Pomona College is one of 32 higher education institutions named in a lawsuit that alleges that binding Early Decision policies prevent low-income students from applying because they prevent students from comparing financial aid offers from other schools (since they require a binding commitment to attend up front, before Regular Decision results can come in from other schools).

Whether we at Ivy Coach agree with the plaintiffs is rather beside the point (although we would encourage all applicants to plug in their family’s finances into their prospective school’s financial aid calculator before applying Early Decision to get a better sense of the financial commitment). But we do think this legal development underscores a point we know to be true: that Early Decision is an increasingly popular option for students applying to Pomona College. And our review of the data backs up this assertion!

A Look Back at the Pomona College Class of 2029

Just one year ago, 1,726 applicants applied through Pomona’s binding Early Decision round to earn admission to the Class of 2029. Of these, only 224 (12.98%) were admitted. While this was shy of being the lowest Early Decision acceptance rate on record for Pomona (a distinction that goes to the Class of 2028), this result continued a trend of Pomona’s ED acceptance rate dwindling to the low teens over the last few years.

Pomona Early Decision Admissions Statistics Over 16+ Years

Two years ago, a record 12.54% of Early Decision applicants to the Class of 2028 earned admission to Pomona. The year before that, the figure stood at 14.16% for the Class of 2027. Prior to the adoption of Pomona’s then-temporary and now permanent test-optional admissions policy, Early Decision acceptance rates were a little higher, with the Class of 2022, for example, clocking in at 19.26%.

What does this have to do with test-optional admissions? We’re glad you asked! When colleges go test-optional, a whole new class of applicants rushes to apply: those who would rather not submit test scores! As we at Ivy Coach have covered again and again on the pages of this college admissions blog, these applicants are at a uniform disadvantage compared to their counterparts who actually submit test scores. And yet, some colleges continue with test-optional admissions because of this influx of applicants, which invariably drives down the acceptance rate.

Below is a breakdown of Pomona’s Early Decision admissions statistics over the last 16 years, excluding the Class of 2030:

Admissions Cycle	Pomona College Class Year	Early Decision Acceptance Rate
2025-26	Class of 2030	Not Yet Published
2024-25	Class of 2029	12.98%
2023-24	Class of 2028	12.54%
2022-23	Class of 2027	14.16%
2021-22	Class of 2026	12.76%
2020-21	Class of 2025	14.10%
2019-20	Class of 2024	15.39%
2018-19	Class of 2023	15.18%
2017-18	Class of 2022	19.26%
2016-17	Class of 2021	18.53%
2015-16	Class of 2020	15.13%
2014-15	Class of 2019	18.60%
2013-14	Class of 2018	19.90%
2012-13	Class of 2017	20.44%
2011-12	Class of 2016	20.53%
2010-11	Class of 2015	22.61%
2009-10	Class of 2014	18.82%

Breakdown of the Pomona College Class of 2030 Admits

We don’t have specific data covering Early Decision admits and ED admits alone within the Class of 2030, or for the Class of 2029, for that matter. We do, however, know that among the students admitted to Class of 2029 as a whole, 55% identified as domestic students of color, 15% were international students, 61% received financial aid, 34% came from within the state of California, and 21% intend to study a discipline in the humanities. Thanks, Pomona 2029 Class Profile!

Ivy Coach’s Assistance Moving Forward for Deferred or Rejected Pomona College Applicants

Congratulations to Ivy Coach’s students who earned admission to the Pomona Class of 2029! If you’re a student who applied Early Decision to Pomona and were deferred or rejected for admission, you might feel demoralized, but this is the perfect time to spring into action!

Reach out to us today to set up a complimentary consultation so you can learn about what the next steps are. For deferred candidates, we offer a PostMortem application review and assistance in penning a compelling Letter of Continued Interest. For rejected candidates, we provide a PostMortem application review.

And while we do offer assistance with Regular Decision applications, we can’t begin on those schools until we figure out what went wrong with Early Decision. We’ll evaluate your application to figure out what went wrong before our team of former elite college admissions officers helps you pivot to a new, highly competitive strategy.