Grants & Scholarships

Grants and scholarships are gift aid, meaning they are free and you do not have to repay these funds. Below are the sources of grants and scholarships Pitzer students may receive.

  • Pitzer Merit Scholarships

    Pitzer offers two merit scholarships, the Trustee Community Scholarship and the Academic Achievement Scholarship.

    Trustee Community Scholarships
    This $5,000 per year renewable scholarship is available to first-year students who meet certain academic qualifications. All first-year students are automatically considered for the scholarship when they apply for admission; there is no separate application process.

    If admitted, recipients of this scholarship receive the award for a total of four-years (or eight academic semesters) of attendance.

    Only a few of Trustee Community Scholarships are awarded each academic year. Consideration for these scholarships is made by the Office of Admission at the time of admission and is not reassessed or considered at any other point. This scholarship is not available to returning students who did not initially receive the scholarship upon admission.

    Academic Achievement Scholarship
    This one-time non-renewable scholarship is available to a first-year student who meets certain academic qualifications. All first-year students are automatically considered for the scholarship when they apply for admission; there is no separate application process.

    This scholarship can range from $1,500 to $2,500 depending on available funding. Only one Academic Achievement Scholarship is awarded each academic year to a prospective first-year student.

  • Pitzer Need-Based Scholarships

    Pitzer offers need-based scholarships, which differ from merit scholarships in that they are calculated based on a family’s financial circumstances rather than academic achievements. These awards are determined each year by the information you provide on your annual financial aid applications (FAFSA & CSS Profile) and tax documents.

    All prospective students interested in a Pitzer Scholarship should apply by our published deadlines. All returning students interested in receiving a Pitzer Scholarship must re-apply/apply for financial aid by March 2 of each year.

  • Federal Grants

    The U.S. Department of Education offers two federal grant programs to students who demonstrate high financial need.

    Federal Pell Grant
    The Federal Pell Grant is available to U.S. Citizens and Eligible Non-Citizens who complete the FAFSA and meet general eligibility requirements. For the 2023-24 year, eligible students can receive from $845 to $7,395 per year in Federal Pell Grant funds. For more on this program, visit the Federal Pell Grant section of the Federal Student Aid website.

    Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
    The FSEOG is available to U.S. Citizens or Eligible Non-Citizens who complete the FAFSA and meet general eligibility requirements.

    Priority for this grant is given to students with high financial need who also have maximum Pell Grant eligibility. Students attending Pitzer through the New Resource program are not eligible for this grant. Award amounts range from $2,000 – $4,000 per year depending on available funding. For more on this program, visit the FSEOG section of the Federal Student Aid website.

  • State Grants

    The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) offers the Cal Grant A and Cal Grant B to California residents who attend California colleges/universities. These grants are available to U.S. Citizens and Eligible Non-Citizens as well as AB540/DACA students.

    All California residents are required to apply for the Cal Grant. Complete information about the Cal Grant program is available on the Cal Grant Programs section of CSAC’s website.

    How to Apply
    Prospective first-year students must submit a FAFSA or Dream Act as well as a GPA Verification form to CSAC by March 2. Most California high schools will automatically complete the GPA Verification form on behalf of their students. Please check with your high school counselor regarding the GPA requirement.

    Prospective transfer/New Resource students must submit a FAFSA or Dream Act and their current college or university must submit their college GPA to CSAC by March 2.

    Current/returning students must submit a FAFSA or Dream Act by March 2. Pitzer will automatically submit grade information to CSAC for all students enrolled in the spring who are expected to return in the fall.

    Eligibility
    All Cal Grant students must meet general eligibility requirements, meet the yearly income and asset requirements set by CSAC, as well as specific GPA requirements. Visit CSAC’s website for specific details on each program.

    Cal Grant Entitlement Award is meant for current high school seniors and recent high school graduates (less than one year).

    Cal Grant Transfer Entitlement Award is meant for students who plan to transfer directly from a California Community College to a 4-Year University that offers a bachelor degree program in the academic year they are applying for the award.

    Cal Grant Competitive Award is meant for students who are not or were not eligible for the entitlement awards. Competitive awards are limited and may not be awarded even if the student meets the income/asset requirements set by CSAC.

    Cal Grant Amounts
    Cal Grant A eligible students who attend Pitzer receive Cal Grant A funds for up to four years. For the 2023-24 academic year, the Cal Grant A award is $9,358. Funding is available for up to four years. Funding levels may change each year without warning due to state funding.

    Cal Grant B eligible students who attend Pitzer receive a Cal Grant B Access Award for up to four years. After the first-year, students will also receive a tuition grant for up to three years. For the 2023-24 academic year, the Cal Grant B Access is $1,648 and the tuition grant is $9,358. Funding levels may change each year without warning due to state funding.

  • Veteran Benefits

    Pitzer is an approved institution for veterans to utilize their educational benefits. As a veteran you are entitled to certain benefits through various U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (USDVA) programs.

    Veteran educational benefits are incorporated with your financial aid package and may impact what you receive from Pitzer.

    After you have determined your eligibility with the Veterans Administration, please contact our Pitzer Certifying Official in the Office of the Registrar at 909.607.2650 or [email protected]. For additional details, visit the Veteran’s Education Benefits section on the Office on the Registrar’s website.

  • Outside Scholarships & Tuition Benefits

    Reporting Outside Scholarships & Tuition Benefits

    Students who receive outside scholarships or tuition benefits are required to report these sources of aid to the Office of Financial Aid. Please complete our online Outside Scholarship Notification form to report your outside scholarships to our office.

    Federal regulations require that all outside scholarships or tuition benefits be coordinated and incorporated with your Pitzer financial aid package. Outside scholarships or tuition benefits are not added on top of your current financial aid package and do not replace your parent contribution.

