2021-22 Pomona College Catalog 
    
    Apr 20, 2024  
2021-22 Pomona College Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG] Use the dropdown above to select the current 2023-24 catalog.

Admissions



Admission to First-Year Standing

We recommend applicants complete four or five academic courses for each term in 10th, 11th and 12th grades, with four years of English, natural science and mathematics. We recommend two of those science courses are lab science and that students interested in STEM majors complete calculus. Additionally, we recommend three years each of foreign language and social science. However, these are not admission requirements but recommendations for the best preparation for Pomona’s curriculum. 

If your schooling has been disrupted due to COVID-19, you will not be at a disadvantage, and we are happy to discuss your best options with you. No designation for online courses due to COVID-19 is required on the transcript, nor is an update to admissions required if your school moved classes online. If you have been home-schooled or have pursued a unique educational path, contact us about submitting other evidence of your academic preparation for college.

Students who have taken and succeeded in challenging courses in high school are more likely to be prepared for Pomona courses. However, if you attend a school that doesn’t offer advanced course options, you will not be at a disadvantage in the admissions process. Neither do we expect or require applicants to take every class at the highest level of rigor, but to challenge themselves where appropriate. We consider what courses are available to you in evaluating your curriculum (including honors, AP, IB and other advanced designations) and your own choices. Typically, we have a profile of your school, which indicates what is available and how much choice you might have about your curriculum, but if you feel the need to explain any of your choices, feel welcome to do so.