Claremont Colleges

The Claremont Colleges are a consortium of seven schools of higher education located in Claremont, California. Unlike most other college consortiums, the Claremont College campuses are adjoining and within reasonable walking distance of one another. The purpose of the consortium is to provide the specialization, flexibility and personal attention commonly found in a small college, with the resources of a large university. The colleges have a tradition of being selective in their admittance and all are consistently ranked among the best schools in the United States.

The five undergraduate colleges are:

• Claremont McKenna College, specializing in business and public affairs
• Harvey Mudd College, specializing in science and engineering while maintaining a liberal-arts tradition
• Pitzer College, specializing in interdisciplinary, intercultural education and social responsibility
• Pomona College, specializing in the liberal arts and humanities
• Scripps College, a women's college specializing in the liberal arts and humanities

The two graduate universities are:

• Claremont Graduate University
• Keck Graduate Institute, a biomedical graduate school

Each college is independent, but large or expensive facilities and programs are shared.

Shared academic departments include the Intercollegiate Women's Studies Center, the Intercollegiate Department of Black Studies, the Intercollegiate Department of Chicano Studies, the Intercollegiate Department of Asian American Studies, and the Five-College Theater Department.

Shared intercollegiate programs include the European Union Center of California, Chicano/Latino Student Affairs, the Office of Black Student Affairs, the Office of the Chaplains, Hillel, the Asian American Resource Center, and the Women's Union. The colleges also coordinate budgets and course schedules to allow for cross-registration, which is not only permitted but encouraged.

Shared facilities include the Libraries of the Claremont Colleges, Baxter Medical Center, Mounsour Counseling Center, McAlister Center (home of the Office of the Chaplains and Health Education Outreach), Huntley Bookstore, all dining facilites and several sports facilities.

In addition, three of the Claremont Colleges, Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, and Pitzer College, share a single, joint science program.

Athletics teams from Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College and Scripps College compete as one team. Male athletic teams are called the Stags, and women's teams are called the Athenas. The teams participate in the NCAA's Division III and in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). Pomona College and Pitzer College compete together in the SCIAC. Their teams are called the Sagehens.

The Claremont School of Theology is affiliated with the consortium, but not a member.

All seven Claremont Colleges are administered by the Claremont University Consortium.