Pomona College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Claremont, California · Private nonprofit · Most selective · CDS 2024-2025
Pomona College is a private institution located in Claremont, California and one of the most selective schools in the country. For the most recent reporting cycle, Pomona College admits fewer than 10% of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 7%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1520 and an ACT composite around 34. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $19,424 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Pomona College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Pomona College?
Successful applicants to Pomona College typically present unweighted GPAs at or near 4.0 with the most rigorous course load their school offers, including multiple AP, IB, or dual-enrollment courses. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Pomona College weight in admissions?
Pomona College reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Class rank
- • Academic GPA
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Standardized test scores
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Interview
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
- • Level of applicant's interest
SAT and ACT scores Pomona College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 750–790, with an EBRW midpoint near 750. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 33–35. Scores below the 25th-percentile mark are accepted occasionally, but the realistic submission target for most families is the school's middle-50 floor or higher.
| 25th percentile | 1500 |
| 50th percentile | 1530 |
| 75th percentile | — |
| % submitting SAT | 36% |
| 25th percentile | 33 |
| 50th percentile | 34 |
| 75th percentile | 35 |
| % submitting ACT | 14% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 90.3% |
| Top 25% of class | 99.2% |
| Top 50% of class | 100% |
| % submitting class rank | 29.4% |
How much does Pomona College actually cost?
Published tuition is $62,326 for in-state students and $62,326 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $20,374 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $19,424 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 19% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | — |
| Room and board | — |
| Average net price (after aid) | $19,424 |
| Application fee | — |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Pomona College
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | 11/8 |
| ED acceptance rate | 13% |
Will my child graduate from Pomona College?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Other colleges in California parents ask about
- Stanford University4% acceptance
- University of California-Berkeley12% acceptance
- University of California-Los Angeles9% acceptance
- University of Southern California10% acceptance
- University of California-Davis42% acceptance
- University of California-Irvine26% acceptance
- University of California-San Diego25% acceptance
- University of California-Santa Barbara63% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Pomona College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Pomona College recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Pomona College
What GPA do I need for Pomona College?
Successful applicants to Pomona College typically present unweighted GPAs at or near 4.0 with the most rigorous course load their school offers, including multiple AP, IB, or dual-enrollment courses.
What SAT or ACT score does Pomona College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 750–790, with an EBRW midpoint near 750. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 33–35.
How much does Pomona College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Pomona College after grants and scholarships is $19,424 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Pomona College realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Pomona College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Pomona College, and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.