Pitzer College

A spirit of values-driven inquiry and creative activism defines the intellectual life at Pitzer College, where five core values—social responsibility, intercultural understanding, interdisciplinary learning, student engagement, and environmental sustainability—empower students to cross disciplinary boundaries and address the world’s most pressing challenges. Founded in 1963 as a member of The Claremont Colleges consortium, Pitzer’s approach fuses a rigorous liberal arts foundation with a deep commitment to community engagement and social justice, encouraging students to apply classroom insights directly to real-world problems. This dynamic scholarly environment is anchored in Claremont, California, a tree-lined college town at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, where students enjoy the intimacy of a small residential campus while accessing the combined resources of a seven-institution consortium. Within this close-knit community of roughly 1,200 undergraduates, leadership is forged through hands-on participation in community-based research, study abroad programs across six continents, and a collaborative culture that prizes dialogue across difference.

Interdisciplinary freedom is the hallmark of the Pitzer experience, where the field group structure replaces traditional departments and students are encouraged to design their own majors or pursue coursework across all five undergraduate Claremont Colleges. Undergraduate education is deeply connected to faculty mentorship, with a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio that ensures personalized guidance and close intellectual partnership beginning with the First-Year Seminar, where each instructor also serves as the student’s academic advisor. Pitzer meets 100% of demonstrated financial need for all admitted domestic students and provides need-based aid to international students through a dedicated institutional application. Through its blend of progressive values, Southern California energy, and the extraordinary breadth of The Claremont Colleges, Pitzer graduates emerge ready not only to think critically across disciplines but to act as engaged citizens committed to building a more just and sustainable world.