Pitzer College, a private liberal arts college situated in Claremont, California, puts a scholastic emphasis on social sciences, international programs, behavioral sciences and media studies for the past fifty years.
As one of the Claremont Colleges (the other schools are Pomona College, Claremont Graduate University, Harvey Mudd College, Scripps College, Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences and Claremont McKenna College), Pitzer College students have access to resources in the other six schools, which greatly enriches the learning experience of all students at Pitzer and in the Claremont Colleges consortium.
Mission/Vision
Pitzer College prides itself on producing “engaged, socially responsible citizens of the world through an academically rigorous, interdisciplinary liberal arts education emphasizing social justice, intercultural understanding and environmental understanding. Pitzer’s mission statement also reveals that its community “thrives within the mutually supportive framework of the Claremont Colleges, which provide an unsurpassed breadth of academic, athletic and social opportunities.”
Campus Setting
The campus of Pitzer College covers 35 acres of land in Claremont, California. Pitzer, located on the northeast tip of the Claremont Colleges property, features a lot of contemporary architecture on its college campus. The campus features 16 buildings, including five residence halls. Three of those residence halls are even Gold LEED-Certified buildings which have received two architectural design awards. Pitzer’s dedication to fostering environmentally friendly building practices has resulted in four other LEED-Certified buildings on campus.
Academics
Pitzer offers its students over three dozen majors, many of which are cross-disciplinary in nature. The school does not require its students to take many distribution requirements. Students receive a faculty advisor when they arrive on campus. This is because all Pitzer students are expected to take a large role in crafting their own academic path of study.
Pitzer College is also well known for preparing its students to gain some of the most prestigious awards and fellowships upon graduation. For nine of the past years, Pitzer students got more Fulbright Fellowships per capita than any other college or university. Other prestigious awards that Pitzer graduates have received include Teach for America placements, Watson Fellowships and Rotary Scholarships.
Athletics
Pitzer joins Pomona College in staging its sports teams. The Sagehens teams includes squads for swimming and diving, water polo, tennis, golf, track and field, soccer, football, basketball and baseball. Pitzer students can also play on Claremont College club sports teams that compete on a national level. The Sagehens compete in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition at Pitzer is very expensive. Students can meet their tuition obligations through scholarships and grants, federal and private loans, and work-study funds. Over the years, Pitzer has worked hard to meet 100 percent of each student’s need. Please refer to Pitzer’s website for the most current tuition and financial aid information.
Accreditation
Pitzer College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Admissions
Admissions to Pitzer College is competitive. The Pitzer College Admissions Committee accepted 16 percent of its applicant pool for Fall 2017. The average accepted applicant earned an average high school GPA of 3.9.
Early Decision applications (I&II) are due in November and December. Regular Decision applications are due in January. Pitzer has instituted an SAT-optional policy which means that applicants who have an unweighted GPA of at least 3.5 do not have to submit SAT scores.
All applicants interested in attending Pitzer College must submit the following items:
- The Common Application
- $70 application fee or fee waiver
- Teacher Recommendations
- Interviews (Required for Early Decision applicants)
For more information on Pitzer College’s admissions process, contact the school directly:
Office of Admission & Financial Aid
Pitzer Hall
1050 N. Mills Avenue
Claremont, CA 91711
Phone:(909)621-8129
Fax:(909)621-8770
