Pomona College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Pomona College is a private college in California that admits about 7% of applicants, which puts it in the most selective range. A rate like this means it admits roughly one in ten applicants or fewer; the bar is less about clearing a single cutoff and more about how your full profile compares to admitted students.
Use this page to see what Pomona College weighs, where it ranks among California schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1540, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What is Pomona College's acceptance rate?
Pomona College admitted 819 of 12,121 first-year applicants for fall 2023, an acceptance rate of 7.1%. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1490 to 1560 on the SAT and 33 to 35 on the ACT.
Source: IPEDS admissions survey, fall 2023. Updated October 31, 2026.
Pomona College application deadlines, 2026-27 · Pomona College supplemental essays, 2026-27
What do students study at Pomona College?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Pomona College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Pomona College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Pomona College?
At Pomona College, your real chance depends on far more than the published 7% admit rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Pomona College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Pomona College hard to get into?
Pomona College is most selective: it admits roughly one in ten applicants or fewer, with about a 7% acceptance rate. At this level, strong grades and scores are the baseline, so essays, recommendations, and a distinctive story are what separate admits.
What GPA do you need to get into Pomona College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Pomona College, but admitted students almost universally present a 3.9 to 4.0 GPA earned in the most demanding courses their school offers. Pomona College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Pomona College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Pomona College for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 6 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Pomona College with a 3.9 GPA and a 1530 SAT?
About 14% (Reach), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.9 unweighted GPA and a 1530 SAT, the middle of Pomona College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 4.0 GPA with a 1560 SAT comes out near 15%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/pomona-college.
How to get into Pomona College
Built from Pomona College's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Getting into Pomona College comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Pomona College carries about a 3.92 core GPA and a 1510 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. At this selectivity that is the entry ticket, not the deciding factor.
The admitted middle 50% is 1490 to 1560 SAT (33 to 35 ACT). Submit a score at 1525 or higher; below 1490, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Pomona College rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: essays that sound like you and answer the actual prompt, and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Selective private colleges admit a larger share of their class in binding Early Decision; if Pomona College is your clear first choice and the net price works, ED is the single biggest lever an applicant controls. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Pomona College's exact dates at www.pomona.edu.
How many students apply to Pomona College, and how many get in?
12,121 students applied to Pomona College for fall 2023; 819 were admitted (6.8%). 408 enrolled. Roughly 50% of admitted students enrolled, a typical yield for a school in this range. Pomona College enrolls about 1,666 undergraduates in total, 55% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Pomona College?
Admitted students at Pomona College post SAT scores of 1490 to 1560 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1534. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 33 to 35. A score above 1560 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1490 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Pomona College is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Pomona College looks for
What Pomona College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
Pomona College signals that it values rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay above the rest of the file. At this level of selectivity, the difference between admits is rarely the transcript alone; essays, recommendations, and a coherent story matter. These ratings come from Pomona College's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Pomona College
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Pomona College cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at Pomona College (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $85,300 a year. Tuition and fees alone are $65,420. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $19,285 a year, and it ranges from $4,841 for families earning under $30,000 to $37,842 for families earning over $110,000. 20% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Pomona College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for Pomona College students ten years after entry are $77,779 ($60,850 at the six-year mark). 93% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 98% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $11,782; 9% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Pomona College compares in California
Pomona College ranks #3 most selective of 61 schools in California in our database.
Among the 61 California schools we track, Pomona College ranks #3 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like California Institute of Technology (3%) and Stanford University (4%) sit nearby, which makes California a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Pomona College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If Pomona College is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: Bowdoin College, Colby College, and Swarthmore College. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pomona College's acceptance rate?
Pomona College admitted 819 of 12,121 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 6.8% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 50% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Pomona College?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1490 to 1560 on the SAT and 33 to 35 on the ACT. A score above 1560 is in the top quarter of admits. Pomona College is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Pomona College test-optional?
Yes. Pomona College reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Pomona College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Pomona College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $19,285 a year against a sticker price of about $85,300. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $4,841 on average.
What do Pomona College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Pomona College are $77,779 a year among students who received federal aid, and 93% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Pomona College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Pomona College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Pomona College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Pomona College's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Pomona College?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Pomona College specifically.
Can I get into Pomona College with a perfect GPA and test scores?
Top grades and scores are necessary but not sufficient at Pomona College. At this selectivity most applicants are already academically qualified, so essays, recommendations, and a distinctive story are what separate admits.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.