Pomona College announced on October 26 that it has signed an affiliation agreement with Claremont Graduate University (CGU) under which Pomona will become CGU’s parent institution, with the transaction expected to close as early as June 2027. Both belong to The Claremont Colleges, a consortium whose five undergraduate colleges sit in Southern California, the same region as Irvine, and form a group of liberal arts colleges that Irvine and Orange County high school students often consider together. The colleges share courses and facilities, but admission is entirely separate: each one requires its own application.

Pomona College and Claremont Graduate University: What Happened

According to Pomona College’s announcement, the boards of both institutions ratified the agreement after more than a year of due diligence. The main terms are as follows:

  • Pomona College becomes CGU’s parent institution and sole corporate member, with governance authority over major institutional decisions.
  • CGU remains a distinct graduate school with its own board and senior leadership, and it keeps responsibility for academic programs, enrollment and student services.
  • The agreement is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close as early as June 2027; the two institutions begin integration planning in the coming months.
  • CGU is addressing near-term operating deficits. It plans to consolidate its five schools, one institute and one center into three academic units, with the goal of a balanced budget by 2032.

The relationship dates back to 1925: the consortium was founded that year, and the Pomona president at the time also founded what is now CGU.

What The Claremont Colleges Mean for Irvine Families

For Irvine families applying to college, the agreement changes the governance of two institutions within the consortium; it does not change the admission rules of the five undergraduate colleges. Pomona College’s announcement does not mention any change to undergraduate admission or degree requirements. What families need to understand is how the consortium itself works.

The consortium’s website explains that its seven institutions are independent, each with its own students, faculty, governance and academic emphasis. Applicants apply separately to each college of interest; admitted students enroll at one institution but use the consortium’s shared courses, activities and services. The consortium has more than 8,000 students and 3,500 faculty and staff on contiguous campuses covering nearly 600 acres in the city of Claremont, 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

How the Five Claremont Undergraduate Colleges Compare in Size

The figures below come from the consortium’s June 2026 brochure:

College Founded Enrollment Majors Full-time faculty Average class size Student-faculty ratio Living on campus
Pomona College 1887 1,586 48 211 15 7:1 97%
Scripps College 1926 1,103 50 107 16 10:1 97%
Claremont McKenna College 1946 1,371 23 169 16 8:1 97%
Harvey Mudd College 1955 913 15 106 20 8:1 99%
Pitzer College 1963 1,191 39 116 16 10:1 89%

The other two members are graduate institutions: CGU (founded in 1925, enrollment 1,882) and Keck Graduate Institute (founded in 1997, enrollment 641).

All five colleges are small, but their emphases differ: the consortium brochure describes Harvey Mudd College as an engineering, science and mathematics college, Claremont McKenna College as emphasizing economics and political science, and Scripps College as a women’s liberal arts college.

Cross-Registration Rules at The Claremont Colleges

Cross-registration is central to the consortium. Pomona College notes that all seven campuses lie within one square mile and are walkable; the undergraduate colleges offer more than 2,700 courses in total, coordinate their academic calendars and registration, and share a two-million-volume library.

Each college sets its own limits on cross-registration. Claremont McKenna College’s registrar, for example, applies the following rules:

Class year Courses that may be taken at other colleges
First-year and sophomore 1 course
Junior and senior 2 courses (one half of the course load)

Courses in joint programs (for example, the all-college Physical Education and Religious Studies offerings) do not count toward the limit. Courses at CGU or Keck Graduate Institute require permission and a separate request form submitted to the registrar.

The consortium brochure also states that undergraduates at The Claremont Colleges can begin graduate coursework at CGU in their senior year and earn a master’s degree in as little as one year. This matches the direction described in Pomona College’s announcement: a closer connection between undergraduate study and graduate education.

EDUBUS Recommendations for Applying to the Claremont Colleges

Choose by college, not by consortium. The five colleges review and admit separately, so applying to several means preparing several sets of supplements.

Early Decision can go to only one college. A binding Early Decision application can go to only one school, and that applies within the five Claremont colleges as well. Because size, number of majors and residential life differ considerably, students should first decide where they want to enroll and spend most of their time.

Treat cross-registration as a supplement, not a substitute. At Claremont McKenna College, for example, first-year students and sophomores may take only one course at another college, so most coursework happens at the home college. A “Why this college” essay should point to that college’s own majors and resources.

For college lists and early application planning, see the EDUBUS university admissions planning service; for supplements, see the college essay bootcamp. Earlier EDUBUS briefs cover this year’s deadlines and supplements for Pomona College, Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, Scripps College and Pitzer College.

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