Pomona College Goes Permanently Test Optional

Pomona College

Pomona College no longer requires standardized test scores for first-year or transfer applicants. The faculty voted in favor of the permanent policy in early November.

In 2021, the college temporarily adopted the policy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pomona has made that policy permanent, in step with many similar institutions. The admissions committee will revisit the decision’s impacts in the 2028-2029 school year.

Pitzer College was the first on the West Coast to drop admissions test requirements in 2003. In 2021, Pitzer announced a three-year test-blind pilot program in which test scores would not be considered. The University of California stopped requiring standardized tests indefinitely and stopped considering scores for scholarships in 2021.

Scripps College adopted a permanent test-optional policy in 2021. Both Harvey Mudd and Claremont McKenna adopted temporary test-optional policies extending through 2024. Neither college has made a permanent decision.