Pitzer College

Overview

At a Glance

School type

Private, not-for-profit, 4-year or above

Faculty

99 Faculty Members | 10:1 student faculty ratio

Religious affliation

Not applicable

Mission Statement

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.

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cost & financial aid

Annual tuition & fees

Undergraduate

In state

$57,978

Out of state

$57,978
Graduate

In state

No information

Out of state

No information

Financial Aid: Undergraduates

Received financial aid
48%
Did not receive aid
52%
Type of aid % of students receiving aid Average amount
Federal grants 31.0% $3,753
State/local grants 5.0% $9,084
Institutional grants 41.0% $35,933
Loans 24.0% $3,853

Pay For College with ROTC

Reserve Officers Training Corp (ROTC) is a college scholarship program that prepares students to become military officers

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Financial aid resources

Paying for college

Learn about different ways to cover costs, incluing financial aid, GI Bills, grants and scholarships

Applying for financial Aid

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Academics

Most Popular Undergraduate majors

  • Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
  • Organizational Behavior Studies
  • Environmental Science
  • Political Science and Government, General
  • Mass Communication/Media Studies
Full List of Majors

Undergraduate Majors X

  • AREA, ETHNIC, CULTURAL, GENDER, AND GROUP STUDIES
    • American/United States Studies/Civilization
      • A program that focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of the United States and its Pre-Columbian and colonial predecessors, and including the flow of immigrants from other societies. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Asian Studies/Civilization
      • A program that focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of one or more of the peoples of the Asian Continent, including the study of the Asian diasporas overseas. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Latin American Studies
      • A program that focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of one or more of the Hispanic peoples of the North and South American Continents outside Canada and the United States, including the study of the Pre-Columbian period and the flow of immigrants from other societies. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Near and Middle Eastern Studies
      • A program that focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of one or more of the peoples of North Africa, Southwestern Asia, Asia Minor, and the Arabian Peninsula, related borderlands and island groups, and including emigrant and immigrant groups. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Russian Studies
      • A program that focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of one or more of the peoples of the Russian Federation and its Soviet, Czarist, and medieval predecessors and related borderlands. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Japanese Studies
    • African-American/Black Studies
      • A program that focuses on the history, sociology, politics, culture, and economics of the North American peoples descended from the African diaspora; focusing on the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, but also including reference to Latin American elements of the diaspora. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies
      • A program that focuses on the history, sociology, politics, culture, and economics of one or more of the Hispanic American immigrant populations within the U.S. and Canada, including Mexican-American Studies, Cuban American Studies, Puerto Rican Studies, and others. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Asian-American Studies
      • A program that focuses on the history, sociology, politics, culture, and economics of Asian population groups who have immigrated to the United States and Canada, or sought refugee asylum, from the colonial period to the present, and including Chinese-Americans, Japanese-Americans, Korean-Americans, Vietnamese-Americans, Cambodian-Americans, and others. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Women's Studies
      • A program that focuses on the history, sociology, politics, culture, and economics of women, and the development of modern feminism in relation to the roles played by women in different periods and locations in North America and the world. Programs may focus on literature, philosophy, and the arts as much as on social studies and policy. See other colleges that offer this major
  • BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
    • Biology/Biological Sciences, General
      • A general program of biology at the introductory, basic level or a program in biology or the biological sciences that is undifferentiated as to title or content. Includes instruction in general biology and programs covering a variety of biological specializations. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Biophysics
      • A program that focuses on the application of physics principles to the scientific study of the mechanisms of biological processes and assemblies at all levels of complexity. Includes instruction in research methods and equipment operation and applications to subjects such as bioenergetics, biophysical theory and modeling, electrophysics, membrane biology, channels, receptors and transporters, contractility and muscle function, protein shaping and folding, molecular and supramolecular structures and assemblies, and computational science. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Molecular Biology
      • A program that focuses on the scientific study of the structure and function of biological macromolecules and the role of molecular constituents and mechanisms in supramolecular assemblies and cells. Includes instruction in such topics as molecular signaling and transduction, regulation of cell growth, enzyme substrates and mechanisms of enzyme action, DNA-protein interaction, and applications to fields such as biotechnology, genetics, cell biology, and physiology. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology, Other
    • Neuroscience
      • A program that focuses on the interdisciplinary scientific study of the molecular, structural, physiologic, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of the brain and nervous system. Includes instruction in molecular and cellular neuroscience, brain science, anatomy and physiology of the central nervous system, molecular and biochemical bases of information processing, behavioral neuroscience, biology of neuropsychiatric disorders, and applications to the clinical sciences and biomedical engineering. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
  • BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES
    • Organizational Behavior Studies
      • A program that focuses on the scientific study of the behavior and motivations of individuals functioning in organized groups, and its application to business and industrial settings. Includes instruction in organization theory, industrial and organizational psychology, social psychology, sociology of organizations, reinforcement and incentive theory, employee relations strategies, organizational power and influence, organization stratification and hierarchy, leadership styles, and applications of operations research and other methodologies to organizational analysis. See other colleges that offer this major
