Pomona College: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics

Pomona College is a private liberal arts college with an acceptance rate of 7.4%. Located 30 miles from Los Angeles, Pomona's 50-acre campus is in the heart of The Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five undergraduate colleges and two graduate universities. Students at Pomona share facilities and can cross-register for classes at colleges in the consortium including Scripps College, Claremont-McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, and Pitzer College. Pomona has an 8-to-1 student/faculty ratio, a diverse student body, and strong liberal arts credentials that earned it a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. 

Considering applying to this highly selective school? Here are the Pomona College admissions statistics you should know.

Acceptance Rate

During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, Pomona College had an acceptance rate of 7.4%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 7 students were admitted, making Pomona's admissions process highly competitive.

SAT Scores and Requirements

Pomona College requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 64% of admitted students submitted SAT scores.

This admissions data tells us that most of Pomona's admitted students fall within the top 20% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to Pomona scored between 690 and 750, while 25% scored below 690 and 25% scored above 750. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 700 and 790, while 25% scored below 700 and 25% scored above 790. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1540 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at Pomona.

Requirements

Pomona College does not require the SAT writing section. Note that Pomona participates in the scorechoice program, which means that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. Note that SAT Subject tests or AP exams are recommended, but not required, for home-schooled applicants.

ACT Scores and Requirements

Pomona College requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 50% of admitted students submitted ACT scores.

This admissions data tells us that most of Pomona's admitted students fall within the top 3% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to Pomona received a composite ACT score between 32 and 35, while 25% scored above 35 and 25% scored below 32.

Requirements

Pomona does not require the ACT writing section. Unlike many schools, Pomona superscores ACT results; your highest subscores from multiple ACT sittings will be considered.

GPA

Pomona College does not provide data about admitted students' high school GPAs. In 2019, 93% of admitted students who provided data indicated that they ranked in the top tenth of their high school class.

Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph

The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Pomona College. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in with a free Cappex account.

Admissions Chances

Pomona College, one of the country's most selective colleges, has a highly competitive admissions pool with a low acceptance rate and high average SAT/ACT scores. However, Pomona has a holistic admissions process involving other factors beyond your grades and test scores. A strong application essay and glowing letters of recommendation can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful extracurricular activities and a rigorous course schedule. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their test scores are outside Pomona's average range.

In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students. You can see that most students who got into Pomona had an "A" average, SAT scores (ERW+M) above 1350, and ACT composite scores above 29. Your chances will be significantly better with grades and test scores above these lower numbers.

If you're applying to Pomona College, you should consider the school a reach even if you have exceptional grades and standardized test scores. The graph above illustrates why. Many students with unweighted "A" averages and extremely high standardized test scores were still rejected by Pomona.

If You Like Pomona College, You May Also Like These Schools

• Claremont-McKenna College
• Stanford University
• Harvey Mudd College
• Duke University
• Occidental College
• Princeton University
• Swarthmore College

All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and Pomona College Undergraduate Admissions Office.