Whittier College vs Occidental College

Whittier College and Occidental College, two esteemed liberal arts institutions in Southern California, offer distinct educational experiences. Whittier College, nestled in the charming city of Whittier, boasts a higher acceptance rate (68%) compared to Occidental College's selective admissions (33%). Both colleges share a commitment to academic excellence, yet their popular majors diverge. Whittier College emphasizes business, psychology, and communications, while Occidental College excels in the sciences, social sciences, and arts. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further distinctions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your college decision. Discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Occidental College	Whittier College
Overview
Location	Los Angeles, California	Whittier, 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	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	92.0%	82.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	38.2%	82.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1340 - 1490	1120 - 1340
ACT range	30 - 33	23 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	11.0%
Students submitting ACT score	22.0%	9.0%
Total number of applicants	6,495	2,884
Total number of admissions given out	2,484	2,379
Admitted students who chose to enroll	535	277
Yield rate	21.5%	11.6%
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	$61,014
Average net price	$43,047	$22,091
Tuition	$57,830	$48,924
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,512 Meal plan: $8,090	Room/dormitory: $8,216 Meal plan: $6,756
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	97.0% Average amount $32,645
Students receiving federal student loan	31.0% Average amount $4,603	65.0% Average amount $5,040
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $6,554	6.0% Average amount $17,379

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,964 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%	1,325 Men 43.7% Women 56.3%
Graduate students	N/A	62 Men 25.8% Women 74.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	62.5%	N/A
International students	6.3%	6.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,650	849
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Social Sciences Education Family and Consumer Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Foreign Languages and Literatures
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	11:1
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%	63.6%
Dropout rate	4.1%	3.6%
Transferred out	12.6%	31.9%
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: $34,282 Year 2: $41,689 Year 3: $64,434 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,241 Year 2: $67,324 Year 3: $59,453 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,364 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $54,567 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,650 Year 2: $35,914 Year 3: $47,815 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,730 Year 2: $28,309 Year 3: $42,330 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,976 Year 2: $14,935 Year 3: $38,238 Social Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,267 Year 2: $26,715 Year 3: $37,247 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,562 Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $35,879 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,185 Year 2: $16,015 Year 3: $34,329 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,103 Year 2: $27,765 Year 3: $30,273

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Whittier College vs Occidental College

Occidental College

Whittier College

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Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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