What Pomona College does

Pomona College is a private liberal arts college founded in 1887 in Claremont, California, operating as a founding member of The Claremont Colleges consortium. The institution serves approximately 1,690 undergraduate students across 48 majors and 600+ courses annually, with an average class size of 15 and a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Academic offerings emphasize close faculty-student research collaboration, with 51% of students engaged in faculty-led research. The college maintains selective admissions with need-blind policies for domestic students and meets full demonstrated financial need for eligible students; 24% of enrolled students are first in their family to attend college, and 97% live on campus all four years.

The institution's product surface spans core academic programs, student support services, and emerging technology initiatives. Recent launches include the interdisciplinary Data Science Minor (2024) and the Access to Course Essentials (ACE) program (Fall 2026), which bundles course materials into tuition at no additional cost through a Follett partnership integrated with Canvas LMS. Operational technology includes the Metafoodx AI Scanner deployed across all dining halls (October 2025), delivering computer-vision-based food waste reduction of 40-54% with ROI exceeding 500% in year one. Dual-degree engineering pathways with Caltech, Washington University in St. Louis, and Dartmouth, plus domestic exchanges with Spelman and Swarthmore, extend curricular reach. A new Center for Global Engagement is being constructed on campus.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: tuition and fees ($71,660 tuition plus $420 fees and $23,590 housing/food for 2026-2027, totaling ~$95,670 per on-campus student), endowment draws and annual giving campaigns (e.g., Giving Day targeting 1,690 donors), and sponsored research grants (several million dollars annually from federal agencies and private foundations). The college holds WSCUC accreditation reaffirmed through 2031, is governed by an independent Board of Trustees, and operates without parent company or equity ownership consistent with nonprofit higher education structure.

Name

Pomona College

Legal name

Pomona College

Website

https://pomona.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1887

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Pomona College is a private liberal arts college founded in 1887 in Claremont, California, serving approximately 1,690 undergraduate students across 48 majors. The college generates revenue from tuition, endowment, donations, and sponsored research, emphasizing small class sizes, faculty-led research, and the Claremont Colleges consortium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

akta.pro primary industry

Selective/Highly Selective Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAH), Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAG)

Keywords

• Liberal arts education
• Undergraduate education
• Residential college programs
• Academic research programs
• Student financial aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Claremont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Pomona College charges tuition of $71,660 and fees of $420 for the 2026-2027 academic year, with housing and food additional at $23,590 for on-campus students. This represents the primary revenue stream for the institution.
2. Endowment and Donations: The college receives significant contributions through its annual giving programs (e.g., Giving Day campaigns) and draws from its endowment to support operations and financial aid.
3. Research Grants and Sponsored Programs: Faculty bring several million dollars to campus each year through competitive awards for sponsored research and research training activities from federal programs, public agencies, and private foundations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pomona College delivers four-year residential undergraduate liberal arts education across 48 majors with 600+ courses annually. Classes average 15 students with a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and 51% of students conduct research alongside faculty. The college also supports need-blind admissions for domestic students and meets full demonstrated financial need.

Product overview

Pomona College is a liberal arts institution offering undergraduate education across 48 majors and numerous minors. The college provides educational programs complemented by student support services including a new Data Science minor (2024) and the Access to Course Essentials (ACE) program launching Fall 2026 that provides course materials to all students at no cost. Technology initiatives include the Metafoodx AI Scanner for dining hall food waste reduction. The college also offers pre-orientation programming through Sagehen Summer and maintains a student health insurance program (SHIP) with Aetna coverage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Claremont Colleges: Pomona College is a founding member of The Claremont Colleges consortium, which includes Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges.

Products and services

• Undergraduate Liberal Arts Education Four-year residential undergraduate liberal arts degree program across 48 majors, designed for traditional college-aged students and transfer students. Includes small classes, faculty-led research opportunities, and on-campus residential community.
• Data Science Minor Interdisciplinary minor introduced in 2024 with five core courses and a capstone project designed to complement students' primary majors and promote data literacy across disciplines.
• Access to Course Essentials (ACE) Program Initiative launching Fall 2026 that provides all enrolled Pomona College students with required course materials (textbooks, workbooks, course packs, journal articles, online resources) in digital or print format at no additional cost.
• Sagehen Summer Pre-Orientation Program Pre-orientation summer program for incoming Pomona College students featuring interactive sessions on college coursework, residential life skills, and support system building over five weeks via Zoom.
• Student Health Insurance Program (SHIP) Aetna-based health insurance plan required for all students with automatic annual enrollment. International students must be enrolled; domestic students may waive with comparable coverage meeting specific criteria.
• Thinking Critically about AI Workshop Workshop offered as part of Sagehen Summer introducing generative AI tools, exploring when and whether to use them in academic work, and how to disclose or refuse their use responsibly.