  • COMMUNICATION, JOURNALISM, AND RELATED PROGRAMS
    • Mass Communication/Media Studies
      • A program that focuses on the analysis and criticism of media institutions and media texts, how people experience and understand media content, and the roles of media in producing and transforming culture. Includes instruction in communications regulation, law, and policy; media history; media aesthetics, interpretation, and criticism; the social and cultural effects of mass media; cultural studies; the economics of media industries; visual and media literacy; and the psychology and behavioral aspects of media messages, interpretation, and utilization. See other colleges that offer this major
  • COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES AND SUPPORT SERVICES
    • Computer and Information Sciences, General
      • A general program that focuses on computing, computer science, and information science and systems. Such programs are undifferentiated as to title and content and are not to be confused with specific programs in computer science, information science, or related support services. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Computer Science
      • A program that focuses on computer theory, computing problems and solutions, and the design of computer systems and user interfaces from a scientific perspective. Includes instruction in the principles of computational science, computer development and programming, and applications to a variety of end-use situations. See other colleges that offer this major
  • EDUCATION
  • ENGINEERING
    • Manufacturing Engineering
      • A program that prepares individuals to apply scientific and mathematical principles to the design, development, and implementation of manufacturing systems. Includes instruction in materials science and engineering, manufacturing processes, process engineering, assembly and product engineering, manufacturing systems design, and manufacturing competitiveness. See other colleges that offer this major
  • ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS
    • English Language and Literature, General
      • A general program that focuses on the English language, including its history, structure and related communications skills; and the literature and culture of English-speaking peoples. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Rhetoric and Composition
      • A program that focuses on the humanistic and scientific study of rhetoric, composition, literacy, and language/linguistic theories and their practical and pedagogical applications. Includes instruction in historical and contemporary rhetoric/composition theories; composition and criticism of written, visual, and mixed-media texts; analysis of literacy practices in cultural and cross-cultural contexts; and writing program administration. See other colleges that offer this major
  • FOREIGN LANGUAGES, LITERATURES, AND LINGUISTICS
    • Linguistics
      • A program that focuses on language, language development, and relationships among languages and language groups from a humanistic and/or scientific perspective. Includes instruction in subjects such as psycholinguistics, behavioral linguistics, language acquisition, sociolinguistics, mathematical and computational linguistics, grammatical theory and theoretical linguistics, philosophical linguistics, philology and historical linguistics, comparative linguistics, phonetics, phonemics, dialectology, semantics, functional grammar and linguistics, language typology, lexicography, morphology and syntax, orthography, stylistics, structuralism, rhetoric, and applications to artificial intelligence. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Chinese Language and Literature
      • A program that focuses on the languages of China and associated dialects and literature. Includes instruction in philology; linguistics; dialects and pidgins; and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
      • A general program that focuses on one or more of the Romance languages of Western, Central, and Southern Europe. Includes instruction in philology; linguistics; dialects and pidgins; literature; and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Portuguese Language and Literature
      • A program that focuses on the Portuguese language and related dialects. Includes instruction in philology; Metropolitan Portuguese; Luso-Brazilian Portuguese; dialects; and applications in business, science/technology, and other settings. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Spanish Language and Literature
      • A program that focuses on the Spanish language and related dialects. Includes instruction in philology; Modern Castillan; Latin American and regional Spanish dialects; and applications in business, science/technology, and other settings. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
      • A general program that focuses on the literary culture of the ancient Graeco-Roman world and the Greek and Latin languages and literatures and their development prior to the fall of the Roman Empire. See other colleges that offer this major
  • HEALTH PROFESSIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS
    • Public Health, General
      • A program that generally prepares individuals to plan, manage, and evaluate public health care services; to function as public health professionals in public agencies, the private sector, and other settings; and to provide leadership in the field of public health. Includes instruction in epidemiology, biostatistics, public health principles, preventive medicine, health policy and regulations, health care services and related administrative functions, public health law enforcement, health economics and budgeting, public communications, and professional standards and ethics. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Community Health and Preventive Medicine
      • A program that prepares public health specialists to plan and manage health services in local community settings, including the coordination of related support services, government agencies, and private resources. Includes instruction in public health, community health services and delivery, health behavior and cultural factors, local government operations, human services, health communication and promotion, health services administration in local settings, environmental health, preventive and comparative medicine, epidemiology, biostatistics, family and community health, and applicable law and regulations. See other colleges that offer this major
  • HISTORY
    • History, General
      • A program that focuses on the general study and interpretation of the past, including the gathering, recording, synthesizing and criticizing of evidence and theories about past events. Includes instruction in historiography; historical research methods; studies of specific periods, issues and cultures; and applications to areas such as historic preservation, public policy, and records administration. See other colleges that offer this major
