Pitzer College

Claremont, CA · founded 1963 · 1,100 students · liberal arts college · SCIAC (Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference)

Known for: Pitzer College is a member of the Claremont Colleges consortium known for its progressive, socially conscious ethos and interdisciplinary approach to education. It emphasizes environmental sustainability, social justice, and intercultural understanding.

Rankings

U.S. News liberal arts: #33
Forbes: #95

Top programmes

Environmental Analysis
Psychology
Sociology
Media Studies
Political Studies
Organismal Biology

Notable alumni

John Landgraf — CEO of FX Networks
Michele Tafoya — Former NBC Sports broadcaster
Devin Nunes — Former U.S. Representative from California
Mona Simpson — Novelist and sister of Steve Jobs
Arianna Huffington — Founder of The Huffington Post (attended but did not graduate)
John B. Emerson — Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany
Katherine Center — Bestselling novelist

Traditions

Kohoutek Music and Arts Festival
Pitzer Party (annual formal dance)
Smudge-Pot rivalry with Pomona College
Pitzer's Grove House (student-run coffeehouse)

If Pitzer College were…

As a food: Farmers market Buddha bowl — Customizable, socially conscious sourcing, looks effortlessly healthy but requires intentionality—Pitzer's no-requirements curriculum and activist vibe in a California liberal arts package.
As an athlete: Colin Kaepernick — Talented, politically outspoken, polarizing to traditionalists, committed to social justice over conventional success—Pitzer students are the Kaepernick of liberal arts, taking a knee when others stand.
As a person alive today: Greta Thunberg — Young, unapologetically activist, challenges systems, prioritizes values over prestige—Pitzer's ethos of social responsibility and student-led change embodied in a Swedish teenager.
As a historical figure: Emma Goldman — Anarchist, feminist, believed education should liberate not indoctrinate—Pitzer's no-core-curriculum philosophy and radical roots channel Goldman's distrust of institutional constraints.
As a movie or TV show: Portlandia — Earnestly progressive, self-aware about its own quirks, celebrates artisanal everything and social consciousness—Pitzer is the liberal arts version of 'put a bird on it' but with actual academic rigor.
As a US president: Jimmy Carter — Idealistic, human-rights focused, built houses post-presidency, more interested in doing good than wielding power—Pitzer grads are the Carter volunteers of their generation.
As a city: Portland, Oregon — Progressive, artsy, great coffee, everyone's in a band or starting a nonprofit, slightly self-serious about sustainability—Pitzer is Portland transplanted to SoCal's inland empire.
As an element: Hydrogen — Lightest, most abundant, essential to life, highly reactive and forms bonds easily—Pitzer's collaborative consortium culture and foundational commitment to social change as the simplest, most essential element.
As a car: 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia — Claremont's progressive counterculture on wheels—artsy, socially conscious, unapologetically quirky, powered by cooperative ideals. Painted with protest slogans, parked at the farmers market.

Campus life

Pitzer has a relaxed, informal campus culture with a strong emphasis on community and social responsibility. Students share resources with the other Claremont Colleges, providing a small-college feel with large-university opportunities. Social life is active with numerous student-led events and clubs.