Pomona to Absorb Claremont Graduate University

Claremont Graduate University didn’t have to go far to find its new partner.

Nearby Pomona College will absorb CGU, finalizing a partnership that has been under discussion since late 2025, the two institutions announced Monday. Pomona will now become CGU’s “parent” institution, though both will retain their respective academic programs, governing boards and senior leadership, according to a press release. Located just minutes apart, the institutions are both part of the Claremont Colleges consortium.

“Pomona and CGU share a special relationship that goes back more than a century to the origins of The Claremont Colleges, and this partnership gives us an opportunity to build on that history together,” Pomona College President G. Gabrielle Starr said in the partnership announcement. “CGU’s distinctive graduate education has long enriched the intellectual life of the consortium, and we look forward to working together to strengthen the institution for its second century and beyond. I’m particularly excited about the new possibilities this partnership will create for students at Pomona and across the consortium to connect their liberal arts education with graduate study, career development and new professional pathways.”

While certain functions will remain independent, officials noted the institutions intend to explore ways to increase efficiency, including through shared infrastructure and administrative functions. But as the parent institution, Pomona will have authority “over major institutional decisions,” the press release said. Though neither institution used the term, the move appears to be an acquisition by Pomona.

As part of the transition, CGU will consolidate its offerings into three academic units.

The partnership still requires regulatory approval, which can move slowly. Officials at the two institutions anticipate the affiliation agreement could be approved as early as June 2027.