Pitzer College

Quick Stats

1050 N. Mills Avenue
Claremont, CA 91711-6101: [map]

Phone: (909) 621-8000

2011-2012 Tuition

$42,570: tuition and fees

Students

1,080: enrolled

40%: male /

60%: female

Admissions

Jan. 1: application deadline

25.7%: accepted

More Information

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U.S. News Rankings

Ranking score and category

U.S. News rank	Category Name
#42	National Liberal Arts Colleges

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Summary

Pitzer College is a private institution that was founded in 1963. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,080, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 31 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Pitzer College's ranking in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 42. Its tuition and fees are $42,570 (2011-12).

Students at Pitzer attend a small liberal arts college with the breadth and resources of five undergraduate institutions. Pitzer is in the network of Claremont Colleges, along with undergraduate schools Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, Pomona College, and Scripps College. Students can major in an academic program at any of the five institutions, or can design a major at Pitzer. All campuses are within walking distance of each other in Claremont, Calif., and Pitzer students can take up to half their courses at other schools. If a student doesn’t feel like walking, they can take a free bicycle through Pitzer’s Green Bike Program. The campuses’ close proximities are ideal for Pitzer student athletes, who team up with peers at Pomona College for varsity sports. The Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens compete in the Division III Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, cheered on by mascot Cecil, a costumed blue bird. Unlike most institutions, Pitzer does not require students to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of their application, as long as a student is in the top 10 percent of their high school class or has a 3.5 or greater GPA. There are more than 100 student clubs and organizations, but there is no Greek system. All full-time students must live on campus, unless they have received school permission to move off. With so many institutions in Claremont, Pitzer students live among 5,000 students in the suburban area. Los Angeles is 35 miles away, and students with cars can get to Santa Monica Beach, the Mojave Desert, and Hollywood in an hour.

Close to three-quarters of students study abroad, often through Pitzer’s specialty programs, like a semester in Costa Rica at the school’s Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology. Students can also spend a semester in southern California, completing community-based internships in Ontario, Calif., and social research projects, and going on field trips—including a tour of United States border towns. Notable alumni include John Landgraf, president and general manager of FX Networks; Debra Yang, the first Asian-American U.S. Attorney; and Fabian Núñez, former speaker of the California Assembly.

School mission (as provided by the school):

Pitzer College produces engaged, socially responsible citizens of the world through an academically rigorous, interdisciplinary liberal arts education emphasizing social justice, intercultural understanding and environmental sensitivity. The meaningful participation of students, faculty and staff in college governance and academic program design is a Pitzer core value. Our community thrives within the mutually supportive framework of The Claremont Colleges which provide an unsurpassed breadth of academic, athletic and social opportunities.

General Information

School type	private, coed college
Year founded	1963
Religious affiliation	N/A
Academic calendar	semester
Setting	suburban
2010 Endowment	$95,544,460

Applying

When applying to Pitzer College, it's important to note the application deadline is January 1, and the early decision deadline is November 15. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due January 1. The application fee at Pitzer College is $60. It is more selective, with an acceptance rate of 25.7 percent.

For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	more selective
Fall 2010 acceptance rate	26%
Application deadline	January 1
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	January 1

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at Pitzer College is 11:1, and the school has 70.6 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Pitzer College include: Psychology; Film/Cinema/Video Studies; Political Science and Government; Art; and English Language and Literature, General. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 92.2 percent.

Class sizes

Student-faculty ratio

11:1

4-year graduation rate

74% - High

Five most popular majors for 2010 graduates

Psychology	14%
Film/Cinema/Video Studies	8%
Political Science and Government	8%
Art	6%
English Language and Literature, General	6%

More About Academic Life

Student Life

Pitzer College has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,080, with a gender distribution of 39.8 percent male students and 60.2 percent female students. 75.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 25.0 percent of students live off campus. Pitzer College is part of the NCAA III athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at Pitzer College.

Total enrollment	1,080
Student gender distribution

Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity

Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority

Collegiate athletic association	NCAA III

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Campus Info & Services

Pitzer College offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, women's center, placement service, health service, and health insurance. Pitzer College also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Of the students at Pitzer College, 45 percent have cars on campus. Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Pitzer College.

Students who have cars on campus	45% - Medium
Health insurance offered	Yes
Students required to own/lease a computer	No

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Paying for School

At Pitzer College, 40.5 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $33,155.

Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

Tuition and fees	$42,570 (2011-12)
Room and board	$12,370 (2011-12) - High
Financial aid statistics

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Student Reviews Ratings data provided by Unigo

I love that Pitzer is a small school. It's easy to get to know your professors and the other students. Classes are fairly small, and most professors bend over backwards to make themselves available to give us any extra help we may need. There are very few course requirements, so it is very easy to start your freshman year taking a bunch of different classes to find your interest without worrying about required classes. Pitzer campus is beautiful, and there is a very open and friendly atmosphere that drew me in during my first visit. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. Pitzer is part of a five-college consortium, so we have all the resources of a big university and the advantages of a small school. Each Claremont College has its own strengths, and I recommend trying to take at least one class at each one. Taking classes on other campuses is the same as taking them on your home campus, so cross-registration is very easy. It's nice to know that if a class you want isn't offered on your home campus, you can probably find it at one of the neighboring campuses. The different colleges all sponsor parties, concerts, games, and other events, so there is ALWAYS something to do. If you're bored at Pitzer, you're not looking hard enough. One of the complaints I have heard frequently is that the tuition is too high. There is a lot of financial aid available, but not enough to keep everybody happy. However, if Pitzer is the right fit for you, I don't think you should let tuition stand in your way. Most people only get the college experience once, and you'll get further in life if you find a schoolthat you truly love.

Ariana Sophomore

Pitzer is like summer camp. (We even have a shirt that says "Camp Pitzer" on it.) It's a little under a thousand people, which in my opinion is a nearly perfect college student population. The best thing about Pitzer the flexibility and control it gives to its students in forming groups, governing itself, and creating one's course of study. Most people have never heard of Pitzer, but are familiar with the "Claremont Consortium." Most students can be spotted on the "Mounds," or in the Grove House, which are both historical landmarks of the college. There is a downtown area about a mile or so away that has boutiques, up-scale restaurants, and cafes; and there's a farmers' market every sunday. And three to five miles away is a more commercial kind of shopping area that offers brand name goods, chain/fast-food restaurants, and supermarkets. Pitzer's administration is friendly, accommodative, and very accessible to students. The most recent controversy on campus was approving the creation of a "Masculinist Coalition." It took several weeks and revisions of the proposed group's charter to be approved by Student Senate. Pitzer's school pride is not expressed in traditional channels (sports teams since Pitzer sports is paired with Pomona), but rather through the kind of student activism that characterizes an overwhelming majority of those who attend. Pitzer's campus provides students with outdoor art spaces, on which any student can create a pre-approved mural. I'll always remember the annual spring arts and music festival, Kohoutek. The most frequent complaints are concerning the inconsistent quality of the dining hall food. If I could change one thing about Pitzer, it would be the discrepancy between the old and new dorms.

Janet Freshman

I love Pitzer. It's small and home-y, artsy and everyone is really friendly. Sure, the school is competitive, but the school has a vibe where everyone helps each other out and such. A lot of the buildings are white and industrial, though, and though we can paint all over the school, giving it the artsy feel, the buildings can be drab. The school is really small, but since it's part of the Claremont Colleges consortium it doesn't feel too small. If it were by itself perhaps it would be. The administration is really helpful and one of the most concerned and accessible administrations I've ever found. Some people complain that the school is not liberal enough, but when compared to other colleges the school is incredibly student-participation-oriented and much more lenient about controversial issues. It's the first college to have gender-neutral housing, you can paint a mural on any wall with an easy approval process, we have a large music festival once a year in addition to several others throughout the year, we have town hall meetings and students are involved in the tenure approval for all teachers, and I feel that issues near and dear to students hearts' are heard and factored into the administration's decisions. Claremont is not that large, and some complain that there isn't much of a off-campus life that is easily accessible. LA is an hour away, and there are also mountains and beaches nearby. Students need cars to get to these areas, though. Car passes are cheaper than at most colleges. Usually on weekends I stay at school, considering I work a lot, though my roommate liked to visit her home. When I tell people I go to Pitzer most often they have never heard of it. If they have, they often cite it's growing popularity and improvement in ranking, or that they've heard of the Claremont Colleges and that the colleges are very good ones. It's the youngest of the 5 schools and is not known as well as the others, though it received much publicity this past year.

Liana Junior

More student reviews

* Overview details based on 2010 data

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Summary

General Information

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