Programs by Petition are international and domestic programs that have not been pre-approved by the International and Domestic Programs Committee (IDPC). Students whose academic needs are not met by the existing slate of Approved Programs may petition to apply for another program. In order to request approval to apply for a Program by Petition, students must first meet with an International and Domestic Programs advisor to discuss their program of interest and submit a petition to the IDPC for review.
Petition & Application Procedures
It is the responsibility of the student to present compelling academic reasons for the choice of program. The IDPC will consider appropriateness of the proposed curriculum to the student's total program at Pomona College and the administrative feasibility of the program. Students should show that no approved programs meet their academic needs. The petition should be fully developed and well-argued. The proposed program must be at least twelve teaching weeks in length.
Pomona College normally requires a 3.33 GPA minimum for a Program by Petition. Any student with a GPA below 3.33 must present persuasive reasons why this policy should be waived. Students with a GPA below 3.0 may not petition for a program. Additionally, students should complete the appropriate college-level language study in preparation for the proposed program, if that language is taught at The Claremont Colleges. For international programs, students are expected to complete a content course abroad related to the destination and take a host country language course, if the official language is not English.
Students whose petitions are successful must submit a completed Pomona College application and appropriate program provider application by the Pomona College application deadline. An approved petition is not a guarantee that the student's application will be accepted by either the IDPC or the program provider.
Students whose petitions are unsuccessful may apply for an Approved Program by the application deadline.
If a student believes there are grounds for an appeal on the IDPC's decision on the proposed petition, they must meet with the Director of International and Domestic Programs within one week. As with appeals of the IDPC's application decisions, appeals of the IDPC's petition decisions will be considered only in the case of 1) demonstrated administrative error, or 2) an extraordinary change in circumstances, normally beyond the student's control. The Committee's decision is final.