Pomona College

Yes. Pomona meets 100% of demonstrated financial need for admitted international students — both freshmen and transfers — using grants only, with no loans to pay back, ever. If you get accepted and you've applied for financial aid and your family can't pay, your full cost of attendance is covered. There are no merit scholarships — all funding is need-based.

No — Pomona is need-aware for international applicants. The admissions committee sees how much financial aid you're requesting when deciding whether to accept you, so requesting a full ride makes an already extremely competitive process (around 7% acceptance) even tougher. Once you're admitted, though, Pomona covers 100% of your demonstrated need.

No. Pomona is permanently test-optional for all applicants, so you are not required to submit SAT or ACT scores.

Yes, unless you qualify for a waiver. If your native language is not English and your secondary instruction was not primarily in English, you must submit TOEFL (minimum 100), IELTS (minimum 7.0), or Duolingo (minimum 130). This is different from schools where the test is fully optional — Pomona genuinely requires it. The requirement is waived only if English was the primary language of instruction for your entire secondary school career.

Pomona usually requires the CSS Profile (school code 4607) for need-based aid, but there's a free alternative: if the CSS fee is a burden, complete the free Pomona College International Financial Aid Application — a free paper form on their website that you upload to your portal after applying — instead of paying the CSS fee.

Around 7% for freshman admissions. Transfer admission is even tougher, roughly 5–7% and volatile from year to year, with incredibly scarce spots.

Yes — and that's rare among elite colleges. Pomona applies the same 100%-met-need policy to admitted international transfers, covering full demonstrated need with grants. But admissions is need-aware and transfer spots are incredibly scarce (acceptance ~5–7%), so a fully funded international transfer is extremely difficult. You'll need the Common App for Transfer, all college transcripts, a final high school transcript, a College/Registrar's Report, two academic evaluations from college instructors, English proficiency scores if applicable, and the CSS Profile or the free Pomona aid form. The transfer application fee is $80 with the same waiver options.

The Common Application or Coalition Application with Pomona's supplemental essays, official high school transcripts, a counselor recommendation, two teacher letters from core subjects, English proficiency scores if applicable, and the CSS Profile (or the free Pomona International Financial Aid Application) if applying for aid. The $80 application fee can be waived on the app or via the "Pomona Access Pass" form for aid applicants.