Claremont, CA – The Pomona College campus came alive this Saturday with the arrival of 435 new students set to begin Orientation Week and start their college education.

“I’m excited to welcome our new students and new families to campus as we both begin our first year at Pomona College together,” says Pomona College President G. Gabrielle Starr, who took office in July. “I know that each and every one of our new students will not only gain much from Pomona, but our campus will in turn become even richer with this, and every, new class we bring.”

The Class of 2021 was carefully selected from a pool of more than 9,000 applicants. Members of the Class of 2021 come from 48 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. They represent 33 nationalities, and international students comprise 12 percent of the class.

About a fifth of the incoming class are first-generation college students (meaning neither parent has a four-year college degree), and a little more than half (52 percent) are domestic students of color.

The Class of 2021 also represents the highest yield the College has seen since 1965, with 55 percent of the 757 admitted students joining our campus community this Saturday.

The College will also welcome 22 transfer students. The group includes eight students from community colleges, of whom two are U.S. military veterans.

Pomona College’s recruitment efforts had admissions officers visiting 41 state and 26 countries and our campus welcomed 18,237 students and visitors for tours, information sessions and interviews.

In addition, Pomona partners with programs like QuestBridge, the Posse Foundation, the KIPP Foundation, and many others as part of our commitment to increasing access for low-income and underrepresented students.

After the excitement and emotion of move-in day, new students will set out on Orientation Adventure trips, an opportunity to see California and get to know other students. Continuing students return to campus on Saturday, Aug. 26 and classes begin on Tuesday, Aug. 29 after Opening Convocation.