  • LEGAL PROFESSIONS AND STUDIES
  • LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES, GENERAL STUDIES AND HUMANITIES
    • Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other
  • MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS
    • Mathematics, General
      • A general program that focuses on the analysis of quantities, magnitudes, forms, and their relationships, using symbolic logic and language. Includes instruction in algebra, calculus, functional analysis, geometry, number theory, logic, topology and other mathematical specializations. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Mathematics, Other
  • MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES
    • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General
      • A program that derives from two or more distinct programs and that is integrated around a unifying theme or topic that cannot be subsumed under a single discipline or occupational field. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Biological and Physical Sciences
      • A program that is either a general synthesis of one or more of the biological and physical sciences, or a specialization which draws from the biological and physical sciences. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
      • A program that focuses on the origins, resolution and prevention of international and inter-group conflicts. Includes instruction in peace research methods and related social scientific and psychological knowledge bases. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Systems Science and Theory
      • A program with a multidisciplinary approach to the analysis and solution of complex problems, requiring a combined approach using data and models from the natural, social, technological, behavioral and life sciences, and other specialized fields. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Mathematics and Computer Science
    • Medieval and Renaissance Studies
      • A program that focuses on the study of the Medieval and/or Renaissance periods in European and circum-Mediterranean history from the perspective of various disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, including history and archeology, as well as studies of period art and music. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Science, Technology and Society
      • A program that focuses on the contemporary social and public policy ramifications of science and technology, the interrelationship of science and engineering with the public policy process, and the social and ethical dimensions of scientific and technological enterprises. See other colleges that offer this major
    • International/Globalization Studies
    • Cognitive Science, General
      • A program that focuses on the study of the mind and the nature of intelligence from the interdisciplinary perspectives of computer science, philosophy, mathematics, psychology, neuroscience, and other disciplines. Includes instruction in mathematics and logic, cognitive process modeling, dynamic systems, learning theories, brain and cognition, neural networking, programming, and applications to topics such as language acquisition, computer systems, and perception and behavior. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Human Biology
      • An interdisciplinary program that focuses on understanding the human being from the biological, social science, and humanities perspectives and that addresses contemporary issues related to biology and society, such as global health and disease, environmental policy, bioethics, and biotechnology. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
  • NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION
    • Environmental Science
      • A program that focuses on the application of biological, chemical, and physical principles to the study of the physical environment and the solution of environmental problems, including subjects such as abating or controlling environmental pollution and degradation; the interaction between human society and the natural environment; and natural resources management. Includes instruction in biology, chemistry, physics, geosciences, climatology, statistics, and mathematical modeling. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, General
      • A program that prepares individuals to plan, develop, manage, and evaluate programs to protect and regulate natural habitats and renewable natural resources. Includes instruction in the principles of wildlife and conservation biology, environmental science, animal population surveying, natural resource economics, management techniques for various habitats, applicable law and policy, administrative and communications skills, and public relations. See other colleges that offer this major
  • PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
    • Philosophy
      • A program that focuses on ideas and their logical structure, including arguments and investigations about abstract and real phenomena. Includes instruction in logic, ethics, aesthetics, epistemology, metaphysics, symbolism, and history of philosophy, and applications to the theoretical foundations and methods of other disciplines. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Religion/Religious Studies
      • A program that focuses on the nature of religious belief and specific religious and quasi-religious systems. Includes instruction in phenomenology; the sociology, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, literature and art of religion; mythology; scriptural and textual studies; religious history and politics; and specific studies of particular faith communities and their behavior. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other
  • PHYSICAL SCIENCES
    • Chemistry, General
      • A general program that focuses on the scientific study of the composition and behavior of matter, including its micro- and macro-structure, the processes of chemical change, and the theoretical description and laboratory simulation of these phenomena. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Chemistry, Other
    • Geology/Earth Science, General
      • A program that focuses on the scientific study of the earth; the forces acting upon it; and the behavior of the solids, liquids and gases comprising it. Includes instruction in historical geology, geomorphology, and sedimentology, the chemistry of rocks and soils, stratigraphy, mineralogy, petrology, geostatistics, volcanology, glaciology, geophysical principles, and applications to research and industrial problems. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Physics, General
      • A general program that focuses on the scientific study of matter and energy, and the formulation and testing of the laws governing the behavior of the matter-energy continuum. Includes instruction in classical and modern physics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, mechanics, wave properties, nuclear processes, relativity and quantum theory, quantitative methods, and laboratory methods. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Theoretical and Mathematical Physics
