Spotlight on Harvey Mudd College

Today's college spotlight features one of the great undergraduate science and engineering colleges in the United States. While places like M.I.T. and Stanford often top the rankings of best engineering programs, some future engineers prefer a more intimate and personal educational setting. With an entirely undergraduate focus and a mere 735 students, Harvey Mudd College provides just that. The school's 9 to 1 student / faculty ratio means that students get to know their professors well, and undergraduates won't be competing with grad students to do research with the faculty.

Harvey Mudd's curriculum emphasizes the liberal arts and sciences as an essential part of an engineering degree. As a member of the Claremont Colleges, Harvey Mudd gives its students access to all of the academic offerings of the member colleges. The five undergraduate colleges in the consortium mean that a Harvey Mudd student can easily take an English class at Pomona, Sociology at Pitzer, and a language class at Scripps. Library, dining, and other resources are also shared between colleges.

Harvey Mudd College has a hefty price tag, but they do pretty well with financial aid. 85% of students receive aid, and the average institutional grant is over $20,000.

To learn more about the costs and admissions requirements of Harvey Mudd College, be sure to check out the Harvey Mudd profile and visit the official Harvey Mudd website. If you're familiar with Harvey Mudd, please share your thoughts in the Harvey Mudd College discussion thread in the College Admissions Forum.

Every week I spotlight a great college that might be off the radar of college applicants. If you'd like to recommend a school for a future spotlight, please do so here in the forum.