Pomona College is one of a select group of schools that promise to meet the full demonstrated need of admitted students without loans, allowing the majority of students to graduate without student debt. The school also has an exceptional graduation rate of 93%.

Pomona College doesn't currently require applicants to submit standardized test scores to apply, but those who do tend to score in the 700s on both parts of the SAT. With about 1,700 undergraduates, the liberal arts college is comparatively small, so students can expect to develop close relationships with their professors, both in and out of class. The student-to-faculty ratio is 8 to 1 and average class size is 15, and more than half of students participate in faculty-led research projects.

But the small size doesn't mean students sacrifice options; they can take any class offered by the other members of the Claremont Colleges consortium — Claremont-McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer and Scripps. The schools also combine to offer many Division III sports and extracurricular activities. The college offers a wide array of extracurricular activities and organizations. One popular group is On the Loose, or OTL, an outdoor activities club for all five of the Claremont schools. It coordinates trips throughout California and the Southwest every year, where students hike, surf, rock climb and more.