About Pomona College

Founded in 1887, Pomona College. is a Private college. Located in California, which is a city setting in California, the campus itself is Suburban. The campus is home to 1,563 full time undergraduate students, and 0 full time graduate students.

The Pomona College Academic calendar runs on a Semester basis. In the school year the student to faculty ratio was 7:1. There are 217 full time instructional teachers. Degrees awarded at Pomona College include: Bachelor's Degree, Masters Degree, Post-master's certificate, Doctor's degree.

Quick Facts

Acceptance Rate9%
Application Deadline8-Nov
Application Fee70
SAT Range1340-1540
ACT Range31-34

Admissions at are considered Most Selective, with ,20% of all applicants being admitted.

In the school year, of the students who applied to the school, only 5 of those who were admitted eventually ended up enrolling.

0% of incoming freshmen are in the top half of their high school class. 100% were in the top quarter, and 90% were in the top tenth. You can apply online.

STUDENT LIFE Reviews

We asked, and students answered these important questions about student life at Pomona College.

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  • How would you rate on-campus housing?

    40 Students rated on-campus housing 4.5 stars. 50 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate off-campus housing?

    24 Students rated off-campus housing 2.4 stars. 0 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate campus food?

    41 Students rated campus food 4.4 stars. 51 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate campus facilities?

    41 Students rated campus facilities 4.7 stars. 68 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate class size?

    41 Students rated class size 4.7 stars. 68 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate school activities?

    41 Students rated school activities 4.4 stars. 49 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate local services?

    41 Students rated local services 4 stars. 41 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate academics?

    41 Students rated academics 4.5 stars. 56 % gave the school a 5.0.

Pomona College REVIEWS

What's your overall opinion of Pomona College?

11 Students rated Pomona College

Michelle - 08/12/2022

Unfortunately, Pomona College left me extremely underwhelmed. Pomona was my dream school since I started high school; I wanted to feel like I belonged in a community with radically different people and schools of thought. Plot twist, the #1 Diverse College in America Ranking is given to Pomona is simply systematic. Even in a small college where it is accessible to meet and converse with different people, I often only met the same people. These people were intolerant and unwilling to empathize with others, often to an extreme point where the minority of my peers felt shunned and constantly invalidated. Pomona College prides itself on being an elite academic institution with world-class professors and curious students. What I encountered was that 90% of the teachers were unmotivated and constantly looking to switch jobs, and teachers who were supposed to open their students' eyes to world ideas only spoke their truths in an academic setting. In order to flourish it is crucial to be around different people and specifically surrounded by professors who aren't only trying to expand their sphere of influence politically but are able to empathize and emphasize the truth within every different political opinion. To keep in mind, it is a great challenge to be at Pomona if you are anything other than an extreme liberal as you will find yourself constantly trying to be corrected morally and hitting a wall in your education. Professors should educate others about the diverse realities of the world, and unfortunately at Pomona, they only care about you agreeing with their opinions. In conclusion, keep your personal business out of education, or else you are stumping a student from reaching their potential and being able to create their own personal identity without pressure or judgment.

Selena - 11/03/2020

This is my dream school -- I could not be happier anywhere else! The professors are accessible, the opportunities both on and off-campus are amazing, and most of all, the people are the best you'll find. The food is also so so great, and all the classes I've taken are beyond incredible!

