Transfer Applicants

Transfer Applicant Eligibility

Students are considered for transfer standing if they will have completed the equivalent of at least one year’s full-time college work at the time of enrollment at Pomona College. Students who will have completed less than one academic year at another college are urged to consult the coordinator for transfer admission about standing.

Candidates who previously have applied to or been enrolled at Pomona College should make that fact known when contacting the Admissions Office about transferring.

Individuals who have already earned a bachelor's degree are not eligible to apply to Pomona.

All transfer students must spend a minimum of four semesters in full time regular standing at Pomona in order to receive the B.A. degree. A student may not transfer any more than 16 course credits toward the 32 minimum requirement.

In evaluating transfer applications, the Admissions Committee places considerable weight on the nature and quality of the previous college record and its compatibility with Pomona’s general education program. Where the college transcript does not clearly indicate the quality of work (i.e., a large number of pass/no credit courses), it is the applicant’s responsibility to provide supplementary information on which the Committee can base its decision. Candidates should understand that admission to transfer standing is extremely competitive.

Credit granted for work taken in other institutions will be determined by the Academic Procedures Committee after the candidate has been admitted. Course credit is ordinarily transferable if: (1) the prior college is accredited, (2) the course carries a grade of "C" or better, and (3) the course is comparable to a course offered by Pomona College. Pomona faculty members may be consulted on the question of course comparability and the candidate may be asked to submit catalogue course descriptions, syllabi, and reading lists in addition to complete transcripts. This process may be time-consuming and normally only a tentative estimate of course transferability will be available to the candidate at the time of initial enrollment at Pomona College. Conversion of credit from a unit system can be made by equating four semester hours or six quarter hours to one Pomona course.

Transfer Application Checklist

Required

Please note that all required forms are available on the Common Application website.

• Common Application for transfer students.

• Pomona College Common Application Transfer Supplement [pdf] (if possible, please submit through the Common Application Web site)

• Secondary School Final Report [pdf] : This form should be completed by your high school advisor or counselor, and may be submitted via the Common Application system, or mailed. The Admissions Committee may waive the requirement of a Secondary School Report for candidates who, at the time of application, have completed at least two full years of college work or who have been out of high school for more than two years.

• College Official's Form [pdf] : You should have the College Official's Form completed by a member of the Dean of Students’ staff or, in a community college, by a member of the counseling staff who has access to your complete college record. If you have attended more than one college, this form must be completed by an administrator from the college you most recently attended. This form may be submitted via the Common Application system, or mailed. If you are not currently enrolled at a college, a letter from your employer may be filed in addition to the College Official's Form. If you feel your college class dean does not know you or your work well, copy this form and request that your academic advisor provide the requested information. The advisor’s report will supplement, but not replace, the report from the dean.

• Two Instructor Evaluations [pdf] : These forms are to be completed by college instructors who have taught you in academic courses (natural sciences, social sciences or humanities). We welcome additional faculty recommendations, which may also be submitted on our form. These forms may be submitted via the Common Application system, or mailed.

• Official Transcripts: Should include a final transcript from your high school or secondary school (including graduation date), or official documentation of a GED. Official college transcripts should come from each college or university attended at any time. If you are currently enrolled, you should plan to provide not only a transcript from your current school, but mid-term grades for spring semester, which may be collected on the Mid-Term Report [pdf] form.

• Entrance Examination Results: All candidates are required to submit results of either
  • The SAT Reasoning Test with two SAT Subject Tests
  • The American College Testing (ACT) Assessment
    
    It is strongly recommended that all applicants who have only taken the “old” two-section SAT-I take three SAT Subject Tests. The choice of test subjects is left to the applicant, but the three Subject Tests should be from different subject areas.
    
    Applicants who have taken the “new” SAT Reasoning Test should submit the results of two Subject Tests of the candidate’s choice. It is the student’s responsibility to request that all examination scores be sent to Pomona directly from the College Board or ACT. Note that scores for these tests are usually sent four to six weeks after the test administration. Candidates should be mindful of Pomona’s application deadline when registering for the examinations.
    
    International students and permanent residents whose native language is not English must submit official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores with their application materials.

Strongly Recommended

• On Campus Interviews
• Campus Visits
• Apply for Financial Aid

Optional

• Photograph
• In addition to your application, you can submit supplementary information related to the Arts, Athletics, and the Sciences. All supplementary materials should be submitted using the appropriate form, which can be found on the Special Interest Supplements page.