Occidental College vs Principia College

Occidental College and Principia College, two distinct institutions with unique offerings, stand side by side in this comprehensive comparison. Occidental, a liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on social justice. Principia, a Christian Science college in Elsah, Illinois, offers a rigorous academic program rooted in spiritual values. With acceptance rates of 34% and 75%, respectively, these colleges attract students with varying academic backgrounds and aspirations. While Occidental's popular majors include social sciences, humanities, and arts, Principia emphasizes science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Explore the detailed comparison table to uncover further distinctions in student demographics, graduation rates, and other key aspects, helping you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Occidental College	Principia College
Overview
Location	Los Angeles, California	Elsah, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Large	Rural: Fringe
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
Students retention rate	92.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	38.2%	84.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1340 - 1490	1028 - 1193
ACT range	30 - 33	21 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	30.0%
Students submitting ACT score	22.0%	13.0%
Total number of applicants	6,495	138
Total number of admissions given out	2,484	116
Admitted students who chose to enroll	535	79
Yield rate	21.5%	68.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$77,878	$42,820
Average net price	$43,047	$19,816
Tuition	$57,830	$29,970
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,512 Meal plan: $8,090	Room/dormitory: $5,810 Meal plan: $6,460
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $29,715	94.0% Average amount $25,174
Students receiving federal student loan	31.0% Average amount $4,603	0.0% Average amount $0
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $6,554	94.0% Average amount $2,016

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,964 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%	321 Men 53.0% Women 47.0%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	62.5%	92.7%
International students	6.3%	24.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Rural: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,650	585
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington New York Illinois Mississippi	Missouri California Texas Illinois Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Visual & Performing Arts Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science Social Sciences Business
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	5:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	82.9%	85.9%
Dropout rate	4.1%	14.1%
Transferred out	12.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	N/A

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Occidental College vs Principia College

Occidental College

Principia College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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