FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pitzer College Announces SAT-Optional Admissions Policy
Claremont, Calif. (Feb. 7, 2003) - After two years of thorough study addressing 
faculty and student concerns about the role of SAT exams in admission to Pitzer 
College, the college has adopted an SAT-optional admission policy, which will be 
instituted on a trial basis for three years.
"After careful consideration, the Pitzer College community has voted that the 
SAT is inconsistent with our institution's mission and values; that there is a crucial 
philosophical difference in how the College approaches education, as well as how it 
views its students," said President Laura Skandera Trombley. "Pitzer College, like 
other great liberal arts colleges, uses a holistic approach to student admission with 
emphasis placed on grade point averages, involvement in school and community 
activities, positions of leadership held, work history, and demonstration of 
overcoming personal challenges. " We at Pitzer are proud to join the national group 
of highly selective and academically rigorous liberal arts colleges who have made 
the SAT optional: Bates, Bowdoin, Dickenson, Franklin & Marshall, Hamilton and 
Mount Holyoke.
For the past two years, the College has studied and debated the usage of the 
SAT in its admission process. In 2002, a report was generated that was distributed 
to the College community. The report determined that the high school grade point 
averages are a better predictor than SATs for those who succeed and graduate 
from Pitzer. The College is providing opportunities with greater flexibility in 
presenting application material that accurately reflect their diverse academic 
abilities and potential.

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Founded in 1963, Pitzer College is a nationally ranked undergraduate college of the 
liberal arts and sciences.  A member of The Claremont Colleges, Pitzer offers a 
distinctive approach to a liberal education by linking intellectual inquiry with 
interdisciplinary studies, cultural immersion, social responsibility and community 
involvement.


Media contact:
Bridget Lewison
Associate Director, Pitzer College Office of Public Relations
Voice: (909) 621-8219
Fax: (909) 621-8798
Bridget_Lewison@Pitzer.edu