Quantifiable outcome

• 51% waste reduction in campus dining operations using AI-powered food waste tracking
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MetafoodxcoreTechnology or Integration · 15 October 2025Metafoodx AI Scanner technology deployed at Pomona College dining operations to improve food waste reduction and kitchen efficiency. The technology achieved 40% reduction in overproduction initially and 54% reduction after scaling across all dining halls, with ROI exceeding 500% within the first year.
• Spelman CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDomestic exchange partnership allowing Pomona sophomores, juniors, and first-semester seniors to study for a semester at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, while paying Pomona tuition and receiving Pomona financial aid.
• Swarthmore CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDomestic exchange partnership allowing Pomona sophomores, juniors, and first-semester seniors to study for a semester at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, while paying Pomona tuition and receiving Pomona financial aid.
• California Institute of Technology (Caltech)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner3-2 dual-degree engineering program where qualified students receive a Bachelor of Arts from Pomona and a Bachelor of Science from Caltech after a combined five-year program (three years at Pomona, two at Caltech).
• Washington University in St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner3-2 dual-degree engineering program with Washington University offering a two-year merit scholarship covering half-tuition for qualified candidates. Students receive BA from Pomona and BS from Washington University after combined five-year program.
• Dartmouth College (Thayer School of Engineering)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCombined 2-1-1-1 Plan in Engineering allowing students to spend two years at Pomona, one year at Dartmouth, one year back at Pomona, and final year at Dartmouth for dual BA/BS degrees.
• Claremont Graduate UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeacher Education Program partnership allowing Claremont Colleges students to transfer up to eight units of undergraduate coursework toward a credential and MA in Education. Candidates engage in clinical teaching experiences and receive credential and master's degree upon completion.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wellesley College: Selective women's liberal arts college in Massachusetts with comparable selectivity, residential experience, and full-need aid policy. Overlaps with Pomona on curricular structure and competes for a subset of high-achieving applicants.
• Swarthmore College: Top-tier residential liberal arts college in Pennsylvania with similar selectivity, need-blind admissions with full-need aid, and small class sizes. Already a Pomona exchange partner, making it one of the most directly comparable peer institutions nationally.
• Scripps College: Claremont Colleges consortium member, women's liberal arts college sharing the same campus infrastructure and cross-registration system. Operates within the same applicant geography and consortium economics.
• Williams College: Consistently top-ranked residential liberal arts college in Massachusetts with similar tuition band, selectivity, and need-aware financial aid model. Competes for the same national applicant pool as Pomona.
• Middlebury College: Highly selective residential liberal arts college in Vermont with strong international and language programs. Comparable size, selectivity, and tuition band; competes in the same top-tier LAC applicant market.
• Carleton College: Selective Midwestern liberal arts college with strong residential model, high graduation rates, and similar academic profile. Competes for top applicants nationally and offers comparable curricular breadth and faculty engagement.
• Bowdoin College: Highly selective residential liberal arts college in Maine meeting full demonstrated need, with comparable academic profile and applicant demographic. Direct competitor in the top-tier LAC peer set.
• Harvey Mudd College: Claremont Colleges consortium member focused on STEM within a liberal arts framework, sharing cross-registration and applicant pool with Pomona. Directly comparable in scale (~900 students), selectivity, and tuition band, and competes for the same high-achieving STEM-interested students.
• Claremont McKenna College: Consortium sibling within The Claremont Colleges, also highly selective, with a more quantitatively focused liberal arts curriculum. Cross-registration and shared resources make it the closest operational peer, while overlapping applicant pool makes it a direct recruitment competitor.
• Amherst College: Elite private liberal arts college in Massachusetts with comparable selectivity, residential model, and need-blind admissions with full-need aid. Direct competitor in the same top-tier LAC band for the highest-achieving applicants.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pomonacollege
• YouTubeyoutube.com/pomonacollege
• Facebookfacebook.com/pomonacollege
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pomona-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/pomonacollege
• TikToktiktok.com/@pomonacollege

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pomona College