In April 1963, John W. Atherton, the dean of faculty and a professor of English at Claremont Men's College (now Claremont McKenna College) was hired as Pitzer's first president, and over the next seventeen months he recruited students, faculty, and trustees and constructed Scott and Sanborn Halls just in time for the fall 1964 semester.

The campus is located approximately 10 mi (16 km) west of LA/Ontario International Airport and Los Angeles can be accessed via Metrolink.

Harvey Mudd College is adjacent to Pitzer's north, Scripps to the west, and Claremont McKenna to the south.

[11] A notable exception is the Grove House, a California bungalow built in 1902 for a local citrus grower during the height of the Arts and Crafts movement.

[12] The building, a popular campus hangout to this day, was purchased for $1.00 and moved to Pitzer in 1977 under the direction of professor emeritus Barry Sanders.

Several varieties of citrus and other fruit are grown throughout campus and an organic community garden, dedicated grove and chicken coop are located north of Mead Hall.

Located directly northwest of the main campus, the Robert J. Bernard Biological Field Station, a resource of The Claremont Colleges, is an 86-acre (35 ha) nature preserve consisting of coastal sage scrub.

The project seeks to restore the Outback Preserve to a more intact alluvial sage scrub ecosystem, removing invasive plants and ensuring the success of native species.

[18] Pitzer owns and operates a 145-acre (59 ha) field station on secondary growth rainforest, the Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology.

Pitzer College also operates its own study abroad programs in Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Italy, Nepal, Tanzania/South Africa/Zimbabwe, and Vietnam.

For the Class of 2027, Pitzer College accepted 15.9% of applicants (enrolling fall 2023) with an average high school GPA of 4.07.

The program integrates extensive internship experiences in city, private or non-profit organizations with interdisciplinary coursework that provides the theoretical framework from which social and urban issues can be evaluated.

[51][52] Pitzer College students including former Speaker of the California State Assembly Fabian Nunez '97 helped in founding the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center.

[53] Through the Community Engagement Center, dozens of Pitzer students volunteer each semester with programs at Camp Afflerbaugh and California Youth Authority Chino.

[55] Murals on the interiors and exteriors of campus buildings provide unique visual atmosphere to Pitzer college.

Phase I, which included Sanborn, Pitzer, and Atherton Halls, was completed and inaugurated in September 2007 and received LEED Gold recognition from the United States Green Building Council in 2008.

Phase II, which incorporates four new residence halls, a demonstration kitchen, an archive, a board room and program/faculty offices, was completed in 2012 and earned LEED platinum certification.

[65] Pitzer's varsity athletics teams compete jointly with Pomona College (another consortium member) as the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens.

[67] The 11 women's and 10 men's teams participate in NCAA Division III in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC).

[75] About thirty-seven percent of Pitzer students receive financial assistance in loans, work study, scholarships, and/or institutional grants.