Westmont College vs Occidental College

Westmont College and Occidental College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions in California, offer distinct educational experiences. Westmont, nestled in the picturesque Santa Barbara, boasts a tight-knit community with a strong emphasis on Christian values, while Occidental, located in vibrant Los Angeles, prides itself on its progressive outlook and commitment to social justice. With acceptance rates of 44% and 34%, respectively, these colleges attract academically accomplished students. Westmont's student body is predominantly White (63%) and female (59%), while Occidental's student body is more diverse, with a larger proportion of Asian (24%) and Hispanic (18%) students and a balanced gender ratio. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' popular majors, graduation rates, and other key differences that can help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Occidental College	Westmont College
Overview
Location	Los Angeles, California	Santa Barbara, California
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Midsize
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%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	38.2%	79.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1340 - 1490	1160 - 1460
ACT range	30 - 33	26 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	18.0%
Students submitting ACT score	22.0%	12.0%
Total number of applicants	6,495	2,344
Total number of admissions given out	2,484	1,851
Admitted students who chose to enroll	535	333
Yield rate	21.5%	18.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$77,878	$61,110
Average net price	$43,047	$33,554
Tuition	$57,830	$47,450
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,512 Meal plan: $8,090	Room/dormitory: $9,400 Meal plan: $5,970
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	99.0% Average amount $32,308
Students receiving federal student loan	31.0% Average amount $4,603	50.0% Average amount $5,052
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $6,554	25.0% Average amount $4,810

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,964 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%	1,238 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	62.5%	31.1%
International students	6.3%	1.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,650	1,207
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	California Washington Oregon Colorado Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Physical Science Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	10:1
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%	73.4%
Dropout rate	4.1%	26.6%
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	Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,792 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $66,978 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,638 Year 2: $40,402 Year 3: $40,054 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,114 Year 2: $24,808 Year 3: $34,035 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,823 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,883 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,121 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,369 Year 2: $25,596 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: N/A

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