Occidental College vs Stanford

Occidental College and Stanford University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Occidental, a liberal arts college nestled in Los Angeles, boasts a tight-knit community and personalized attention, with an acceptance rate of 34% and an average class size of 16. Stanford, a world-renowned research university located in the heart of Silicon Valley, provides unparalleled academic rigor and cutting-edge research opportunities, with an acceptance rate of 4% and an average class size of 20. While both institutions excel in various disciplines, Occidental is known for its strengths in the humanities and social sciences, while Stanford is renowned for its programs in engineering, computer science, and business. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine the best fit for your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Occidental College	Stanford University
Overview
Location	Los Angeles, California	Stanford, California
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	92.0%	98.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	38.2%	3.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $90 Graduate: $125
SAT range	1340 - 1490	1470 - 1570
ACT range	30 - 33	34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	15.0%
Students submitting ACT score	22.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	6,495	55,471
Total number of admissions given out	2,484	2,190
Admitted students who chose to enroll	535	1,757
Yield rate	21.5%	80.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$77,878	$78,898
Average net price	$43,047	$14,402
Tuition	$57,830	$55,473
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,512 Meal plan: $8,090	Room/dormitory: $11,166 Meal plan: $6,694
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $29,715	61.0% Average amount $56,211
Students receiving federal student loan	31.0% Average amount $4,603	5.0% Average amount $5,151
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $6,554	1.0% Average amount $17,186

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,964 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%	7,645 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%
Graduate students	N/A	10,035 Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	62.5%	58.5%
International students	6.3%	24.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,650	14,621
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington New York Illinois Mississippi	California Texas Washington New York Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Engineering Computer and Information Science Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	5:1
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	82.9%	95.5%
Dropout rate	4.1%	1.7%
Transferred out	12.6%	0.6%
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	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $151,574 Year 2: $170,457 Year 3: $210,837 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $159,729 Year 2: $168,942 Year 3: $203,193 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $164,734 Year 2: $163,337 Year 3: $187,054 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $137,457 Year 2: $150,874 Year 3: $173,548 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $136,126 Year 2: $136,499 Year 3: $165,375 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $128,556 Year 2: $135,709 Year 3: $157,500 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $123,354 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $139,234 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,326 Year 2: $111,435 Year 3: $126,185 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,457 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $107,477 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,475 Year 2: $85,391 Year 3: $104,592

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