Continued commitment to academic excellence and diversity
Claremont, Calif. (October 5, 2009) – 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.
“Our Admission Committee had the awesome task of crafting a class from a great applicant pool. We are thrilled with the students who accepted our offer of admission. We have an entering class that is academically very well prepared to handle our challenging curriculum and who will bring a unique sense of vitality to the existing student body,” said Vice President for Admission Arnaldo Rodriquez.
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 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 25%, 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.