      • A program that focuses on the scientific and mathematical formulation and evaluation of the physical laws governing, and models describing, matter-energy phenomena, and the analysis of related experimental designs and results. Includes instruction in classical and quantum theory, relativity theory, field theory, mathematics of infinite series, vector and coordinate analysis, wave and particle theory, advanced applied calculus and geometry, analyses of continuum, cosmology, and statistical theory and analysis. See other colleges that offer this major
  • PSYCHOLOGY
  • PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SOCIAL SERVICE PROFESSIONS
    • Public Policy Analysis, General
      • A program that focuses on the systematic analysis of public policy issues and decision processes. Includes instruction in the role of economic and political factors in public decision-making and policy formulation, microeconomic analysis of policy issues, resource allocation and decision modeling, cost/benefit analysis, statistical methods, and applications to specific public policy topics. See other colleges that offer this major
  • SOCIAL SCIENCES
    • Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods
      • A program that focuses on the design of research studies, measurement of variables, data analysis, and formulation of models. Includes instruction in experimental, quasi-experimental, and case study methods; historical research; participant observation; questionnaire design; sampling theory; and statistical methods. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Anthropology, General
      • A program that focuses on the systematic study of human beings, their antecedents and related primates, and their cultural behavior and institutions, in comparative perspective. Includes instruction in biological/physical anthropology, primatology, human paleontology and prehistoric archeology, hominid evolution, anthropological linguistics, ethnography, ethnology, ethnohistory, socio-cultural anthropology, psychological anthropology, research methods, and applications to areas such as medicine, forensic pathology, museum studies, and international affairs. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Economics, General
      • A general program that focuses on the systematic study of the production, conservation and allocation of resources in conditions of scarcity, together with the organizational frameworks related to these processes. Includes instruction in economic theory, micro- and macroeconomics, comparative economic systems, money and banking systems, international economics, quantitative analytical methods, and applications to specific industries and public policy issues. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Applied Economics
      • A program that focuses on the application of economic principles and analytical techniques to the study of particular industries, activities, or the exploitation of particular resources. Includes instruction in economic theory; microeconomic analysis and modeling of specific industries, commodities; the economic consequences of resource allocation decisions; regulatory and consumer factors; and the technical aspects of specific subjects as they relate to economic analysis. See other colleges that offer this major
    • International Relations and Affairs
      • A program that focuses on the systematic study of international politics and institutions, and the conduct of diplomacy and foreign policy. Includes instruction in international relations theory, foreign policy analysis, international law and organization, the comparative study of specific countries and regions, and the theory and practice of diplomacy. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Political Science and Government, General
      • A general program that focuses on the systematic study of political institutions and behavior. Includes instruction in political philosophy, political theory, comparative government and politics, political parties and interest groups, public opinion, political research methods, studies of the government and politics of specific countries, and studies of specific political institutions and processes. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Political Economy
      • A program that focuses on the interaction between politics and economics in the formation of public policy. Includes instruction in microeconomics; macroeconomics; political theory; American, comparative, and international political economy; and quantitative methods. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Political Science and Government, Other
    • Sociology, General
      • A program that focuses on the systematic study of human social institutions and social relationships. Includes instruction in social theory, sociological research methods, social organization and structure, social stratification and hierarchies, dynamics of social change, family structures, social deviance and control, and applications to the study of specific social groups, social institutions, and social problems. See other colleges that offer this major
  • VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
    • Dance, General
      • A general program that prepares individuals to express ideas, feelings, and/or inner visions through the performance of one or more of the dance disciplines, including but not limited to ballet, modern, jazz, ethnic, and folk dance, and that focuses on the study and analysis of dance as a cultural phenomenon. Includes instruction in technique, choreography, Laban notation, dance history and criticism, and dance production. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General
      • A program that focuses on the general study of dramatic works and their performance. Includes instruction in major works of dramatic literature, dramatic styles and types, and the principles of organizing and producing full live or filmed productions. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Fine/Studio Arts, General
      • A program that prepares individuals to generally function as creative artists in the visual and plastic media. Includes instruction in the traditional fine arts media (drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, CAD/CAM) and/or modern media (ceramics, textiles, intermedia, photography, digital images), theory of art, color theory, composition and perspective, anatomy, the techniques and procedures for maintaining equipment and managing a studio, and art portfolio marketing. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Art History, Criticism and Conservation
      • A program that focuses on the study of the historical development of art as social and intellectual phenomenon, the analysis of works of art, and art conservation. Includes instruction in the theory of art, art history research methods, connoisseurship, the preservation and conservation of works of art, and the study of specific periods, cultures, styles, and themes. See other colleges that offer this major
    • Music, General
      • A general program that focuses on the introductory study and appreciation of music and the performing arts. Includes instruction in music, dance, and other performing arts media. See other colleges that offer this major

