Claremont McKenna College admitted its lowest percentage of students on need-based financial aid last spring in more than 12 years. The statistic is part of a broader trend in data published by CMC that indicates the college is decreasing its financial aid coverage and lagging behind its peer institutions in financial aid investment. After four consecutive years of a steadily declining percentage of students receiving need-based financial aid, CMC reported an all-time minimum of 37.6% last year, according to CMC’s Common Data Set. A promotional pamphlet in CMC’s Office of Admissions said 33% of this year’s first-year class received need-based financial aid.
Tag: Pomona College
OPINION: The bureaucratic veil over Pomona’s Center for Global Engagement
Zara Seldon PO ’29 recalls her experience with Pomona College’s Housing and Residence Life (HRL) office in her forced double as she attempted to remove an extra wardrobe. The new Center for Global Engagement (CGE), replacing Oldenborg, has caused a housing crisis evident through many residents’ experiences, but one that HRL was neither prepared to handle nor receive blame for.
ASPC and ASCMC consider policy response to AI poster backlash
Student backlash over AI-generated promotional materials has prompted Associated Students of Pomona College (ASPC) and Associated Students of Claremont McKenna College (ASCMC) to reconsider their use of the technology, with the two student governments taking different approaches to regulation. ASPC is debating a proposed ban on AI use in external communications, with senators divided over enforcement and potential stipend reductions for violations. ASCMC’s executive board reached an informal agreement to avoid AI use but has not adopted a permanent policy.
In a pickle: CMC adds new signage clarifying pickleball courts are CMS only
Claremont McKenna College added new signage to its pickleball courts this week to affirm that they are exclusively meant for CMC, Harvey Mudd College and Scripps College students, faculty and staff. The signage was updated after the Associated Students of Claremont McKenna College (ASCMC) asked staff at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) Athletics about community members’ access to the courts.
Pomona to become CGU’s parent institution following partnership announcement
The Boards of Trustees at Pomona College and Claremont Graduate University (CGU) voted today, Oct. 26 to approve a partnership that will enshrine Pomona as CGU’s parent institution.
The approval of the partnership follows an Oct. 6 email from Interim President Michelle Bligh to CGU faculty and staff, in which Bligh outlined how CGU will seek to address a projected $7.8 million operating deficit for the current fiscal year.
CGU first announced it would be seeking a partnership to improve its financial standing in April 2025. Pomona President Gabi Starr announced CGU and Pomona had entered into exclusive negotiations on Dec. 18, 2025.
5Cs and student governments invest in U-Pass program amid Metrolink fare hike in prices
Metrolink, the commuter rail transport system across Southern California, raised fare prices on Oct. 5 for the first time in 13 years. In a press release, Metrolink said that “limited fare increases” are due to rising operational costs, decreased ridership and a lack of federal funding. One-way Metrolink fares rose by up to about 14%, while the weekday SoCal Day Pass rose from $15 to $19 and the weekend and holiday pass rose from $10 to $12. Metrolink maintained its 50% student discount, but students still had to pay more as the underlying fares increased.
CSWA calls for paid negotiations and an end to union-busting at rally
The Claremont Student Worker Alliance (CSWA) held a rally on Oct. 9 outside of Frary Dining Hall, where around 20 students and faculty members gathered to hear speeches, sing picket chants and paint Walker Wall with messages of support for dining workers at Pomona College.
‘The Antipodes:’ a timeless play for current times
After millennia of storytelling, have we run out of stories to tell? Pomona College Theater Department’s production of “The Antipodes” explores the tension between creative expression and corporate demand, asking what happens when the stories we tell become commodities.
Pomona launches $530 million Originals campaign, breaks ground on Center for Global Engagement
Last Saturday, Pomona College launched its Originals Campaign, a $530 million effort to expand financial aid for middle-income families, broaden professional opportunities for students and strengthen the college’s alumni network. To kick off the campaign, Pomona President G. Gabrielle Starr and several trustees broke ground on the college’s Center for Global Engagement (CGE), which was followed by a fall-themed festival featuring student performances and community-building efforts.
New visa and CPT restrictions threaten international students’ off-campus jobs
After the Trump administration placed new restrictions on Curricular Practical Training (CPT), a program that has historically allowed F-1 international students to work off campus, some international students have had to turn down jobs, while others expressed uncertainty about future opportunities.
In August, ICE sent a memo to colleges and universities directing them to issue CPT only when an internship or practical training experience is necessary for graduation, a stricter interpretation of the existing policy. The memo states that “improper CPT authorization” could result in “administrative or legal consequences,” such as a college losing its ability to enroll international students.