Joanna - 04/16/2019

Pomona is not a perfect place, but it tries to be pretty darn close. On its website and mailing lists, Pomona advertises itself as an elite liberal arts institution with small class sizes, approachable professors, rigorous academics, plenty of extracurricular activities, and quirky traditions like 47 and fountaining (look them up if you're curious!) While these aspects have been (mostly) true, what I have come to love about Pomona are its students and the communities that they create. I am always in awe of my peers and since Pomona encourage collaboration rather than competition, I get to benefit from working with them in and out of the classroom. Even though I am a biology major, I find myself in hour-long conversations about US-Mexican border politics with Latin-American studies majors, or in heated discussions about public transportation policies with Environmental Analysis majors. I am constantly learning and being challenged to gain new perspectives. Pomona students are always working hard to make Pomona and the world a better place. Our communities recognize issues like imposter syndrome and under-representation, and we constantly advocate for ourselves with the college administration, create workshops to address these challenges, and build spaces to continue brainstorming solutions to these problems. Most Pomona students will say that Pomona is not perfect, but that's because they care about it so much that they want it to be better. By learning to recognize imperfection and actively striving to make things better, we are trained to tackle other issues beyond Pomona. I am truly grateful for my time here. Through Pomona, I was able to study abroad in Denmark for a semester based on my normal financial aid package, with no extra cost. In fact, Pomona even paid for my airfare and gave me a stipend to travel and live abroad! Pomona also sponsored me to pursue unpaid internships during the school year through its PCIP program, giving me invaluable real-world experience. The classes here have been challenging and enlightening, and the professors are always approachable. It's not uncommon to be invited to dinner at professors' houses, and they constantly show that they care about your growth. I will remember my time here fondly, and I will always be thankful for the opportunities that Pomona has given me.

Michelle - 02/12/2018

It provides an intimate student to student relationship through its small college experience and highlights a focus on learning for the sake of learning. It is also a very safe campus with a lot of campus support. The consortium allows for a big college feel in a small college.

Pomona College FAQS

  1. What is the Acceptance Rate at Pomona College?

    The fall 2020 acceptance rate for Pomona College is 9%. That means, out of _____ applications received in 2020 , _____ students were offered admission. The number of males who applied was _____ vs the number of females which was _____.

  2. What is the stereotype of students at your school?

    Some stereotypes are that we are conceded about our intelligence. Another is the overly liberal standpoint of the student body and the school as a whole.

    Read all 88 answers

  3. Describe the students at your school.

    Everybody has an amazing life story to share at Pomona. They are wildly creative individuals and ridiculously smart, and always available to lend an ear or collaborate on a research project. They are amazingly wonderful people. I've never been happier as when I'm surrounded by this group of students.

    Read all 87 answers

  4. Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?

    Pomona students are definitely rich, and on the whole uncomfortably so for anyone that doesn't come from a similar background. They're also very smart and on the whole easily successful. There is very little pretentiousness, even though that seems to be the most common and popular stereotype.

    Read all 86 answers

  5. What are the academics like at your school?

    Professors always know your name and are available to help. They encourage you to express your opinion, but challenge you on it so that you can back it up with facts. If you put in the time you will be rewarded in the classroom, both with respect to grades and overall knowledge.

    Read all 86 answers

  6. What is your overall opinion of this school?

    Good size school, the consortium makes it so that there enough people you don't feel strangled, but its small enough that everything feels familiar. The new village expansion is really nice and makes living in Claremont less like being in a bubble.

    Read all 82 answers

  7. What are the most popular student activities/groups?

    Over half of the Pomona student body is into partying. You know, the drunken college kind. If that's not your thing, it's going to get annoying, but it's nowhere near as bad as other schools where the numbers are more skewed. If that is your thing, knock yourself out, and enjoy the fact that everyone's "student fees" go towards buying you alcohol.

    Read all 80 answers

  8. What should every freshman at your school know before they start?

    Trust your instincts, go with what you really want and not what you think that your family wants or that your teachers expect of you. Your inner drive is so strong, it will take you on incredible adventures and you will grow into a generous, successful, kind, and very valuable woman. Do not question yourself. Do not look at what others are doing. And do not waste time trying to fill 200 words to appear intelligent or empassioned when you have nothing left to say.

    Read all 38 answers

  9. Here's your chance: Say anything about your college!

    I don't think there's any other school in the country that has such a universally friendly student body. It's actually so friendly, sometimes it feels weird because I don't think that culture of just being kind exists anywhere else.

    Read all 37 answers

  10. Tell us about the sports scene on campus.

    We are by no means the best around, but a lot of students are involved in sports to some degree.

