Occidental College
- 4 Year
- LOS ANGELES, CA
CollegeGrad School
Occidental College
- grade AOverall Grade
- 4 Year
- LOS ANGELES, CA
- Rating 3.68 out of 5 509 reviews
Report Card
- Academicsgrade A
- Valuegrade B
- Diversitygrade A
- Campusgrade B+
- Athleticsgrade C+
- Party Scenegrade C+
- Professorsgrade A
- Locationgrade A minus
- Dormsgrade C
- Campus Foodgrade A
- Student Lifegrade B
- Safetygrade C+
About
Athletic Division
NCAA Division III (without football)
Athletic Conference
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
From Occidental College
Situated on a 120-acre residential campus 8 miles from downtown Los Angeles, Occidental College fully integrates the liberal arts and sciences with the cultural and intellectual resources of a global city.
Oxy is a place for creative, hard-working, curious students to explore their current passions, as well as discover new ones. They benefit from our small-classroom environment and demanding yet supportive faculty, who are dedicated to teaching and mentorship.
With more than 40 majors and minors, Oxy lays the groundwork for a compelling intellectual adventure. Our graduates are strategic thinkers and effective communicators.
Upcoming Events
Occidental College Rankings
Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.
Admissions
Application Deadline
January 10
Acceptance Rate
38%
SAT Range
1340-1490
ACT Range
30-33
Application Fee
$70
SAT/ACT
Considered but not required
High School GPA
Considered but not required
Accepts Common App
Yes
Will You Get In?
Will You Get Into Oxy?
Test Scores and High School GPA for Occidental College See Other Colleges
Cost
Net Price
$43,047 / year
National
$15,523Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.
Average Total Aid Awarded
$29,715 / year
National
$7,535Students Receiving Financial Aid
100%
Scholarship
Academics
Professors
grade A
Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.
Student Faculty Ratio
9:1
Evening Degree Programs
No
91%
of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes. 32 responses72%
of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want. 43 responses51%
of students agree that the workload is easy to manage. 43 responsesMajors
Most Popular Majors
- Economics51 Graduates
- Psychology41 Graduates
- Biology37 Graduates
- Political Science and Government35 Graduates
- Environmental Science32 Graduates
- International Relations31 Graduates
- Sociology26 Graduates
- Film and Video Studies24 Graduates
- Computer Science18 Graduates
- Liberal Arts and Humanities18 Graduates
Students & Their Faculty Mentors
A high-touch, personalized classroom experience is the signature of an Occidental liberal arts education. Hear what students are saying about their professors at Oxy.
Students
Full-Time Enrollment
1,938 Undergrads
Part-Time Undergrads
26
Undergrads Over 25
0%
Pell Grant
18%
Varsity Athletes
25%
Campus Life
Freshmen Live On-Campus
100%
Poll
48%
of students say Greek life is pretty low-key and has little effect on the social scene. 44 responsesPoll
62%
of students say varsity sporting events are attended, but not a huge part of campus life. 50 responsesAfter College
Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation
$50,600 / year
National
$33,028Graduation Rate
83%
National
49%Employed 2 Years After Graduation
89%
National
83%58%
of students feel confident they will find a job in their field after graduation. 19 responsesOccidental College Reviews
Rating 3.68 out of 5 509 reviews
Like everything, there are ups and downs and days where I wish I were back home with my dogs, but I love Occidental College, and I've had such a great experience so far. I am only a sophomore and have already taken a wide diversity of courses with phenomenal professors, met incredible friends, and have had many opportunities to help professors with their research. I have an environmental science concentration with my major and have worked in my biology professor's lab since the first semester of my first year! Being at Oxy, a small school, enables me to build a great network of mentors and participate in undergraduate research throughout the school year and independent paid research over the summer. Ultimately, I have loved the experiences of being at Oxy and being able to take a comprehensive arrangement of courses and do stem research.
My top priority entering college was to receive a strong education, build community, and measure personal and academic growth by the end of my 4 years here. I absolutely adore the classes Occidental has to offer, I find the small classes engaging, they make me work harder and I am always able to rely on professors and other outside resources for support. Socially, I find the school to be quite cliquey, when making friends I direct my effort towards individual relationships rather than group circles. Oxy students are very engaged with admin, they often have to advocate for their needs that should have already been addressed by admin, but due to the small school, students are able to connect with admin more easily than at a larger institution.
Oxy is a college with a strong history and focus on social justice and inclusion. Although it offers non liberal arts majors, with further investigation, students can find that options are limited. STEM for example is arguably not a strength and you will not likely find religious or conservative clubs that are attended. Athletics are available yet the more competitive programs at the Claremont schools or Chapman can lure some of the stronger athletes away. From a party perspective, the school can be lively similar to a University of Arizona.