UC Riverside vs. HMC

Should I go to University of California Riverside or Harvey Mudd College? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if UC Riverside or HMC is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.

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University of California Riverside vs. Harvey Mudd College comparison
University of California Riverside Harvey Mudd College College 3 College 4
University of California Riverside Harvey Mudd College
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Overview

UC Riverside HMC
Location Riverside, CA Claremont, CA
Setting Large City Large Suburban
Enrollment 26,426 949
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #265
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website ucr.edu hmc.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

UC Riverside HMC
Tuition (In State) $11,834 $65,954
Tuition (Out of State) $42,611 $65,954
Room & Board $19,433 $21,710
Avg Net Price $13,533 $42,720
Avg Grant Aid $21,566 $42,070
% Receiving Grant Aid 70% 68%

Admission

UC Riverside HMC
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 62,807 4,792
Admitted 39,758 626
Acceptance Rate 63.3% 13.1%
Enrolled % 13.9% 35.8%
Avg High School GPA 3.84 3.96
Typical High School Grades A- A-
Admissions Standards Difficult Elite
Applicant Competition Low Very High
ACT Range 22/31 34/36
SAT Range 1080/1280 1480/1560
Submit Test Scores Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind) Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline Nov 30, 2025 Jan 5, 2026

Academics

UC Riverside HMC
Student to Faculty Ratio 23:1 8:1
Popular Majors
  • Social Sciences (19%)
  • Business (18%)
  • Biology (14%)
  • Psychology (11%)
  • General Studies (6%)
  • Engineering (42%)
  • Physical Sciences (18%)
  • Mathematics (13%)
  • Computer and Information Sciences (12%)
  • Biology (9%)

Outcomes

UC Riverside HMC
Graduation Rate 67% 84%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $52,200 $84,900
Making Student Loan Payments 65% -
Median Student Loan Debt $19,109 $25,540
Median Loan Payment $197 $264

Diversity

UC Riverside HMC
% Men 9% 3%
% Women 5% 1%
Racial Diversity Very High Very High
HBCU No No
% White 13% 38%
% Black 4% 2%
% Hispanic 36% 13%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 4% 8%
% International 4% 13%
% Unknown Race 1% 5%

Students

UC Riverside HMC
% In-State 95% 43%
% Out-of-State 1% 43%

Campus

UC Riverside HMC
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No Yes
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No No
Daycare Facility Yes No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • University of California Riverside is larger than than HMC based on total student enrollment (26,426 students vs. 949 students)

UC Riverside vs. HMC Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, UC Riverside or HMC?

  • Harvey Mudd College is 457.3% more expensive to attend than UC Riverside for in-state tuition ($65,954.00 vs. $11,834.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 54.8% higher at HMC than University of California Riverside ($65,954.00 vs. $42,611.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at University of California Riverside than HMC ($13,533 vs. $42,720)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at University of California Riverside are 11.7% lower than costs at Harvey Mudd College ($19,433 vs. $21,710)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at University of California Riverside than Harvey Mudd College (70% vs. 68%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Harvey Mudd College students is 95.1% larger than aid received University of California Riverside ($42,070 vs. $21,566)

UC Riverside vs. HMC Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, UC Riverside or HMC? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between HMC or UC Riverside .

  • The average SAT score at Harvey Mudd College (1484) is 365 points higher than at UC Riverside (1119)
  • Incoming HMC students have a 8 point higher average ACT score (34) than students at UC Riverside (26)
  • Accepted freshman HMC students have a 0.12 point higher average high school GPA (3.96) than students at UC Riverside (3.84)
  • UC Riverside has a higher acceptance rate (63.3%) than HMC (13.1%)

UC Riverside vs. HMC Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, UC Riverside or HMC? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between HMC and UC Riverside.

  • The graduation rate at HMC is higher than University of California Riverside (84% vs. 67%)
  • Graduates from Harvey Mudd College earn on average $32,700 more per year than UC Riverside graduates after ten years. ($84,900 vs. $52,200)
  • University of California Riverside students graduate with a $6,431 lower median federal student loan debt than HMC graduates. ($19,109 vs. $25,540)
  • UC Riverside graduates are paying $67 less per month on federal student loans than HMC graduates. ($197 vs. $264)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/