Updated February 11, 2025

Pomona College Acceptance Rate 

Nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, Pomona College has a distinct campus. Founded in 1887, it was created to provide a New England style institution in South California. It’s a four-year undergraduate institution that offers 48 majors “in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and interdisciplinary fields.”

With around 1,740 undergraduate students spread out across 140 acres, Pomona maintains a small student body but allows you space to explore. 98% of students live on campus, making it a community where you’ll constantly be connecting with your professors, along with your peers.

Pomona is just 35 miles from Los Angeles, making it closely connected to expand classroom learning with field trips and excursions. Pomona is also connected with the Claremont Colleges, five undergraduate liberal arts colleges and two graduate institutions that students can take advantage of for academics and extracurriculars.

With over 48 majors, Pomona College allows its small study body to explore their distinct passions.

Pomona College Admissions Statistics

As one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country, Pomona College is very competitive when it comes to admissions. The acceptance rate has remained around 7% since 2019. If you decide to apply, Pomona offers three admissions cycles: Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision. Both early decision cycles are binding and evaluated in the same way. Early Decision II just allows you to submit more information about your senior year (for example, an additional SAT test or first semester grades).

You can read more about the different application options on Pomona’s website.

2023-2024 Pomona College (Class of 2028) Acceptance Rate

Admission CycleNumber of applicantsNumber admittedAcceptance rate
All Applicants12,2498116.6%

Pomona College Acceptance Rate History

YearNumber of applicantsNumber admittedAcceptance rate
2023-2024 (Class of 2028)12,2498116.6%
2022-2023 (Class of 2027)10,6667497%
2021-2022 (Class of 2026)11,6207716.6%
2020-2021 (Class of 2025)10,3888958.6%
2019-2020 (Class of 2024)10,4017707.4%

Pomona Class of 2027 Middle 50% score range of admitted students (25th and 75th percentiles)*

SAT Math750-770
SAT ERW730-750
ACT Math30-32
ACT Reading34-35
ACT English35-35
ACT Science32-34
ACT Composite33-34

*What does this mean? The middle 50% score range refers to students from the 25th to the 75th percentile of admitted students. So if 100 students were admitted and we ranked their SAT scores from lowest to highest, we’d be looking at 50 students’ stats (from student 25 through student 75).


Pomona offers plenty of helpful admissions advice on their website. They emphasize that they don’t use cut-offs or formulas, but want to understand a general sense of your “academic readiness and fit for Pomona.” In addition to giving insight into each specific element of the application, Pomona’s site mentions that they’re looking for these characteristics: 

  • Intellectually capable & academically committed
  • Probing inquiry & creative learning
  • Commitment to collaborative engagement & perspective
  • Investment in community / network builder
  • Personal traits

You can demonstrate your unique fit through your essays, academic profile, teacher recommendations, and activities.

Other colleges you may be interested in:

College NameNumber of applicants (Class of 2028)Number admitted (Class of 2028)Acceptance rate (Class of 2028)
Amherst College13,7431,2389%
Williams College15,4111,1597.5%
Dartmouth College31,6571,6855.3%

Wondering how to get into Pomona College? PrepMaven can help you along the way. Whether you’re looking to boost your test scores, write a killer personal statement, or improve your GPA, we can be a helpful resource. With tutors who are graduates of top universities, valedictorians, National Merit Finalists, and National AP Scholars, we’re here to help you no matter what step you’re at in the admissions process.

Give us a call at 609-945-2264 or fill out our website form to learn how our flexible packages can work for you.


Alexis

Alexis is a tutor, writer, and producer. She graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. As a tutor, she loves to help students explore their unique stories and share their personal journeys through impactful essay writing.

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