Frequently Asked Questions about Transfer
The Office of Admissions will notify everyone who meets the requirements for submitting an application for transfer admission to the College. Notifications of decisions are only permitted to include the following: admission, non-admission (or “deny”), placement on a waiting list, or the institution’s or the applicant’s withdrawal of an application. All applicants are considered eligible for a committee review and a decision by Pomona College if they submit 1) an application (via the Common Application or Apply Coalition on Scoir) and 2) a transcript (official, unofficial, or self-reported). Before starting a committee review for a specific applicant, the Office of Admissions will let students know if any application components are missing at least twice. Additionally, applicants can access a self-service application portal to make sure all required components are submitted. Although we reserve the right to do so throughout the review and decision-making process, documents other than the application and transcript are not necessary in order to hear from the Admissions Committee. However, in order to enroll at Pomona College after conditional admission, final official transcripts are needed.
Transfer students are accepted as sophomores or juniors, and they must enroll full-time for four semesters in order to receive a B. A. degree. Candidates who anticipate enrolling at Pomona after having completed at least one year of full-time college coursework are required to submit a transfer application. Students should apply as first-year applicants if they have less than one year of college completion, have completed college coursework as part of an early college program, or both. Applications from students who already hold a bachelor’s degree are not accepted by our school.
If accepted, transfer applicants will receive an evaluation of their transferrable course credits along with their admissions offer, and a maximum of 16 course credits (i e. credit for 16 courses). Credits are typically transferable if they were earned at a regionally accredited institution, taken in a classroom with other matriculated students, graded “C” or higher, and offered by The Claremont Colleges in a course that is equivalent. Pomona will accept online courses taken for credit during mandated remote learning periods. Consult our course catalog for more details on Pomona’s transfer credit policy.
Pomona courses are semester-long and typically carry 4 credits. Use this chart to determine your transferrable credits if you are on a semester or quarter system or if your course carries more than 4 credits.
- Application: The Common Application or the Apply Coalition on Scoir must be submitted by all applicants for transfer admission. We do not prioritize applicants based on which of these applications they submit during the admissions process.
- Application fee: A one-time, $70 non-refundable application fee is required. However, we recognize that some applicants may find it difficult to pay the application fee. Please fill out the Pomona Access Pass form if you intend to apply for financial aid and the application fee will be difficult for you or your family. The $70 application fee will be waived upon submission of this form without the need for additional documentation. Questions? Please email our office at admissions@pomona. edu.
- Official Transcripts: Request that these be sent to our office from every college or university you’ve ever attended. You’ll also need an official final transcript from your high school or secondary school (with your graduation date) or official proof of a GED. Transcripts must be sent by registrars to our office via mail, email, Parchment, or the National Student Clearinghouse in order to be considered official.
- This form should be filled out by your current or most recent registrar or transfer adviser. College Report/Transfer Report It is the College Report if submitting the Common Application; it is the Transfer Report if submitting the Apply Coalition on Scoir Application. The Common Application form is available as an offline document. Officials should mail or email this form to our office. Even if you are not currently enrolled but are on leave, we still require a report from the previous school you attended because there are concerns about your academic standing and ability to return that we take into account when evaluating you.
- Two Academic Evaluations: These should be submitted directly to our office by your recommenders, or uploaded through your application by two of your college course instructors (TA recommendations are acceptable). Applicants may submit another optional recommendation of any type (e. g. , employer, volunteer coordinator, high school teacher, etc. ). One academic recommendation will be read along with your application, but we do urge you to submit two if at all possible.
- Mid-Term Report/Curriculum Report: We need this to assess your current academic standing as part of our application review. There is an offline version of the Common Applications Mid-Term Report form available. It is the Curriculum Report if submitting the Apply Coalition on Scoir application. Please list your current, pending grades and the names and contact information for your professors. You can, however, use your applicant portal to ask for a waiver of the requirement if you aren’t currently enrolled.
