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A
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Academics
    A
  2. Value
    A
  3. Diversity
    A
  4. Campus
    B+
  5. Athletics
    C+
  6. Party Scene
    B
  7. Professors
    A-
  8. Location
    B+
  9. Dorms
    C+
  10. Campus Food
    A
  11. Student Life
    A-
  12. Safety
    C
View Full Report Card
Occidental College is ...
Private not-for-profit
Athletic Division
NCAA Division III (with football)
Athletic Conference
Southern California Intercoll Athletic Conference
Address
1600 Campus Rd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
Website
oxy.edu
From Occidental College

Occidental College's beautiful campus in Los Angeles serves as a springboard for putting theory into practice. In more than 40 majors and minors, students benefit from a small-classroom environment with stimulating faculty. Our distinctive approach offers a chance to explore new ideas, and the academic rigor on campus is enhanced by internships and partnerships across L.A. Consciously collaborative, our students seek to embrace difference and make a difference in the world. Occidental is reinventing the liberal arts and sciences for a new generation of problem solvers, creators, and thinkers.

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 15
Acceptance Rate
46%
SAT Range
1200-1420
ACT Range
28-31
Application Fee
$65
SAT/ACT
Required
High School GPA
Required
Accepts Common App
Yes

Cost

Net Price
$31,990/ year
National
$15,523
Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.
Net Price by Household Income
  • <$30k
    $11,547/ year
  • $30-48k
    $15,258/ year
  • $49-75k
    $17,877/ year
  • $76-110k
    $25,494/ year
  • $110k+
    $44,977/ year
Student Loan Options from Lenders
Learn More
  • Affordable fixed or variable rates
  • No application, origination or disbursement fees
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  • Loans from community lenders that put people before profits
  • Easy, online app with ability to add a cosigner in minutes
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  • Simple, straightforward student loans with an easy application
  • Flexible repayment options, and strong borrower protections

Academics

Professors
A-
Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.
Student Faculty Ratio
10:1
Evening Degree Programs
No
89%
of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes.27 responses
69%
of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want.32 responses
50%
of students agree that the workload is easy to manage.32 responses

Majors

Most Popular Majors
  • Economics
    66 Graduates
  • Biology
    44 Graduates
  • International Relations and National Security Studies
    43 Graduates
  • Psychology
    33 Graduates
  • Sociology
    32 Graduates
  • Political Science and Government
    28 Graduates
  • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
    27 Graduates
  • Arts
    24 Graduates
  • Spanish Language and Literature
    23 Graduates
  • Mathematics & Statistics
    22 Graduates

Students

Full-Time Enrollment
1,952Undergrads
Undergrads Over 25
1%
Pell Grant
21%
Varsity Athletes
20%
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?
Based on 14 responses
Report
  • Passionate, with a lot of commitments
    36%
  • Involved
    21%
  • Always wants to be doing more
    14%
  • Homogenous
    7%
  • Liberal
    7%
  • Not very outgoing; smart in one particular field
    7%
  • Smart, passionate, drive, but shallow
    7%

Campus Life

Freshmen Live On-Campus
100%
Poll
48%
of students say that Greek life is average, and no one will treat you differently if you don't join.33 responses
Poll
62%
of students say varsity sporting events are attended, but not a huge part of campus life.39 responses
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes your school?
Based on 15 responses
Report
  • Liberal
    40%
  • Integrity
    20%
  • Academic
    13%
  • A community of people who become family
    13%
  • Demanding
    7%
  • There for you
    7%

After College

Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation
$49,700/ year
National
$33,028
Graduation Rate
81%
National
49%
Employed 2 Years After Graduation
91%
National
83%
56%
of students feel confident they will find a job in their field after graduation.18 responses
Colleges like Occidental College
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Occidental College Reviews

427 reviews
All Categories
I just transferred to Occidental College from Wabash College—a liberal arts college in Crawfordscille, Indiana. I have nothing but good things to say about Oxy, and I’m really looking forward to finishing my undergraduate degree here!
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Occidental College is one of the most underrated colleges out there. It has excellent faculty who are committed to seeing their students realize their fullest potential and succeed in whatever they are passionate in. Great facilities, beautiful campus, great location, excellent weather year-round. I have formed lifelong friendships and gained great faculty and professional mentors and I am proud to call myself an alum there. Thanks to Oxy, I was able to get connected to many great opportunities such as study abroad, and now I am a Fulbright grantee. It is definitely a very liberal campus so may be difficult for conservative students but this climate definitely challenges conservative students to clearly think through their opinions and convictions, ultimately molding everyone to be a more careful thinker, more articulate speaker and writer, and better global citizen.
Occidental College offers stellar academics with an added emphasis on finding a job/career post-college, excellent food, and an extremely beautiful campus. The professors are generally approachable and flexible, often providing over-enrolment overrides for popular classes when asked in-person and extending deadlines during exam heavy weeks. The students here have a work hard during the weekdays, play hard during the weekends attitude; although the party scene isn't quite as enthralling as what one might find in a frat party at a bigger state university. However, smaller, more private dorm parties are in abundance at Oxy.