April 7, 2021
Pomona College Announces Four-Year Test-Optional Policy
Pomona College has extended its test-optional policy for three additional years for students applying for first-year and transfer admission for Fall 2022, 2023 and 2024 entry. Under this policy, SAT or ACT scores are not required to apply, but students with available scores may choose to self-report them when applying.
The choice to submit or not submit test scores is up to the applicant. Students are encouraged to decide how best to present themselves to the admissions committee and whether—or not—their standardized test results accurately reflect their academic ability and potential.
Pomona’s holistic or whole-person review process ensures that test scores are one factor among many– grades, curriculum rigor, recommendations and essays–that are considered in the application review process to assess academic preparation for Pomona. The submission of an arts supplement will continue to be an optional component of the Pomona application.
The College’s selection process will continue to be thorough and comprehensive, notes Assistant Vice President and Director of Admissions Adam Sapp. “We use a multi-factor review process and make decisions via committee,” he says. “It has always been our goal to admit students who we know will flourish at Pomona—the test optional policy will not change that.”
March 12, 2021
Pomona College Extends Test-Optional Policy for One Year
Pomona College has extended its test-optional policy for one year for students applying for first-year and transfer admission for Fall 2022 entry. Under this policy, SAT or ACT scores are not required to apply, but students with available scores may choose to self-report them when applying.
The choice to submit or not submit test scores is up to the applicant. Students are encouraged to decide how best to present themselves to the admissions committee and whether—or not—their standardized test results accurately reflect their academic ability and potential. Applicants to Pomona will be asked on the application if they would like to submit a standardized test score. If a student answers “yes,” they will submit their application and will be asked to self-report their scores later on their Pomona applicant portal.
Test scores are one factor among many– grades, curriculum rigor, recommendations and essays–that are considered in the application review process to assess academic preparation for Pomona. The submission of an arts supplement will continue to be an optional component of the Pomona application.
The College’s selection process will continue to be thorough and comprehensive, notes Assistant Vice President and Director of Admissions Adam Sapp. “We use a multi-factor review process and make decisions via committee,” he says. “It has always been our goal to admit students who we know will flourish at Pomona—the test optional policy will not change that.”
March 10, 2020
A Message About the Coronavirus and Visit Policies
As Pomona College continues to closely monitor the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and follow national and regional public health guidance, precautionary restrictions on travel, visitors and events have been implemented. Beginning March 10, all organized campus tours have been canceled. We will hold information sessions March 10-13. Beginning March 14, the Office of Admissions will be closed to visitors; we hope to welcome visitors after April 30. During this rapidly evolving public health situation, we will continue to update you on campus visit options by email and on our website for coronavirus information.
We are committed to supporting the health and safety of our community while continuing to focus on our educational mission. While there are no reported cases of coronavirus at Pomona College, we have made this decision to minimize risks both to travelers and to our community members. For more information about the coronavirus, its symptoms and any current health or travel advisories, please consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
We will provide updates about more virtual programming options in the coming weeks and can offer you a range of sources now for learning more about Pomona:
- Our website is a tried and true source of information—from our 48 majors to admissions and financial aid policies
- Follow us on social: @pomonaadmissions on Instagram, @pomonaadmit on Twitter, and our YouTube channel are great resources
- Our students have a blog! They write about adventures abroad, research, the Claremont caffeine scene, and much, much more
While we regret we cannot offer you the experience of physically visiting our beautiful campus at this time, we are always happy to answer your questions by email or phone (909-621-8134).
February 5, 2020
A Message for Those Affected by School Closures in Wake of the Coronavirus
We are aware that many overseas schools are modifying their schedules as a precaution in response to the coronavirus outbreak first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in December 2019. Pomona College will work with students, teachers and counselors to understand any modifications to classes and will not allow these changes to negatively impact students’ applications in our review process. Students who have already been admitted to the Class of 2024 will not have their admission offers rescinded; however, we expect that students will fulfill all expectations set forth by their schools to complete their high school diplomas.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to closely monitor the situation. Currently, immigration from China to the United States has restrictions, but at this time we do not expect that there will be any changes to how I-20s will be issued to enrolling students this spring. Please refer to Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information for the Pomona College Community and contact the Office of Admissions if you have any further questions or concerns.
October 29, 2019
A Message for Those Affected by California Fires and Power Outages
In response to the significant impact on the lives of students, families and school officials due to wildfires, the loss of electric power and/or mandatory school closures under threat of California wildfires throughout the state, Pomona College’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid extends the Early Decision application deadline to Nov. 8 for those impacted. To support students in the application process, the Office of Admissions offers extended time to submit application materials for impacted students, counselors and teachers, including the following:
- An automatic extension for impacted students. All impacted applicants now have until midnight PDT on Friday Nov. 8. to submit their application for Early Decision I. To request an extension beyond Nov. 8, please email admissions@pomona.edu.
- An automatic extension to midnight PDT on Friday Nov. 8 for impacted teachers and counselors to submit the school profile, letters of recommendation, official transcripts and other materials. If an extension is needed beyond Nov. 8, please email admissions@pomona.edu.
- An automatic extension to Nov. 8 for impacted parents, legal guardians and students working to complete financial aid paperwork. If an extension is needed beyond Nov. 8 please email financial.aid@pomona.edu with your request.
- If you have any other questions about the admissions or financial aid application processes, or if we can assist you in any other way by providing critical assistance, please contact us at admissions@pomona.edu or call the Office of Admissions at (909) 621-8134.
