Pomona Pomona College, one of the nation's most prestigious liberal arts colleges and one of the most difficult colleges to be admitted to, was founded in 1887 and is located in Clermont, South California. Founded in 1887, Pomona College is located in Clermont, S.C. The Clermont College Consortium, founded by Pomona in 1925, has become a unique form of educational consortium worldwide. Pomona College was ranked No. 5 in the 2015 U.S. liberal arts college rankings; it was ranked No. 2 in the latest U.S. college rankings in 2013, just behind, surpassing traditional Eastern Ivy League schools such as, and so on.