Cost & financial aid brief
Pomona College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Pomona College cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 77% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The pattern across income bands shows lower average net prices at lower incomes, but costs do not increase consistently across the listed income range.
The lowest band averages $4,841, while the highest averages $37,842, a spread of $33,001 between the two ends. This structure means the university's pricing is most favorable for students from lower-income families.
The published cost of attendance at Pomona College is $85,300 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #266 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $4,841; for those earning $48,001 to $75,000, it is $17,054; and for those earning over $110,000, it is $37,842. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $33,001.
Aid covers about 77% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The across all aid recipients is $19,285, which is $3,062 below the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $11,782 in federal student loans, $13,218 below the $25,000 median for comparable institutions. About 52.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $27,861 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $134 a month. It estimates what a family might pay based on their own finances.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
About 52.1% of federal aid recipients at Pomona College take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student debt is $11,782.
That median is $13,218 below the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program are a separate population, with a median of $27,861.
Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $77,544. That figure is $21,629 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and it sits in the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $48,532 on the downside to $156,577 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $77,544. The median federal debt of $11,782 is $13,218 below the peer median, and if repaid over ten years it corresponds to an estimated payment of $134 a month.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $27,861. For borrowers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $134 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $27,861
- Estimated parent payment
- $354/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $11,782
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $27,861
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $134/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $354/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $488/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $77,544, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
2.9% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.