In Latest Rankings, Pitzer’s Student Experience Continues to Receive High Marks

Fall isn’t just known for daylight savings time changes or falling leaves; for higher education institutions, it’s also rankings season—a time when leading news outlets and other organizations release their latest surveys and reports on the nation’s institutions of higher education.

This fall, Pitzer College’s diversity, inclusivity, academic quality, and overall campus life are among the factors that continue to rank high with students in the latest round of reports that have been announced since the start of the 2024–25 academic year.

What follows is an overview of highlights from the latest rankings news.

Wall Street Journal/College Pulse

Pitzer has placed at No. 12 in the “best 20 schools for the student experience” category according to the latest Wall Street Journal/College Pulse “2025 Best Colleges in the U.S.” report.

The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse rankings are determined using a wide range of institutional data, including campus diversity, quality of facilities, career outcomes, and salary rates. The student experience category is one of several categories featured in this regular annual survey.

Pitzer beat out Amherst College and Stanford University (No. 13 and No. 16, respectively) and placed just behind its neighbor, Claremont McKenna College, which made the list at No. 10. Scripps College topped the list at No. 1.

According to the WSJ/College Pulse website, the student experience ranking looks at “the schools where students enjoy waking up to go to class.” Student perceptions were measured using an independent survey of verified college students and recent graduates. This year’s top 20 schools also include seven public institutions.

Learn more about the WSJ/College Pulse student experience rankings here.

Princeton Review

Princeton Review, which determines its annual rankings from surveys of tens of thousands of college students on hundreds of campuses, recently released The Best 390 Colleges: 2025 Edition.

Pitzer College ranks at No. 2 for “Most Politically Active Students,” No. 3 for “Green Matters: Everyone Cares About Conservation,” and No. 7 for “Best Campus Food.”

Pitzer is also in the top ten for “LGBTQ-Friendly” (No. 3), “Best College Dorms” (No. 7), “Most Engaged in Community Service” (No. 8), and “Friendliest Students” (No. 9).

This year’s lists were determined using surveys of 165,000 students from the schools that are featured in the 2025 edition of The Best 390 Colleges.

Read more about the latest Princeton Review rankings.

U.S. News & World Report

This week U.S. News & World Report has released its 2025 rankings, and Pitzer College again has ranked high in various categories included in this year’s report.

In the category of Best National Liberal Arts Colleges, U.S. News ranks Pitzer at No. 36 among 211 national liberal arts colleges. Pitzer moved up three spots from last year’s ranking at No. 39.  Pitzer tied with three other colleges: Denison University, Skidmore College, and Trinity College.

This year U.S. News also ranks Pitzer at No. 16 in Most Innovative Schools, No. 35 in Best Undergraduate Teaching, and No. 78 for Best Value Schools (up seven spots from last year’s ranking at No. 85).

Read more about the U.S. News & World Report 2025 rankings.

Forbes

In its Top Colleges 2025 ranking, Forbes has placed Pitzer at No. 264 out of 500 schools overall. The College also ranks at No. 142 among the nation’s private colleges and at No. 60 in both the “Best Liberal Arts Universities” and “Best In the West” categories.

Forbes’ annual list showcases 500 schools that produce successful, high-earning, and influential graduates from all economic backgrounds, with less student debt.

Read more about Pitzer College in Forbes' Top Colleges 2025 report. 

Washington Monthly

This fall, Pitzer also appears on the list of Washington Monthly’s 2024 Liberal Arts Colleges at No. 52, which is down one spot from last year’s ranking at No. 51.

Since 2005, Washington Monthly has offered an alternative to the rankings of U.S. News & World Report. WM’s rankings examine liberal arts colleges—four-year institutions that award almost exclusively bachelor’s degrees and that focus on arts and sciences rather than professional programs—based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research, and promoting public service.

Learn more about Pitzer’s ranking on Washington Monthly’s 2024 list.