    Read all 23 answers

  11. What's unique about your campus?

    5 College consortium, very intelligent and inquisitive students, small classes.

    Read all 12 answers

  12. What kind of person should not attend this school?

    A person who does not like to be challanged or settles for average should not attend Pomona College.

    Read all 9 answers

  13. Describe your favorite campus traditions.

    Being laid back. Though I am not one of those people, the whole campus is just relaxed.

    Read all 8 answers

  14. What do you consider the worst thing about your school? Why?

    The administration tries to control partying and drug/alcohol use too much through fines, to the extent that people end up just taking shots in their rooms because much else will get the RA's attention. A lot of people choose to party at CMC instead too.

    Read all 7 answers

  15. What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?

    I wish I had known that most of the students are kind of boring and the immediate surrounding area isn't that exciting, but the larger surrounding area has lots of offer and Pomona has a great outdoors program.

    Read all 6 answers

  16. What is the stereotype of students at your school? Is this stereotype accurate?

    The two main stereotypes about Pomona students are that they are elitist and happy. I honestly don't really know where the elitism thing comes from--I think a lot of small, private colleges suffer from that misconception--but the happiness thing is definitely pretty true. I can't think of another place where I've been surrounded by so many happy been, or have been so happy myself.

    Read all 6 answers

  17. Describe how your school looks to someone who's never seen it.

    Pomona College is the type of school where one is able to find themselves and not be judged because of it.

    Read all 6 answers

  18. What are your classes like?

    A look at a beginning ball room dance class taught by the head of the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Club teacher.

    Read all 4 answers

  19. What kind of person should attend this school?

    Motivated free thinkers should look at this school. Analyze everything, take nothing for granted. Care about education and care about understanding the universe on a deeper level without being lost in the impracticality of philosophy.

    Read all 4 answers

  20. What do you brag about most when you tell your friends about your school?

    The weather, the small class sizes, the econ and math departments' closeness to their students, Martha Andresen, being able to take any class I wanted, my friends, my dorms, my life.

    Read all 4 answers

  21. What's the most frustrating thing about your school?

    To be fair, probably also the friendliness - it's great for the most part, but some people do it superficially, and for those people, the friendliness comes at the expense of honesty. I'd rather have people be superficially nice than genuinely mean, but I'd rather have people be genuinely apathetic than superficially nice, so it's a tradeoff.

    Read all 3 answers

Student Body

Students

50%

female

50%

male

1,563

Total Undergrad Enrollment

N/A

Total Grad Students

54%

Out-Of-State

26%

In-State

20%

International

Organizations

227

Student Organizations

3

Fraternities

N/A

Sororities

Housing

Yes

On-Campus Housing

96%

of students living on campus

Student Diversity

% American Indian/Alaskan Native
N/A
% Asian/Pacific Islander
14%
% Black or African-American
8%
% Hispanic/Latino
15%
% White or Caucasian
37%

TUITION & AID

All students must apply yearly for financial aid. This process starts with the FAFSA. Though financial aid deadlines vary by school, it is a good idea to apply as soon as possible. For the upcoming school year, you can apply as early as October 1 for the FAFSA. Additional school aid will be dependent on the FAFSA results.

64% of students attending Pomona College receive some sort of financial aid. 23% were awarded federal grants. While 10% received federal loans. Many students do also need to apply for additional private student loans.

Cost Out of State

$49,352

Tuition and fees(Out of state)

$900

Books and Supplies

$15,605

Room and Board

65,857

Total On Campus

Actual Cost By Income Level(W/Financial Aid)

Family Income
Cost
$0 - $30K
$5,739
$30 - $48K
$3,432
$48 - $75K
$6,975
$75 - $110K
$10,346
$110K & UP
$37,440

We use student reviews and the most current publicly available data on our school pages. As such, we don't typically remove or edit college information. Sources for school statistics and data include the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. Portions of college data include copyrighted material, which is reproduced on this website by permission of Wintergreen Orchard House, a division of Carnegie Communications. © 2009-2016 by Wintergreen Orchard House. All rights reserved.

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