Fresno Pacific University vs Occidental College

Fresno Pacific University and Occidental College, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to prospective students. Fresno Pacific, a private Christian university, boasts a higher acceptance rate (85%) compared to Occidental's selective admissions (33%). Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with Fresno Pacific excelling in fields like nursing, business, and education, while Occidental is renowned for its strengths in the liberal arts, social sciences, and pre-professional programs. While Fresno Pacific's student body is predominantly composed of local students, Occidental attracts a more diverse population from across the nation and the world. In terms of graduation rates, Occidental holds a slight edge over Fresno Pacific, with 83% of its students completing their degrees within four years compared to Fresno Pacific's 68%. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve deeper into the distinctions between these two institutions and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Fresno Pacific University	Occidental College
Overview
Location	Fresno, California	Los Angeles, California
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	72.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.9%	38.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60
SAT range	970 - 1240	1340 - 1490
ACT range	17 - 24	30 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	10.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	2.0%	22.0%
Total number of applicants	917	6,495
Total number of admissions given out	714	2,484
Admitted students who chose to enroll	200	535
Yield rate	28.0%	21.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$49,480	$77,878
Average net price	$15,350	$43,047
Tuition	$32,954	$57,830
Room & board	$8,710	Room/dormitory: $9,512 Meal plan: $8,090
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $23,925	100.0% Average amount $29,715
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $4,300	31.0% Average amount $4,603
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $16,889	17.0% Average amount $6,554

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,686 Men 27.3% Women 72.7%	1,964 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%
Graduate students	838 Men 26.4% Women 73.6%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	62.5%
International students	2.2%	6.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	574	1,650
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Washington New York Illinois Mississippi

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Education Family and Consumer Sciences	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.7%	82.9%
Dropout rate	4.9%	4.1%
Transferred out	26.2%	12.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,696 Year 2: $83,388 Year 3: $86,000 Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $65,332 Year 3: $71,641 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,408 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $63,188 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,991 Year 2: $49,962 Year 3: $52,960 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,756 Year 2: $45,207 Year 3: $52,003 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $47,490 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,284 Year 2: $30,119 Year 3: $36,806 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,685 Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: $33,694 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,929 Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $26,667 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,437 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,544 Year 2: $55,078 Year 3: $63,231 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,360 Year 2: $37,779 Year 3: $49,843 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,329 Year 2: $36,132 Year 3: $45,083 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,948 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $43,488 Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $33,877 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $31,152 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,035 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $31,095 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,916 Year 2: $30,047 Year 3: $30,729 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: N/A Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $15,793 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Fresno Pacific University

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott