through the wooden East Door of Ella Strong Denison Library during orientation to sign the class register; those same doors open at Commencement for seniors to walk out and mark the end.
Afternoon Tea
Every Wednesday afternoon since 1931, free tea is served on campus for students, faculty, staff, and guests from across the Claremont Colleges; it is the oldest continuous social tradition at the college.
Olive Harvest
Each fall when conditions are right, the campus community harvests olives from the college's own trees and presses them into olive oil.
Academics at Scripps
What Scripps is known for
Women's college excellence, Claremont Consortium access, rigorous academics
Most popular majors at Scripps
Standout programs
Humanities, sciences, strong liberal arts
How the curriculum works
Flexible major/minor with distribution requirements
Recommended high school courses
4 years English, 4 years Math, 4 years Science, 3 years History/Social Studies, 3 years Foreign Language
Notable Scripps Alumni
Gabrielle Giffords
U.S. Representative and gun control advocate, Scripps class of 1993
Molly Munger
Civil rights attorney and education philanthropist
Iris Chang
Author of The Rape of Nanking, Scripps class of 1989
Serena Altschul
CBS News correspondent, Scripps alumna
If you like Scripps, also consider
Wellesley College
Premier women's college with stronger endowment and East Coast location
Barnard College
Women's college in New York City with Columbia access
Pomona College
Co-ed Claremont neighbor with highest selectivity and broader academic range
Claremont McKenna College
Next door, co-ed, more pre-professional and leadership-focused
Smith College
Five College Consortium women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts