Occidental College
Los Angeles, California | Admissions Phone: 323-259-2700
E-mail: admission@oxy.edu | Website: www.oxy.edu
ADMISSION
Admission Rate: 37%
Admission Rate - Men: 37%
Admission Rate - Women: 38%
EA Admission Rate: Not Offered
ED Admission Rate: 48%
Admission Rate (5-Year Trend): -5%
ED Admission Rate (5-Year Trend): -1%
% of Admits Attending (Yield): 21%
Transfer Admission Rate: 19%
# Offered Wait List: 1,095
# Accepted Wait List: 568
# Admitted Wait List: 8
SAT Reading/Writing (Middle 50%): 640-710
SAT Math (Middle 50%): 630-740
ACT Composite (Middle 50%): 28-32
Testing Policy: ACT/SAT Required
SAT Superscore: Yes
ACT Superscore: Yes
% Graduated in Top 10% of HS Class: 53%
% Graduated in Top 25% of HS Class: 85%
% Graduated in Top 50% of HS Class: 97%
ENROLLMENT
Total Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,036
% Part-Time: 1%
% Male: 41%
% Female: 59%
% Out-of-State: 52%
% Fraternity: 12%
% Sorority: 21%
% On-Campus (Freshman): 100%
% On-Campus (All Undergraduate): 81%
% African-American: 5%
% Asian: 15%
% Hispanic: 14%
% White: 49%
% Other: 8%
% Race or Ethnicity Unknown: 1%
% International: 7%
% Low-Income: 21%
ACADEMICS
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 10:1
% of Classes Under 20: 70%
% of Classes Under 40: 98%
% Full-Time Faculty: 76%
% Full-Time Faculty w/ Terminal Degree: 96%
Top Programs
Art & Art History
Diplomacy and World Affairs
Economics
Kinesiology
Media & Arts Culture
Sociology
Theatre
Urban and Environmental Policy
Retention Rate: 90%
4-Year Graduation Rate: 81%
6-Year Graduation Rate: 85%
Curricular Flexibility: Somewhat Flexible
Academic Rating: 
FINANCIAL
Institutional Type: Private
In-State Tuition: $54,090
Out-of-State Tuition: $54,090
Room & Board: $15,496
Required Fees: $596
Books & Supplies: $1,220
Avg. Need-Based Aid: $41,521
Avg. % of Need Met: 100%
Avg. Merit-Based Aid: $12,332
% Receiving Merit-Based Aid: 46%
Avg. Cumulative Debt: $32,055
% of Students Borrowing: 55%
CAREER
Who Recruits
1. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
2. Northwestern Mutual
3. Aflac
4. Bank of America
5. Teach for America
Notable Internships
1. Calvin Klein
2. Paramount Pictures
3. Pfizer
Top Industries
1. Business
2. Education
3. Operations
4. Media
5. Social Services
Top Employers
1. Kaiser Permanente
2. Google
3. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
4. Microsoft
5. Amazon
Where Alumni Work
1. Los Angeles
2. San Francisco
3. New York City
4. Seattle
5. Orange County, CA
Median Earnings
College Scorecard (Early Career): $50,600
EOP (Early Career): $49,000
PayScale (Mid-Career): $105,700
RANKINGS
Forbes: 102
Money: 251
U.S. News: 39, Liberal Arts Colleges
Wall Street Journal/THE: 99
Washington Monthly: 62, Liberal Arts Colleges
Inside the Classroom
A rare liberal arts dynamo in an urban setting, Occidental College, one of the oldest schools on the West Coast, is home to 2,055 undergraduate students. Situated only eight miles from downtown Los Angeles, Occidental attracts a diverse set of talented and community-oriented young people. Non higher-education aficionados may have first heard of the college when Barack Obama burst onto the political scene; he attended the school through sophomore year before transferring to Columbia University. Along with the Claremont colleges, the school known affectionately as Oxy is among the best liberal arts institutions west of the Mississippi.
Thirty-four majors are on tap, but all students must plow through the Oxy Core Program that is designed to “encourage critical thinking, problem-solving, effective communication and productive engagement with issues of difference, diversity and community.” Before students even arrive on campus they must complete a summer reading assignment centered on an annual theme. Once class commences, students engage in the Cultural Studies Program, two small seminar courses intended to introduce students to collegiate-level writing and discourse.
