That is what I am going to show you here. I am not going to tell you whether Scripps is “good” or “bad” for your family—that is not something an article decides; you decide it, with your daughter, based on what she wants to study and what you can afford. But I will give you the map of this specific piece, with the numbers exactly as the institution reported them to the federal government.
What kind of school Scripps College is
Scripps College is in Claremont, California, within Los Angeles County, in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metropolitan area. The census code places it in a suburb: within the urbanized area, but outside the principal city. If your daughter is considering living at home while studying there, do not rely on the map: drive the route yourself on a weekday, at the time she would have class. The real travel time is almost never what Google Maps promises.
It is a private, nonprofit institution offering four years or more. The federal system that classifies the country’s colleges describes it as a baccalaureate college focused on arts and sciences: very small and highly residential. That last term has a precise meaning—in the year used for that classification, at least half of undergraduate students lived in housing owned, controlled, or affiliated with the institution, and at least 80 out of every 100 studied full time. It is also part of the group that the same classification considers more selective in undergraduate admissions.
Being “highly residential” does not mean your daughter has to move there, nor does it mean living on campus is included in tuition. Room and board are charged separately, as you will see later.
It is worth stating clearly what Scripps College is not, according to federal records: it is not designated as a historically Black college or university, it is not a tribal college or university, and it is not a land-grant institution. None of those three labels applies here. That says nothing about which students the school serves today, how many Latino students are on campus, or how your son will feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers exist, what student organizations are available, and—if you can—talk with someone already studying there.
A small community, and mostly women
Scripps College had 1,103 students enrolled in the most recent official fall count. That is a medium size within the federal system—the range goes from 1,000 to 4,999—but compared with the 941 selective private four-year schools that make up its comparison group in this census, it is on the smaller side: seven out of ten of those schools, or more, have more students than it does. Of that total, 1,082 are undergraduates and only 21 are graduate students: it is primarily a baccalaureate institution.
One fact you probably already knew if you researched at all: the percentage of women among undergraduates rounds to 100. That does not mean no men are enrolled, but it does describe a student community that is almost entirely female. The percentage of students between 25 and 64 years old rounds to zero—again, “almost nobody,” not “nobody.”
As for the Latino community: 12 out of every 100 undergraduate students reported in the most recent fall are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority. Compared with those same 941 schools in its group, it is above the midpoint without reaching the highest quarter. That comparison has an important limitation: peers are grouped by school type, not by state, and that matters here—it does not account for the fact that they are in California. If this matters to you, do not leave it out of your conversation during the visit: ask what currently exists for Latino students, from student groups to someone in the office who speaks Spanish.
Being a small school does not automatically mean more attention for your daughter—that is something to ask about by major, not by the institution’s overall size.
How the academic year works and how broad the offerings are
The year at Scripps is organized by semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The institution accepts AP exam credits, but did not indicate that it awards credit for life experience. Saying they accept AP does not mean they will award credit for every exam: it does not say how many points they require or whether those credits will count toward your daughter’s specific major. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling—do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for what is studied there: in the most recently reported year, Scripps awarded 250 bachelor’s degrees, distributed across 20 career families. The family that awarded the most degrees was biology and biomedical sciences, with 21 out of every 100 degrees that year—it is the largest, but it is nowhere close to taking up the bulk. It is a distributed offering, not one concentrated in a single area. Still, 20 families with activity in the report are not 20 specific majors: each family groups several programs. Verify the exact program your daughter is interested in, by its full name, before assuming it is available.
The official ratio of students to instructional staff, both measured in full-time equivalents, is 11 to 1. Compared with those same 941 similar schools, it falls below the midpoint—it is a low ratio. But be careful: this number does not tell you the actual size of first-year classes, and by itself it does not show that more staff are available for each student. It is an aggregate ratio for the entire school.
One specific fact worth mentioning: the institution reports study abroad as a structured academic opportunity.
Getting into Scripps: what it requires and how difficult it is
This is where it makes sense to sit down calmly, because there are several pieces.
Scripps College does not have open admissions. Of the admissions considerations the federal system reviews, it marked five as required: the high school record, completion of the course plan required by the college, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, and the English-proficiency exam for applicants who need it. Put simply: collecting documents is not enough here. The essay is required, so your daughter has to write one.
There are other pieces that are not required but that the school does consider if you send them: high school grade-point average, class rank, work experience, and whether someone in the family studied there before—the so-called legacy status. If that is not the case for your family, do not spend energy on it. Spend it on what is within your control.
The published undergraduate application fee is $60.
Now, observed selectivity, which differs from the requirements policy: in the most recent cycle, Scripps received 3,082 first-time applications and offered admission to 1,046. That is 34 out of every 100—thirty-four. Compared with its group of 942 similar selective private schools, it is among those that admit the fewest: nine out of ten of those schools, or more, admitted a higher percentage of applicants. On the other side, 2,036 applicants did not receive an offer—that number matters too. It is fine for Scripps to be on your daughter’s list. It should not be the only one.
And here is a fact many families overlook: out of every 100 students Scripps admitted to its most recent first-year class, only 26 ultimately enrolled there. The other 74 had the letter in hand and still chose another school. Compared with its peer group, that 26% falls in the middle—neither particularly high nor low. Receiving an acceptance letter is not the same as deciding to attend. And this number, by itself, does not measure quality or prestige: it only counts how many admitted students chose to enroll. When the letters arrive, put them side by side and compare net price, major, and distance—that is what decides, not this figure.
On standardized tests: the SAT and ACT are not required at Scripps—it has a “test optional” policy. Among those who enrolled and submitted an SAT score (26 out of every 100), the middle half scored between 720 and 760 in reading and writing, and between 700 and 770 in mathematics. Those ranges are for students who were already enrolled and chose to submit their scores—they are not for all applicants, and that 720 is not a minimum nor is that 760 a guarantee.
On transfers: in the most recent count, 14 undergraduate students arrived at Scripps by transfer from another institution. Compared with its peer group, that count places it in the lower half—although remember that it is a number of people, not a proportion, and it goes hand in hand with the school’s size. The school did not report the transfer-out rate for its cohort, so that information simply is not available. Absence of data is not the same as zero.
The list price, and why it is not your price
At Scripps College, among 12 first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income of less than $30,000, the average net price was $14,617. Among 8 students in the same population with family EFC income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $22,440; among 50 students with family EFC income above $110,000, it was $51,165. For dependent students, the range adds their parents’ income and their own.
Between the average for the lowest-income range (12 students) and that of the highest range (50 students), there is a difference of $36,548. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any scholarship, the average was $45,505.
$14,617 was the average net price for the lowest-income families in academic year 2022-23. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps you know whether it is worth requesting the aid letter.
Because the price changes so much from one income range to another, placing yours accurately is the first step. The income ranges in this profile describe first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or district rate. The overall average with scholarships, when it appears, describes first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants. What controls is the aid letter you receive.
Aid, scholarships, and loans: who pays what
Of all degree-seeking students at Scripps, 59 out of every 100 received some kind of aid that does not have to be repaid—a scholarship or grant. That is more than half, but not everyone. Compared with its group of 942 peers, Scripps falls in the quarter where scholarships reach fewer students. Among those who did receive it, the annual average was $36,697—real money, but it is not a price: what matters is what remains after aid, and that must be requested case by case.
Only 12 out of every 100 students received the federal Pell Grant, aid directed to those demonstrating greater financial need.
And here is something worth emphasizing because it contradicts the image many families have of “the expensive college that puts everyone into debt”: in the most recently reported year, only 23 out of every 100 Scripps undergraduate students received any federal student loan. Most were not awarded a federal loan that year. Among those who did receive one, the amount averaged $4,377—a low-to-middle amount. Compared with its peer group, Scripps is among the schools that rely least on federal loans: nine out of ten of those schools, or more, had a higher proportion of students with debt.
