Occidental College

grade A
Overall Grade
4 Year
LOS ANGELES, CA
Rating 3.63 out of 5 476 reviews

COVID-19 Update for Prospective Students and Families:

Due to the extraordinary circumstances regarding SAT and ACT testing availability, Occidental will suspend standardized testing requirements for Fall 2022 and Fall 2023 applicants. Learn More

Overall Niche Grade

How are grades calculated?Data Sources

Academics
grade A+
Value
grade A
Diversity
grade A+
Campus
grade B+
Athletics
grade C+
Party Scene
grade B minus
Professors
grade A
Location
grade A minus
Dorms
grade B minus
Campus Food
grade A+
Student Life
grade B+
Safety
grade C+

oxy.edu

1600 CAMPUS RD
LOS ANGELES, CA 90041

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About Occidental...

Athletic Division

NCAA Division III (without football)

Athletic Conference

Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

From Occidental College

Occidental College fully integrates the liberal arts and sciences with the cultural and intellectual resources of a global city. Situated on a 120-acre residential campus in the heart of Los Angeles, our location serves as a springboard for putting theory into practice and ideas into action.

Oxy is a place for talented, hard-working, curious students to explore their current passions—and discover new ones. They benefit from our small-classroom environment and demanding yet supportive faculty, who are dedicated to teaching and mentorship. Our distinctive interdisciplinary and global approach gives students the chance to explore new ideas and perspectives, and connect with the world.

With more than 40 majors and minors, Oxy lays the groundwork for a compelling intellectual adventure. Our graduates are strategic thinkers and effective communicators. Occidental is reinventing the liberal arts and sciences for a new generation of problem solvers, creators and thinkers.

Class Profile

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Occidental College Rankings

Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.

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Admissions

Application Deadline

January 10

Acceptance Rate

41%

SAT Range

1270-1460

ACT Range

28-33

Application Fee

$70

SAT/ACT

Considered but not required

High School GPA

Considered but not required

Accepts Common App

Yes

Cost

Net Price

$41,102 / year

National

$15,523

Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.

Average Total Aid Awarded

$35,498 / year

National

$7,535

Students Receiving Financial Aid

77%

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Academics

Professors

Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.

Student Faculty Ratio

9:1

Evening Degree Programs

89%

of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes. 27 responses

71%

of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want. 35 responses

51%

of students agree that the workload is easy to manage. 35 responses

Majors

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.

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Online

Online Programs Offered

Offers Online Courses

Yes

Online Certificate Programs

Online Associates Programs

Online Bachelor's Programs

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Mix of Online and on Campus
0%
On Campus
0%
Online
100%

Students

Full-Time Enrollment

1,791 Undergrads

Part-Time Undergrads

Undergrads Over 25

300%

Pell Grant

17%

Varsity Athletes

22%

Poll

What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?

Based on 17 responses

Passionate, with a lot of commitments
41%
Involved
24%
Always wants to be doing more
12%
Homogenous
6%
Liberal
6%
Not very outgoing; smart in one particular field
6%
Smart, passionate, drive, but shallow
6%

Campus Life

Freshmen Live On-Campus

100%

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Poll

50%

of students say that Greek life is average, and no one will treat you differently if you don't join. 36 responses

Poll

62%

of students say varsity sporting events are attended, but not a huge part of campus life. 42 responses

Poll

What one word or phrase best describes your school?

Based on 18 responses

Liberal
39%
Academic
17%
A community of people who become family
17%
Integrity
17%
Demanding
6%
There for you
6%

After College

Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation

$50,600 / year

National

$33,028

Graduation Rate

84%

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 responses

Occidental College Reviews

476 reviews

All Categories

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.

Oxy has always fostered passionate and committed academics with a highly focused attention towards global and local impacts, while still maintaining an easy-going and inclusive west-coast attitude. I feel at home there. One thing that definitely needs to change, however, is their focus on the black students and black studies. The latter is a withering major and the former have suffered lack of support. Especially considering the unexpected deaths of two black students on campus this past semester, black students are feeling more desolate in the school's environment than usual. Oxy likes to parade itself around as a pillar of inclusivity, but the lack of ownership and material reparations dedicated to dismantling racist conditions of the college, such as the blackface incident from a donor of the school (who graduated in the 80s) that rose to light this past year, truly prove that Oxy thrives under a facade of progressive interests. Please change this! Our students deserve it.

Beautiful campus, small and easy to get around. Located in a nice, quiet neighborhood and isn’t too far from the city. Lots of internship/research opportunities due to being in LA. Because it’s a small campus and classes are small, you build connections with professors. There is also a sense of community among students. Not a very good party school (if that’s your scene), but everyone is very friendly. Overall, classes are interesting, professors have been kind/understanding, and there are a lot of cool events to attend that are set up by different departments/student clubs.

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