Pomona has always been a place where only ability, promise and character matter. Our commitment to making a Pomona education available to the students most able to benefit from it is a vital part of who we are. Stories abound of Pomona graduates from modest backgrounds who went on to accomplish remarkable things. Stories such as these are an important part of Pomona's past and present. With the continuing generosity of Pomona's scholarship donors, they will remain an essential part of our future.
When Pomona admits a student, it does so solely on the basis of talent and potential. It is only after a student is admitted that his or her financial circumstances are considered by the Financial Aid Office, whose only job is to ensure that every admitted student can afford to attend.
This commitment—along with the generous financial aid that makes it possible—is vital not only as a matter of equity, but also to safeguard a central aspect of a Pomona education: the diversity of our students. That diversity—socioeconomic, racial, geographic, cultural and experiential—is one of the factors that make campus life key to the Pomona experience.
However, this is not an easy commitment to sustain. Today, Pomona is one of a handful of prestigious institutions capable of keeping that promise to its students. Each year, more than half of our students have demonstrated need, ranging from a few thousand dollars to the full cost of attendance. The average scholarship is now more than $36,000 per year. As state and federal aid has plummeted in recent decades, Pomona’s supporters have stepped forward to help make up the difference. Today, more than 90 percent of all aid to Pomona students comes from College sources, with endowed scholarships providing about half. To meet this need, the total amount of student aid provided by Pomona has expanded by more than $1 million in each of the past seven years, and it will almost certainly continue to grow in the years to come.
“I had one professor tell me that from the beginning of time scholars have traveled. They’re never in one place. He really encouraged me to think outside of my local community and to stretch my horizons out farther. I think that’s how Pomona changed me. I’m even more adventurous.”
Daniel Solis ’05, chemistry major; medical student, Stanford University