Pomona Exchange

Pomona Exchange

Since 1992 Downing College has been linked with Pomona College, California in a student exchange scheme. One fully-funded scholarship for a Pomona-Downing Scholar is awarded each year to an undergraduate offer-holder. The successful student then spends a full academic year at Pomona before beginning their course at Cambridge. 

Founded in 1887, Pomona is an internationally renowned, coeducational Liberal Arts College situated 37 miles east of Los Angeles. It enrolls approximately 1400 students each year and offers a broad range of challenging academic courses and excellent facilities. 

"Pomona College offers its students the intimate qualities of a small, academically elite liberal arts college and the breadth of resources to be found at a major university.”

 

Pomona College Prospectus

Studying at Pomona College

The academic year consists of two semesters (early September to late December and mid-January to mid-May). The Pomona-Downing Scholar will have the status of a second-year student at Pomona and will take the normal number of four separate courses per semester. Although the courses are not a formal part of the Cambridge degree, they will help broaden the range of options subsequently available at Cambridge.

The Scholar will be able to choose, with the guidance of an assigned Pomona Faculty adviser, from the full range of available courses. When the coursework is completed, Pomona will provide certification as to the finished work and the grades and evaluations of that work.

Living at Pomona

The year at Pomona is fully funded; all travel and agreed living expenses will be paid for from the Wilson Endowment, with which the scheme was established.

The Scholar will live on campus in the residence halls, normally with an American roommate, and will have access to all extracurricular activities.

The Pomona community is rich in diversity and opportunity. Students are encouraged to share their talents, develop new ones and benefit from the varied social and intellectual backgrounds of their classmates and teachers. With the enormous number of public events available on the five undergraduate campuses,  you’ll be spoilt for choice when considering how to spend your free time.