•AVERAGE: 69
Located in Claremont, California, Pitzer College is a top ranked liberal arts college established in 1963 as a women’s college, though it became co-educational in 1970. Pitzer College is one of the seven institutions that comprise The Claremont Colleges, a unique consortium of five undergraduate colleges and two graduate schools. Each of the contiguous campuses share numerous facilities and programs, granting students access to the resources normally found in a major university without sacrificing the benefits of the personalized approach of a liberal arts experience.
Academic Programs
Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges since 1965, Pitzer awards baccalaureate degrees in approximately forty areas of study. Some of the college’s most popular majors and concentrations include psychology, sociology, political studies, media studies, environmental studies and art. Embracing a spirit of inquiry, participation and adventure, one of Pitzer’s strengths lie in the school’s encouragement of independent work. Pitzer’s Core values include Social Responsibility; Intercultural Understanding; Interdisciplinary Learning; Student Engagement; and Environmental Sustainability.Dedicated to cultivating growth in the individual while building up the community, Pitzer students are not only encouraged but expected to engage in community service learning and the school is recognized as a leader in the areas of sustainability, intercultural understanding, global study, and inquiry. Students are also challenged to participate in study abroad and other international programs and each year several students take advantage of the global opportunities that Pitzer offers to its in locations all around the world.
Student Life
Made up of a little more than 1,000 students, Pitzer’s student body is an ethnically diverse one with students coming from all parts of the United States and at least twenty foreign countries. Students are required to live on campus during their four-year stay and the majority of students live in one of Pitzer’s several residence halls on campus. Pitzer’s goal in cultivating a residential learning community is to provide students with opportunity to interact and share in both educational and intellectual pursuits while learning to live within a diverse community. Each of Pitzer’s residence halls are staffed by trained, live-in Residence Directors and a member of each hall staff is on call for students at all times.A number of student-led clubs exist on Pitzer’s campus, catering to a wide range of passions, interests, cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs. Pitzer cherishes a number of traditions and hosts several student events throughout the year, including the Kohoutek Music and Arts Festival that began in 1974, “Groove on the Grove”, referring to Pitzer’s Thursday night concerts and performances, and the “Reggae Fest” which began as a fall concert event in 2003.