Types of Degrees Offered

  • Certificate
  • Associate's degree
  • Bachelor's degree
  • Master's degree
  • Doctoral degree
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Admissions

Undergraduate acceptance rate

Acceptance rate
18.31%
  • Apply 3,676
  • Accepted 673
  • Attend 357

Application Fee

Undergraduate
$70
Graduate
No information

Undergraduate application requirements

  • High school transcript

    Required
  • High school GPA

    Required
  • Recommendation letter

    Required
  • Admissions test
    (SAT or ACT)

    Not applicable
  • TOEFL
    (international students)

    Required
  • Completion of college
    prep program

    Recommended
  • Demonstration of
    competencies

    Not applicable
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Student Life

Student Demographics

Female Students
59%
Male Students
41%

Student Ethnicities
  1. Caucasian50.09%
  2. Two Or More Ethnicities16.35%
  3. Hispanic/Latino12.67%
  4. Asian11.64%
  5. Black4.79%
  6. Not Specified3.6%
  7. American Indian/Alaska Native0.6%
  8. Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.26%

Student body breakdown

Total students enrolled

1,016

Undergraduate students

1,016

Attendance breakdown

Full time
97%
Part time
3%

Student services

  • Meal plan
  • Counseling services
  • Remedial services
  • Work-study
  • Placement services
  • Study abroad
  • Weekend/evening classes
  • On-campus day care for student's children
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