Occidental College
- 4 Year
- LOS ANGELES, CA
CollegeGrad School
Occidental College
- grade AOverall Grade
- 4 Year
- LOS ANGELES, CA
- Rating 3.64 out of 5 495 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
89%
of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes. 27 responses68%
of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want. 38 responses50%
of students agree that the workload is easy to manage. 38 responsesMajors
Most Popular Majors
- Economics80 Graduates
- International Relations39 Graduates
- Biology37 Graduates
- Political Science and Government28 Graduates
- Psychology25 Graduates
- Film and Video Studies24 Graduates
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology20 Graduates
- Cognitive Science19 Graduates
- Computer Science18 Graduates
- English18 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
0%
Poll
46%
of students say that Greek life is average, and no one will treat you differently if you don't join. 39 responsesPoll
60%
of students say varsity sporting events are attended, but not a huge part of campus life. 45 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%56%
of students feel confident they will find a job in their field after graduation. 18 responsesOccidental College Reviews
Rating 3.64 out of 5 495 reviews
Oxy is everything you'd expect from a small, liberal arts college in an urban area; what makes the college special is the community and environment of care that the students bring. I have felt extremely supported in my time at Oxy and have found different communities for my hobbies, cultural affinity spaces, and other interests. Oxy can sometimes feel small with only about 2000 students, but I really liked that aspect since no one on campus feels like a stranger. Academics are pretty rigorous but professors are lovely and truly want to work with individual students. Highly recommend taking any courses in the Education department! One downside is the campus is full of hills, so not very accessible for physically disabled students.
In my first year at Occidental College I had a very enjoyable experience. I am a varsity swimmer and loved my experience as a D3 athlete. In addition to the community I built around athletics, the communal dorm allowed me to create other friendships as well! As an athlete, food is an extremely important aspect of my life. The dining halls food is great, and much better than many other colleges'. Outside of athletics, I had countless amazing experiences with professors. All of my professors cared about me as a person and student. I went to most of my classes very excited to learn from incredible professors. On days when I was not swimming or in school, I enjoyed the surrounding area. My friends and I can take a very short walk to York, where the restaurants are delicious and the stores are delightful. My overall experience at Oxy has been very positive. One of my only negative experiences has been with the finical aspect of the school, although this significantly varies per person.
As a sophomore, my experience at Oxy has been great! The campus culture is extremely liberal, and both for better and for worse you will most likely be surrounded by many like-minded people. The food is amazing 4/7 days of the week and above average on weekends, there are also usually a lot of great student involvement activities happening around campus every week. I can't say enough about how great the academics are, I have truly learned so much in my courses and have had amazing professors during my time here. I was never drowning in homework, but also never felt under-enriched. The course selection is always interesting and it is so easy to get the classes you want. The party scene is definitely subpar compared to large universities with lots of greek life, but the LA nightlife is some of the best in the country. The one thing I would be wary of is committing for sports, the coaches tend to over-recruit and end up cutting many players, as has happened to many of my friends.