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Private nonprofit · Suburban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Pitzer College

Students comparing Pitzer College on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Claremont, California1,227 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 31Private nonprofitSelectiveSmall enrollment

The short answer

Pitzer College: U.S. News ranks it #36 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #129 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #219 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #446 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #167 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — Top 5 Green Matters: Everyone Cares About Conservation. It enrolls 1,227 undergraduates, admits 25.2% of applicants, and posts a 83.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $65,192; aid recipients pay $34,191 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $69,512.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
25.2%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$34,191

61% below the $87,342 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$69,512

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
83.4%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$16,750

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedPitzer College reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Pitzer ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Liberal Arts Colleges#36of 210Liberal arts colleges
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#129of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#219of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#446of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A-#167of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges3.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Top 5 Green Matters: Everyone Cares About ConservationListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Pitzer's position moves 83 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Pitzer

Pitzer College is a private nonprofit institution in Claremont, California. Federal data show 93.8% first-year retention and a 10:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $34,191 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $87,342 sticker cost against $34,191 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Pitzer College on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$65,192

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
10.5%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$22,150

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $87,342 a year, but the average family pays $34,191 — a 61% difference. 10.5% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Pitzer's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    10:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    93.8%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    1,227

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Pitzer: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $65,192 and on-campus room and board is $22,150, for a published total of $87,342 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $34,191.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 25.2%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Scripps College: U.S. News ranks it #44 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #155 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #212 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #307 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #558 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — Top 10 College Dorms. It enrolls 1,113 undergraduates, admits 38.3% of applicants, and posts a 82.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $65,950; aid recipients pay $36,294 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $77,539.

    Acceptance rate
    38.3%
    Average net price
    $36,294
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $77,539
    6-yr graduation rate
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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Whitman College: U.S. News ranks it #53 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #204 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #200 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #373 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #165 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #18 Best College Radio Station. It enrolls 1,531 undergraduates, admits 38.1% of applicants, and posts a 80.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $64,050; aid recipients pay $33,313 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $67,589.

    Acceptance rate
    38.1%
    Average net price
    $33,313
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $67,589
    6-yr graduation rate
    80.5%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#53 of 210Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#204 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#200 of 1,504+4 more on profile

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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Colorado College: U.S. News ranks it #29 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #138 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #220 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #332 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #195 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,014 undergraduates, admits 18.5% of applicants, and posts a 87.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $70,734; aid recipients pay $33,375 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $65,222.

    Acceptance rate
    18.5%
    Average net price
    $33,375
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $65,222
    6-yr graduation rate
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    US News · Liberal arts colleges#29 of 210Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#138 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#220 of 1,504+4 more on profile

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