Pomona College

Claremont, CA · Private

Official website

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Admission rate

Pomona College admitted 7.1% of applicants university-wide (868 of 12,249).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide7.1%86812,249
Early Decision (binding)13.0%2241,726
Men7.6%4015,283
Women6.7%4666,956

Early Decision applicants were admitted at 13%, vs 7.1% overall — ED is a binding commitment.

Of 868 admitted students, 436 enrolled (50.2% yield).

Pomona College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
1500–1550
ACT (mid-50%)
33–35

Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)

Pomona College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $87,914/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$65,420
Fees, housing, food, books & other$22,494
Sticker cost of attendance$87,914/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

Under $30k$4,841
$30k–48k$7,026
$48k–75k$17,054
$75k–110k$15,719
Over $110k$37,842

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

  • Pomona College GrantVaries (up to full demonstrated need) (Need Based)

International applicants

Meets full demonstrated need for internationals.

  • Pomona College GrantVaries (up to full demonstrated need) (Need Based)

Pomona College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024

Application requirements

US applicants

  • High School Transcript
  • Counselor Recommendation
  • Teacher Recommendation (core academic subject)
  • Second Teacher Recommendation (core academic subject)
  • Personal Essay (Common Application)
  • Pomona-specific Essays
  • SAT or ACT Scores (optional)
  • Application fee

International applicants

  • High School Transcript
  • Counselor Recommendation
  • Teacher Recommendation (core academic subject)
  • Second Teacher Recommendation (core academic subject)
  • Personal Essay (Common Application)
  • Pomona-specific Essays
  • SAT or ACT Scores (optional)
  • Application fee
  • English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

Pomona College · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

The Common App personal essay is required (one of 7 shared prompts), plus 4 college-specific supplements:

  1. Describe an experience you had outside the classroom that changed the way you think and/or how you engage with your peers. What was that experience and what did you learn from it?250 words · Choose from this set
  2. Reflecting on a community that you are a part of, what values or perspectives from that community would you bring to Pomona?250 words · Choose from this set
  3. What draws you to the subject(s) you selected as potential major(s)? If undecided, share more about one of your academic passions or interests.150 words · Required
  4. Choose any person or group of people in your life and share how they would describe you.250 words · Choose from this set

Draft these in the free Essay Coach

Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 3, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$77,779
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
93.2%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
97.5%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$11,782
At graduation

Pomona College · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • U.S. News Liberal Arts: #7
  • WSJ: #152
  • Forbes: #36
  • Niche: #26

Deadlines

  • 2026-11-08Early DecisionBinding early round
  • 2027-01-08Regular DecisionStandard deadline

Pomona College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C21–C22 · 2024

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Social sciences (18%), Biological & life sciences (14%), Computer & information sciences (13%).

Student–faculty ratio: 7:1 · 72% of class sections have under 20 students.

Pomona College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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