More selective than 90% of California colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $86,466. College Scorecard.
Higher than 82% of California colleges we cover and 92% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 65% of California colleges we cover and 85% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
PZ acceptance rate & admissions
Of 3,464 applicants, Pitzer College admitted 577 and 275 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
PZ tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: California residents who meet income, asset and GPA standards may receive a Cal Grant (California Student Aid Commission); apply with the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application. Not included in the prices above. California Student Aid Commission
PZ majors, earnings & careers
Pitzer College offers 55 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 15
- Science & Math · 15
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 10
- Arts & Design · 5
- Business & Finance · 4
- Education · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
- Engineering · 1
- Health & Medicine · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at PZ
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Human Resources | $89,636 | — |
| Political Science | $68,831 | — |
Quick list of all 55 majors
- Accounting—
- Agriculture—
- Anthropology—
- Area Studies—
- Biochemistry—
- Biological and Physical Sciences—
- Biology—
- Chemistry—
- Classics—
- Cognitive Science—
- Communications—
- Computer Science—
- Dance—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics—
- Education, Other—
- Educational Administration and Supervision—
- English—
- Entrepreneurship—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other—
- Geography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- History—
- Human Biology—
- Human Resources$89,636
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- International / Global Studies—
- International Relations—
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics—
- Manufacturing Engineering—
- Mathematics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Neuroscience—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$68,831
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Research)—
- Public Health—
- Public Policy Analysis—
- Religious Studies—
- Science, Technology and Society—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art—
- Sustainability Studies—
- Systems Science and Theory—
- Theatre—
- Visual and Performing Arts, Other—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Human Resources → HR specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 6.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 6.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Los Angeles
Overall prices in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,964. Housing costs 70% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 14 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); wildfire (very high); river flooding (very high); coastal flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Los Angeles County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Los Angeles County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare PZ with similar schools
Similar private colleges in California by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitzer College | 25% | $34,191 | 83% | $69,512 | This school |
| Scripps College | 38% | $36,294 | 83% | $77,539 | |
| Harvey Mudd College | 13% | $35,924 | 92% | $138,687 | |
| California Institute of the Arts | 32% | $46,080 | 67% | $41,198 | |
| Claremont McKenna College | 10% | $28,849 | 91% | $104,736 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Pitzer College would cost you $2,103 less per year than Scripps College, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Pitzer College, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$758).
- Pitzer College gives aided families $1,005 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, California resident | PZ | Scripps College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $65,192 | $65,950 | −$758 |
| Books & supplies | $1,100 | $800 | +$300 |
| Housing & meals | $21,374 | $20,998 | +$376 |
| Personal & travel | $1,300 | $2,000 | −$700 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,500 | −$2,184 | −$316 |
| Sticker price | $86,466 | $87,564 | −$1,098 |
| Average grants | −$52,275 | −$51,270 | −$1,005 |
| You pay | $34,191 | $36,294 | −$2,103 |
“+” means PZ costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about PZ
What is the PZ acceptance rate?
Pitzer College accepts 25% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 577 of 3,464 applicants were admitted.
How much does Pitzer College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $86,466 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $34,191 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $14,535 and families earning $110k+ pay $46,793.
How much do PZ graduates earn?
Former Pitzer College students earn a median $69,512 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the PZ graduation rate?
83% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 94% return for their second year.
Is PZ the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing PZ with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Pitzer College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/pitzer-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).