    Outside Scholarship Policy & Impact to Aid

    To limit the impact of your outside scholarship or tuition benefit to your existing financial aid package, the Office of Financial Aid will first reduce your student summer earnings contribution (if one was assessed), followed by your need-based student loans, followed by your work-study.

    If the amount of your outside scholarship or tuition benefit exceeds your summer contribution, need-based loan, and work-study, an adjustment will be made to your Pitzer Scholarship. Before we adjust your Pitzer Scholarship, we may reach out to you to see if you have additional educational expenses that may be covered by your outside scholarship or tuition benefit.

    Processing Outside Scholarships & Tuition Benefits Checks

    If you received a scholarship check and it was made payable to you, please report this scholarship directly to the Office of Financial Aid via email with the name of the organization and the amount awarded to you for the academic year. Checks made payable to you should be given to the Office of Financial Aid so we can pay the funds to your student account. Checks not made payable to you should be made payable to Pitzer College and sent to:

    Pitzer College
    Office of Financial Aid
    1050 N. Mills Avenue
    Claremont, CA 91711

    Checks made payable to Pitzer will be disbursed to your student account after we have received the check from the scholarship organization.

    Proof of Enrollment

    If you require proof of enrollment to receive your scholarship funds, please contact the Office of the Registrar.

    If you require a copy of your financial aid offer to receive your scholarship funds, you can download a pdf copy through your MyCampus2 Portal: log into your Student Portal, go to the FinAid tab and click on Awards.

    If you require a copy of your bill to receive your scholarship funds, you can log into CASHNet and download a copy of your billing statement.

    Outside Scholarship Opportunities

    If you’re interested in applying for outside scholarships, here are a few search engines:

  • Tuition Exchange

    Pitzer participates in the Tuition Exchange (TE) program which provides scholarship funds to the dependents of eligible faculty and staff at member schools across the world. TE scholarships are competitive and only a limited number of recipients are selected each fall.

    Eligibility

    • Must be the dependent of an eligible parent from a TE participating school.
    • Must be an entering student (first-year or transfer). TE is not available to continuing students who were not awarded TE upon admission.
    • Must submit the TE application by the application deadlines noted below. Students who submit TE applications past these deadlines will not be considered for the program.
    • Must be seeking their first bachelor’s degree.

    Scholarship Amount
    For the 2022-23 academic year, the TE scholarship was $40,000 for one academic year. The scholarship amount for TE is set yearly and may increase each year. Visit the TE website for more information.

    How to Apply
    Students who may be eligible for TE need to apply for admission to Pitzer, complete the TE application process* and apply for financial aid (if applicable) by our admission application deadlines.

    • Early Decision 1: November 15
    • Early Decision 2: January 6
    • Regular Decision: January 6
    • Fall Transfers/New Resources: April 1
    • Spring Transfers: October 1

    Tuition exchange is limited and all families seeking assistance are encouraged to apply for need-based financial aid. Use our Net Price Calculator and MyinTuition tools to help estimate financial aid eligibility.

    *For questions regarding the TE application process, reach out to the TE contact at your parents’ home institution. Additional information is also available on the TE website.

    Scholarship Notification

    Early Decision 1/Early Decision 2/Regular Decision applicants: TE applicants are selected during Pitzer’s Regular Decision application cycle and are notified no later than April 1. Early Decision applicants admitted to Pitzer prior to March will be considered for TE during the Regular Decision cycle.

    Fall transfer applicants: TE applicants are selected during Pitzer’s Fall Transfer application cycle and are notified no later than May 15.

    Spring transfer applicants: Spring transfers are not selected for TE during their application cycle. They are considered for TE in the Regular Decision cycle of the following year and are notified no later than April 1. Since TE recipients are selected in March, spring transfers will not know if they are selected for TE until after their first semester at Pitzer.

    Scholarship Terms/Conditions

    • For incoming first-year students, these scholarships are awarded for up to eight semesters or until graduation, whichever comes first.
    • Transfer students who receive this scholarship for a pro-rated number of semesters based on the courses approved for transfer at the time of admission or until graduation, whichever comes first.
    • Funding for summer terms is not available.
    • TE scholarships are pro-rated for students enrolled half-time.
    • Students enrolled less than half-time are not eligible for the scholarship during their half-time semester(s).

    Renewal Criteria
    Scholarships are renewed each year and are dependent on continued parental benefit eligibility, maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as defined by Pitzer’s Office of Financial Aid (which includes having a minimum 2.0 GPA) and maintaining good conduct with the College.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Does applying for TE impact whether I am admitted to Pitzer? No. The decision to admit a student is based on the student’s academic performance and demonstrated commitment to our core values.

    I am applying as a fall transfer student, do I qualify for TE? Fall transfer applicants who submit their admission application, financial aid documents (if applicable) and TE application by our established deadlines are considered for TE and notified in May.

    I am applying as a spring transfer student, do I qualify for TE? Spring transfer applicants who submit their admission application, financial aid documents (if applicable) and TE application by our established deadlines are considered for TE during the Regular Decision application cycle in March. Since TE recipients are selected in March, spring transfers will not know if they are selected for TE until after their first semester at Pitzer.

    If I’m not selected as an entering student, can I reapply for TE the remaining years I’m at Pitzer? Unfortunately, at this time we are unable to consider returning/currently enrolled students for TE scholarships.

    If I qualify for need-based financial aid, can I receive a TE scholarship in addition to my financial aid funds? It depends. Federal regulations require scholarship funds to be coordinated with need-based aid. In most cases, the TE scholarship is not awarded on top of need-based aid eligibility.

    If I’m admitted and receive a TE scholarship, do I need to reapply for TE each year? No. Once admitted to Pitzer as a TE recipient, you do not need to reapply for TE so long as you continue to meet renewal criteria.