October 22, 2019
A Message for Those Affected by the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) Strike
Students in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) district have recently been impacted by the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) labor strike. In addition to teachers, this strike includes school counselors and other support staff critical to the timely and successful submission of college applications and school supporting documents. In response, Pomona College’s Office of Admissions offers consideration in the application process to students in the CPS district.
To support you in the application process, the Office of Admissions offers the following assistance:
- If you need an extension for the Nov. 1 Early Decision deadline, we can extend the deadline to Nov. 8. For further requests, please email admissions@pomona.edu.
- We will grant extensions to teachers and counselors for submission of the school profile, letters of recommendation, official transcripts and other materials. If an extension is needed beyond the extended Nov. 8 deadline, please email admissions@pomona.edu with your request.
- If you have any other questions about the admissions or financial aid application processes, or if we can assist you in any other way, please contact us at admissions@pomona.edu or call the Office of Admissions at (909) 621-8134.
October 22, 2019
A Message for Those Affected by Natural Disasters
In recent years, hurricanes, fires and earthquakes have had a destructive impact on many of our applicants and current students. Currently, tornadoes have negatively affected students and their families in the Dallas area, leaving them struggling to cope. The Pomona community has reacted with sadness and concern. The Office of Admissions extends its sympathies to those affected and will continue to offer support in the application process to those who might suffer through a natural disaster.
To support you in the application process, the Office of Admissions offers the following assistance:
- If you need an extension for the Nov. 1 Early Decision deadline, please email admissions@pomona.edu with the request.
- If paying the application fee presents a financial hardship for you or your family, please request a fee waiver, consistent with our policies. Please request the “Pomona-specific fee waiver” on the Common Application, and we will automatically grant the waiver to domestic or international students.
- We will grant extensions to teachers and counselors for submission of the school profile, letters of recommendation, official transcripts and other materials. If an extension is needed beyond the application deadline, please email admissions@pomona.edu with your request.
- The Office of Financial Aid will work with families who may suffer from financial hardship as a result of natural disasters. If you have been impacted, please submit a letter of special circumstances to the Office of Financial Aid to alert us and we will work with you to take your circumstances into consideration. The College Board will automatically provide a CSS Profile fee waiver based on FEMA’s disaster area designations. More information may be accessed on the College Board’s Natural Disaster website.
- If you have any other questions about the admissions or financial aid application processes, or if we can assist you in any other way, please contact us at admissions@pomona.edu or call the Office of Admissions at (909) 621-8134, or contact the Office of Financial Aid at (909) 621-8205 or financial.aid@pomona.edu.
July 1, 2019
Pomona College’s 2019-2020 Supplemental Essay Prompts Are Available
When the Common Application goes live August 1, 2019, applicants will be able to see the prompts for the personal essay requirement. The Common Application personal essay is sent to every college to which the applicant applies. To create an account, visit The Common Application website. As a reminder, applicants to Pomona may use the Common Application, the Coalition Application or the Questbridge Application. For those applying to Pomona using the Common Application, we require two short supplemental essays. Those Pomona-specific essay prompts are now available on our Application Overview webpage. Applicants will choose to answer two of the three questions with responses of 200 to 250 words.
- Imagine having a 1 a.m. debate/discussion with your peers in college about an issue you care about. What is that issue, and what is the discussion?
- Share your favorite quote, and tell us what it means to you. The quote can be from an author, leader, musical artist, family member or other source—famous or not. (The quote will not be part of the word limit.)
- We want to understand you better! Tell us about a skill you have (useless or useful) and what it says about you.
September 17, 2018
Pomona College Admissions Office Expands College Access Partnerships
In its ongoing efforts to expand outreach to underrepresented populations, Pomona College’s Office of Admissions will increase its partnerships with leading college access organizations around the country. New partnerships for 2018-19 include The Ron Brown Scholars Guided Pathways Program, College Greenlight and Arkansas Commitment. Building on long-standing relationships with College Horizons, KIPP Foundation, the Posse Foundation and QuestBridge, these new partnerships continue Pomona College’s tradition of working with national, stateSer and local organizations in order to expand higher education opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds.
“We are excited to begin working with these new partners to further the goal of reaching more talented students around the country and the world,” said Director of Admission Adam Sapp. “We are pleased to be partnering with some of the most capable and high-impact organizations working in this space today.”
Additional agreements with the Marine Corps’ Leadership Scholars Program, Service to School (S2S) and the Honors Transfer Council of California (HTCCA) support Pomona College’s initiatives to enroll talented military veterans and community college transfer students. Work with current international partners such as the Sutton Trust, the Grew Bancroft Foundation, the Yanai Tadashi Foundation, Bridge2Rwanda and the Nairobi-based Equity Group Foundation likewise allow Pomona to expand pipelines for talented international students from diverse backgrounds.
Established in 1887, Pomona College is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, Calif., about 35 miles east of Los Angeles. One of the premier liberal arts colleges in the nation, Pomona is a close-knit and diverse community of accomplished scholars, scientists, entrepreneurs and artists who are passionate about making a difference in the world. There are approximately 1,670 students who come from 63 nations and all 50 U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico.
Pomona College admits domestic applicants (U.S. citizens, permanent residents and those who graduate from a U.S. high school) regardless of their ability to pay and then meets the full demonstrated need of all admitted students. Fifty-eight percent of students receive need-based financial aid and twenty percent of students at Pomona are Pell Grant recipients.
ATTENTION: Join us for our November webinars, Majors at Pomona
Monday through Friday
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.