Pomona College

Pomona College is a highly selective private nonprofit college in Claremont, California. It admits about 1 in 14 applicants, graduates 93% of its students within six years, and its former students earn a median $77,779 ten years after starting college, more than 77% of the California colleges we cover.

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Acceptance rate
7%

More selective than 98% of California colleges we cover.

College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class

What your family pays
$19,285 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $85,300. College Scorecard.

Graduation rate
93%

Higher than 96% of California colleges we cover and 98% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.

Within 6 years · College Scorecard

Earnings after college
$77,779

Higher than 77% of California colleges we cover and 91% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.

Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard

Pomona College acceptance rate & admissions

Of 12,121 applicants, Pomona College admitted 819 and 408 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1490–1560 on the SAT or 33–35 on the ACT.

12,121
Applied
819
Admitted
408
Enrolled

IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class

SAT total, middle 50% of first-years1490–1560
ACT composite, middle 50% of first-years33–35
First-years who sent SAT scores29%
First-year students who return98%
Pell Grant recipients20%
First-generation students30%
Women / men55% / 45%

Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS

Pomona College tuition, cost & net price

What families actually pay per year, by income

Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.

College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)

Sticker price (before aid)

Tuition & fees$65,420
Housing & meals, on campus$20,374
Books & supplies$1,100
Total cost of attendance$85,300

IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard

Median debt at graduation$10,000
Loan default rate0.0%3-year rate, 2017 repayment cohort

College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal

Full cost breakdown, in-state vs out-of-state →

State aid: California residents who meet income, asset and GPA standards may receive a Cal Grant (California Student Aid Commission); apply with the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application. Not included in the prices above. California Student Aid Commission

Pomona College majors, earnings & careers

Pomona College offers 39 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.

  • Humanities & Languages · 14
  • Science & Math · 9
  • Social Sciences & Public Service · 8
  • Arts & Design · 4
  • Business & Finance · 1
  • Communications & Media · 1
  • Engineering · 1
  • Technology & Computing · 1

Highest-earning majors at Pomona College

MajorEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
Computer Science$217,051—
Economics$96,702—
Quick list of all 39 majors
  • Anthropology—
  • Area Studies—
  • Biochemistry—
  • Biology—
  • Chemistry—
  • Classics—
  • Cognitive Science—
  • Communications—
  • Computer Science$217,051
  • Dance—
  • East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
  • Economics$96,702
  • Engineering—
  • English—
  • Environmental Science / Conservation—
  • Ethnic / Gender Studies—
  • Geology / Earth Science—
  • German—
  • History—
  • International Relations—
  • Linguistics—
  • Mathematics—
  • Medieval and Renaissance Studies—
  • Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
  • Music—
  • Neuroscience—
  • Philosophy—
  • Physics—
  • Political Science—
  • Psychology—
  • Psychology (Research)—
  • Public Policy Analysis—
  • Religious Studies—
  • Science, Technology and Society—
  • Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
  • Sociology—
  • Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
  • Studio Art—
  • Theatre—

— means too few graduates to report earnings.

College Scorecard field of study, latest release

All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →

Computer Science → Software developer

$160,920
Los Angeles
$174,410
California
$135,980
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist

$105,340
Los Angeles
$106,510
California
$82,220
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 6.1% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Living in Los Angeles

Cost of living
14% above the U.S. average

Overall prices in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area.

BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024

Off-campus rent, 1 bedroom
$2,402/mo

2 bedrooms $2,964. Housing costs 70% above the U.S. average.

HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027

Weather
68° / 90°

January and July average highs. 14 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.

NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020

Natural hazard risk
Very High

Highest: tornado (relatively high); wildfire (very high); river flooding (very high); coastal flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high).

FEMA National Risk Index, Los Angeles County

Campus & students

Total enrollment (incl. graduate)1,664
First-year students from California30%
Next most common home statesIllinois, Washington, New York
AthleticsNCAA Division III with football · 13 sports
Undergraduate degrees awarded, 2023-24100% bachelor's
Campus typeHighly residential
Student bodyWhite 28% · Asian 19% · Hispanic 17% · Black 9%International 14%

IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute

Los Angeles County at a glance

Population9,808,667
Median household income$90,112
Adults with a bachelor's degree36%
Median age38

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024

Compare Pomona College with similar schools

Similar private colleges in California by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.

SchoolAcceptanceYou'd payGraduationEarnings, 10 yrsPrice gap
Pomona College7%$19,28593%$77,779This school
Claremont McKenna College10%$28,84991%$104,736
California Institute of Technology3%$16,07594%$128,566
Harvey Mudd College13%$35,92492%$138,687
Pitzer College25%$34,19183%$69,512

College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.

Why the price is different

Pomona College would cost you $9,564 less per year than Claremont McKenna College, on average.

  • Lower sticker price at Pomona College, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$2,560).
  • Pomona College gives aided families $8,364 more in grants, on average.
Per year, California residentPomona CollegeClaremont McKenna CollegeDifference
Tuition & fees$65,420$67,980−$2,560
Books & supplies$1,100$1,200−$100
Housing & meals$20,374$19,650+$724
Personal & travel$1,500$1,500$0
Living-at-home adjustment−$3,094−$3,830+$736
Sticker price$85,300$86,500−$1,200
Average grants−$66,015−$57,651−$8,364
You pay$19,285$28,849−$9,564

“+” means Pomona College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.

Common questions about Pomona College

What is the Pomona College acceptance rate?

Pomona College accepts 7% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 819 of 12,121 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1490–1560 on the SAT or 33–35 on the ACT.

How much does Pomona College cost per year?

The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $85,300 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $19,285 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $4,841 and families earning $110k+ pay $37,842.

How much do Pomona College graduates earn?

Former Pomona College students earn a median $77,779 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.

What is the Pomona College graduation rate?

93% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 98% return for their second year.

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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Pomona College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/pomona-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).