Optional Transfer Application Components
- Test results: Pomona College has maintained its test-optional admissions policy for applicants for admission to its transfer program for the academic years 2022–2024. SAT or ACT scores are not required for admission under this policy, but students who have them available may decide to self-report them when applying (official score reports are not required until and unless you are admitted). The address is Pomona College Office of Admissions, 333 N. Western Ave. if mailing documents to our office. College Way, Claremont, CA 91711.
- Interviews: Virtual alumni interviews are an optional application element. Interviews are completely optional as we do not track demonstrated interest during the application process. Please be aware that we cannot always accommodate requests for interviews because our alumni network does not reach every region of the nation or the world. Requests for interviews may not be fulfilled for up to three weeks. Transfer applicants have until February 4, 2022, to request an interview.
International students must submit their transfer applications by the same deadline as domestic students. Financial aid is available to international transfer students, but they must apply for it at the same time as their admissions application.
If sending paper documents, kindly mail them as soon as possible to allow for delivery times. In the event that your transcripts are not in English, you must submit certified translations. Please get in touch with us if you have any additional inquiries about submitting foreign transcripts.
You must submit either official or self-reported results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Duolingo English Test if English is not the primary language of instruction at your secondary school. The TOEFL iBT, TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition, and TOEFL ITP Plus for China Solution are the versions of the test that we accept. Although we value cultural and linguistic diversity, we do not offer remedial English classes or any other programs for international students. Please refer to the International FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) for more details.
Recommended Preparation for Transfer
We are frequently asked if there are any prerequisite courses that must be completed before submitting a transfer application. The answer is no.
However, we do have recommendations. Transfer students have less time on campus to complete all of their general education requirements and major(s)/minor requirements because they enroll at Pomona as sophomores or juniors. In order to focus more on their major(s) at Pomona, we advise applicants to focus on completing courses that will satisfy our general education requirements before applying, if at all possible.
The majority of our general education requirements are divided among the following six areas of breadth of study:
- Area 1: Evaluation, Analysis, and
- Social Institutions, Area 2
- Area 3: Ethics, Values, and History
- Section 4: Physical
- Mathematical area 5
- Section 6: Creation
Reapplications for transfer admission are welcome from students who previously applied for first-year or transfer admission. An applicant who was rejected in one cycle of admissions may be admitted as a transfer student in a subsequent year because each admissions cycle is unique. (Similarly, admitted students who turned down an initial admissions offer or were waitlisted may be-and have been-admitted in a subsequent year upon reapplying. (A stronger transfer application may be strengthened by a longer track record of academic preparation and success, or by a wider range of experiences that better demonstrate the transfer applicant’s fit. Although we have access to any prior applications when considering a reapplication, the new application will be the main subject of our assessment.
Join us for President’s Preview, an open house event on campus for incoming seniors and their guardians, on February 20.
Amherst Pomona Princeton Williams Yale Transfer Application Workshop for Community College Students
FAQ
What GPA do you need to transfer to Pomona?
Transfer Application Requirements A minimum college GPA of 2. 0 (on a 4. 0 scale) is required of transfer applicants. Application Fee: When submitting your application, you must pay a $70 non-refundable application filing fee (or fee waiver).
Does Pomona College accept transfer students?
Transfer students are accepted as sophomores or juniors, and they must enroll full-time for four semesters in order to receive a B. A. degree.
Is it easier to get into college as a transfer?
The first thing you should be aware of is that acceptance rates for college transfers are lower than those for freshmen. According to NACAC%27s 2019 State of College Admission report, the average admit rate for transfer students was 61% compared to 66% for freshmen
What is the easiest college to transfer to?
- University of Wyoming – 97%
- Washington & Jefferson College – 95%
- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga – 94%
- Old Dominion University – 92%
- University of Oklahoma – 92%
- University of North Carolina at Asheville – 91%
- University of Kansas – 90%
- East Carolina University – 89%