Pomona supplemental essays 2026-27
Every Pomona supplemental prompt for this cycle, quoted with its limit and who has to answer it, then what to write and in what order. Checked against Pomona’s own page on November 5, 2026.
The Pomona supplement at a glance
- Prompts listed
- 4
- Words to write
- 400 words
- Admitted posters
- GPA 3.91 to 4.00
SAT 1,498 to 1,560
The GPA and SAT are the middle half of what admitted applicants posted publicly, not a requirement. The full tables, activities and majors are on how to get into Pomona.
What changed this year
Pomona's live page shows the same academic statement and choice of three short essays, with no change reported.
The Pomona prompts, quoted
Every applicant (400 words)
“What draws you to the subject(s) you selected as potential major(s)?”
Limit: 150 words · Who: All first-year applicants (Academic Interest Statement) · Required for this group
Readers check this answer against your transcript and activities, so it has to match them. Name the specific question, course or project that pulls you, show where the interest started, and point to what you would use at Pomona by its real name.
Answer one of these three
“Reflecting on a community that you are a part of, what values or perspectives from that community would you bring to Pomona?”
Limit: 250 words · Who: All first-year applicants (choose one of three for the Short-Response Essay) · One of a choice
Name the group, your place in it, and one thing that is different because you were there. These answers fail by staying abstract; a scene with real people in it does the work that adjectives cannot.
“Describe an experience you had outside the classroom that changed the way you think and/or how you engage with your peers.”
Limit: 250 words · Who: All first-year applicants (choose one of three for the Short-Response Essay) · One of a choice
Answer the question as asked, with one concrete example rather than several thin ones, inside 250 words.
“Choose any person or group of people in your life and share how they would describe you.”
Limit: 250 words · Who: All first-year applicants (choose one of three for the Short-Response Essay) · One of a choice
This is the kind of question readers look forward to, because it is where a file starts to sound like a person. Answer it literally and specifically: a real, slightly odd detail does more than a profound one, and 250 words is enough for one image followed all the way through.
How many words the Pomona supplement takes
400 words for every applicant, counting each choice once at its limit.
A plan for writing the Pomona set
Pomona's academic statement is short, so give one specific reason for the subject you chose. Of the three short essays, the one asking how someone would describe you is the most distinctive: pick a person whose view of you is surprising and let their words and a scene carry it.
Pomona on AI and your essays
We found no AI statement on Pomona's admissions pages on November 5, 2026. Submitting the application still certifies the writing is your own.
How Pomona reads a file
Pomona supplement questions
- What are the Pomona supplemental essays for 2026-27?
- Pomona lists 4 supplemental prompts for 2026-27, all of them quoted in full on this page from Pomona's own admissions page as it read on November 5, 2026. Every applicant answers all of them.
- How many words are the Pomona supplements?
- 400 words for every applicant, counting each choose-one group once at its limit. Program and optional prompts are listed separately.
- What changed in the Pomona supplement this year?
- Pomona's live page shows the same academic statement and choice of three short essays, with no change reported.
- Does Pomona allow AI on application essays?
- We found no AI statement on Pomona's admissions pages on November 5, 2026. Submitting the application still certifies the writing is your own.
Writing the Pomona supplement?
A Specialist who went through a school like Pomona can read your drafts against these prompts and tell you which answers sound like you and which could belong to anyone.
Checked against Pomona’s own admissions page on November 5, 2026. Prompts are quoted word for word, with the college’s dashes set in our house style. Prompts can change during a cycle; confirm the wording in your application before you submit. Aristo Scholars is not affiliated with Pomona. Every college’s supplement