The fact that most did not use federal loans does not mean everyone could cover the year without difficulty: there may have been scholarships, work, family savings, or other types of debt that this report does not record. And that average of $4,377 is for one year only and only for federal loans in the student’s name—it does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, bank debt, or the total debt with which someone leaves upon graduating. To determine that, all years would have to be added together, and that number is not in this report.
Scripps also reports two mechanisms for managing payment: a prepaid tuition plan and an installment payment plan. It is worth asking about them directly at the finance office if family cash flow is part of the conversation.
Living there: housing, ROTC, sports, and format
Scripps does have institution-owned housing, and it does not require all first-time students to live there—although that does not say whether a specific program may require it. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of weekly meals in the largest plan. The maximum reported housing capacity is 1,046 students. The existence of housing does not guarantee a bed for your daughter: request in writing the current-year rate, the deadline to apply, and whether space is guaranteed or whether she will go on a waiting list.
There is an ROTC opportunity, with the Army branch confirmed in writing in the report. Navy and Air Force are not marked—not confirmed is not the same as impossible, but you should ask directly if your son is interested in another branch.
Scripps competes in intercollegiate sports and is affiliated with the NCAA—not other associations. The report confirms membership for soccer, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track, but does not specify a division or whether athletic scholarships are available. Ask each sport’s coach directly.
There is no distance education: zero undergraduate students took all their classes online in the most recent count. If your daughter needs scheduling flexibility because of work or caring for someone at home, everything must fit into an in-person format.
For support services, the institution reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program, a point of contact for veterans and military personnel, and a web page for disability services.
They stay, and the vast majority graduate
Here are probably the most encouraging numbers in this entire article—stated with the same discipline as all the earlier ones.
Of the cohort that entered as first-time, full-time students in 2022, 88 out of every 100 were still enrolled at Scripps or had already graduated one year later. It is a high proportion: compared with its group of 930 peers, it falls in the upper part. This result combines two groups—those still enrolled and those who had already graduated—without separating them, and it does not reveal what happened to the remaining 12%.
As for graduation: of the cohort that entered in 2017, 87 out of every 100 (284 of 326 students) graduated within six years or less. At four years—the time frame most families budget for—the figure falls to 68 out of every 100. That is a difference of 19 points between the fourth and sixth years. That does not tell you how many semesters each person took or how much that additional time cost: before signing, request in writing how long the specific program your daughter is interested in usually takes, and how the total cost changes if the plan stretches out.
Compared with 920 similar schools, Scripps is among those graduating the most students within six years: nine out of ten in that group, or more, reported an equal or lower proportion. It is a strong fact. It is also true that this result describes that specific cohort, not a promise for your daughter.
And there is a third measure, at eight years, for a cohort that entered in 2015-16: 83 out of every 100 had a degree or certificate from Scripps by August 2023. It is among the schools that graduate the most students in its comparison group—it falls in the top quarter among 935 peers. Again: it describes a past cohort, and a high percentage is not a promise to any particular person. It is worth asking about the program’s current supports and outcomes for more recent cohorts.
What this article cannot tell you
We do not know from this source what happens after someone graduates from Scripps: there are no data on employment, salary, or debt at graduation. That requires another source, and you will not find it invented here.
Now it is up to you
You now have the piece that corresponds to this college: who gets in, what the list price is, how much each family ends up paying based on income, who stays, and who graduates. That is real, verifiable, and does not change based on how you feel when reading it.
But this piece alone does not make a plan. What your daughter wants to study and what she has built to get here are still missing—that belongs to her. Your role is to support that decision, not make it for her or carry it alone yourself.
When you put the three pieces together, you will know whether Scripps College makes sense for you. Until then, this is what you knew you needed to know, and now you know it.
Source note: the information in this article comes from official data reported by the institution to the IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) of the United States Department of Education, corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Scripps College or any government agency; this piece organizes and explains public data to help families understand it.