The Pitzer College entering class is the most academically talented and diverse in the College's 46 year history.
Pitzer College received a record 4,081 applications and offered admission to only 20%, making Pitzer the ninth most selective liberal arts college in the United States. The first-year class consists of 250 students from 220 different high schools throughout the country.
One-third of the class graduated from high school with a 4.0 GPA or higher—the average GPA was 3.9. Over 45% of the incoming class was in the top 10% of their high school class.
The class is among the most ethnically diverse ever enrolled at Pitzer College—30% are from under-represented groups. Pitzer is one of the most diverse liberal arts colleges in the country—it was recently ranked fifth in racial diversity among the top fifty co-educational liberal arts colleges nationwide by the 2010 US News and World Report.
Eleven percent of the class is the first in their family to attend college.
Fifty-five percent of the entering class is from outside California. The major geographic areas represented, in order, are New York, Washington, Massachusetts, Illinois, Colorado and New Jersey.
Forty-one percent of the entering class receives financial aid, and Pitzer is committed to meeting 100% of every student's demonstrated financial need. Twelve percent receive a Cal Grant. The average financial aid package at Pitzer is $36,500.
Pitzer College has also successfully reduced the average amount of indebtedness of its students. Over the past five years, the average cumulative debt after four years of study decreased 24%, from nearly $22,000 to $16,000.
Within the first-year cohort, six received a Presidential Service Award, seven were student body presidents and 14 were editors of their school paper, literary magazine or yearbook. Two have a blackbelt. There is also a magician, a circus performer, an Olympic translator, an international figure skating titleholder, an organic farmer and a professional skateboarder.