Acceptance Rate
44%
Avg. SAT
1520
75th percentile
“Tucked in LA's Eagle Rock hills, Occidental delivers intimate liberal arts seminars with Hollywood glamour and urban grit just minutes away—where even Barack Obama once crashed in the dorms.”
Los Angeles, CA
Location
Large City
Campus Setting
You arrive at Occidental, or Oxy as insiders call it, on a campus founded in 1887 by Presbyterian missionaries who dreamed of a West Coast Princeton, but it quickly shed its religious roots to embrace secular inquiry after relocating to its current hilly perch overlooking Los Angeles in 1912. This legacy shapes a school that's fiercely liberal arts-focused, drawing students who crave deep dives into ideas amid a backdrop of palm trees and smog. You'll thrive here if you're intellectually restless, politically engaged, and ready to blend classroom debates with real-world LA hustles—think the type who protests on weekends then interns at a nonprofit downtown. The Eagle Rock neighborhood feels like a hidden gem, walkable with indie cafes and taquerias, yet you're 20 minutes from Dodger Stadium or Griffith Observatory, trading rural seclusion for city pulse. The tradeoff? Sky-high living costs mean ramen nights stretch further, and the urban edge demands street smarts amid occasional homelessness sightings nearby.
Photo Gallery
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Admissions
Acceptance Rate
Test Policy
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Average GPA
Application Fee
Academics
Student-Faculty Ratio
Programs Offered
Full-Time Faculty
Women Faculty
Research Spending
Degree Levels Offered
In Oxy's classrooms, expect professors who know your name—thanks to that 9:1 ratio tighter than most peers like Pomona or even USC—leading discussions where you dissect policy in the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute or simulate UN negotiations in the Diplomacy and World Affairs program, Oxy's crown jewel that funnels grads into State Department roles. Neuroscience punches above its weight with hands-on labs dissecting brain scans, while the core curriculum forces you to weave science with humanities, fostering thinkers over memorizers. Research kicks off freshman year, but the small size means you compete fiercely for spots, and specialized majors like cognitive science feel boutique rather than expansive compared to UCLA's sprawl.
Student Body
Total Enrollment
1,881 undergrad • 0 grad
Undergraduate
Graduate
International
White
48%
Black / African American
4%
Hispanic / Latino
17%
Asian
13%
Other / Multi-racial
18%
Campus Life
Campus Setting
Los Angeles, CA
Varsity Athletics
NCAA Athletics
Campus hums with progressive energy: you'll hike Runyon Canyon with the massive Outdoors Club, cheer D-III baseball games that pack alumni like Jack Kemp's spirit, or join OyO week pranks where upperclassmen kidnap freshmen for desert adventures. Residential life clusters you into quirky honors houses like the Feminist house or Smell (science-themed), fostering bonds in a 95% live-on rate, but the social scene skews hookup-heavy and cliquey, with Greek life absent yet party houses filling the void—Greeks ditched in 1991 for inclusivity. A typical week mixes 3-hour seminars, club meetings (over 130 options from Quidditch to Model UN), and jaunts to Venice Beach, though LA traffic devours weekends and the relentless sun bakes you through fire season, testing your adaptability.
Housing
On-Campus Housing
Housing Capacity
Meal Plan Available
Average Room & Board
Athletics
Athletic Association
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conf.
ROTC & Veteran Support
Veteran’s Programs Available
Yellow Ribbon Program (Post-9/11 GI Bill)
Yes
Dedicated point of contact for veteran support services
Yes
Cost & Aid
In-State Tuition
Out-of-State Tuition
Room & Board
Estimated Cost
Financial Aid
Students Receiving Aid
Receiving Pell Grants
Average Grant
Average Federal Loan
Net Annual Cost by Household Income
Household Income
Avg. Net Cost
$0 – $30K
$13,983
$30K – $48K
$13,285
$48K – $75K
$14,770
$75K – $110K
$21,467
$110K+
$44,948
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Outcomes & Earnings
Retention Rate
90%
4 Years Graduation Rate
77%
6 Years Graduation Rate
81%
Median 10-Year Earnings
$75,951
90% of first-time, full-time students complete their freshman year at Occidental College and return in the fall. 77% of first-time, full-time students graduate in 4 years, and 81% graduate within 6 years.
Graduation Rate
4-year grads
77%
4-5 years
4%
6-8 years
1%
Non-grad
18%
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Key Statistics
Type
Private
Tuition
$59,970
Acceptance
44%
Undergrads
1,881
4-Year Grad Rate
77%
Endowment
$525M
Los Angeles, CA 90041-3392