Oxy offers an enviable 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio and an average class size of eighteen students. Not a single class contains over fifty students, and 90 percent enroll fewer than thirty. The Undergraduate Research Center facilitates a plethora of hands-on experiences including a ten-week mentored summer program and limitless chances to pursue independent and course-based academic research during the regular school year. At the end of the summer, 120+ students present their research findings. Over two-thirds of undergraduates become global citizens during their time at Occidental through international internships and fellowships or through participation in the study abroad program. Faculty-led programs are available at a variety of destinations around the globe including Italy, Costa Rica, China, the Czech Republic, and Austria. Its partnership with the United Nations provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity for a cohort of students to live in New York, intern at the UN, and take courses with Occidental professors at the same time.
The most popular degree programs at Oxy, all of which carry strong reputations with employers and top-tier graduate schools, are economics, biology, sociology, psychology, diplomacy and world affairs, mathematics, and urban and environmental policy. Prestigious postgraduate scholarship programs look kindly on those with a degree from Oxy. Ten Rhodes Scholars graduated from the school that has been a top ten producer of Fulbright Fellowships for the last decade; nine seniors took home Fulbrights in 2019 alone.
Outside the Classroom
Hardly your typical urban campus, Occidental’s 120 acres are among the most notably beautiful higher education homes in the entire country. Countless Hollywood productions (e.g., Clueless, 90210) have selected Occidental as a filming location. The amenities are more in line with a private resort than a typical college. It features a 25,000-square-foot facility only for tennis, a thirty-four-meter deep pool only for water polo, and dining services that serve restaurant-quality cuisine. Just over four-fifths of the student population reside in one the school’s thirteen residence halls, and there are seven Greek organizations that attract a modest membership. Roughly 25 percent of undergrads compete on one of twenty-one NCAA Division III sports teams. Tigers also have the option of joining eight club sports teams or any number of intramural athletic leagues. A full array of student organizations exist as well—115 in total—with everything from Oxy TV to a microfinance club. Wandering off campus and into the Eagle Rock and Highland Park sections of Northeast Los Angeles provides easily accessible entertainment, and downtown LA is only a short drive away, which is relevant because 60 percent of Oxy students bring a car to school. In addition, destinations including Venice Beach and Disneyland are less than an hour away.
Career Services
The Hameetman Career Center (HCC) has six full-time professional staff members working in career advising, pre-health advising, and national/international fellowship application guidance. The CDO’s 343:1 student-to-advisor ratio is better than average when compared to other colleges featured in our guidebook. Additionally, the center trains four career peer advisors to assist their fellow undergrads. The six core services provided by the office are “(1) career education and career advice; (2) access to internships; (3) pre-law advice; (4) employer, alumni, and parent engagement; (5) job search; and (6) employer recruiting events.” It conducted 1,650 one-onone advising appointments last year alone.
The most recent Oxy Career Fair was attended by sixty-three employers and 380 students. Hosting more than 200 events each year, the HCC also brings 120 employers to campus each year for recruiting purposes. Including all events and individual counseling appointments, it interacts with 2,500 students annually. Internships hosting Oxy students in recent years include Mercedes Benz Shanghai, the Office of the Mayor of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times, and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This office aims to reach students in their freshman year and first presents their services to incoming students at orientation with an eye toward preparing them for a productive first summer experience. Impressive employment and graduate enrollment statistics indicate that its approach works, earning Occidental’s Hameetman Career Center praise from current and former students alike.
Professional Outcomes
One year after graduation, 94 percent of Occidental alumni are employed, pursuing graduate studies, or engaged in both simultaneously. By sector, the largest numbers of grads enter community service/education (25 percent), STEM (23 percent), and management/business/finance (20 percent). Among the largest employers of Oxy alumni are the Los Angeles Unified School District, Kaiser Permanente, Microsoft, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Google, Morgan Stanley, and Amazon. Also on the list are a number of universities that employ Occidental grads after they earn advanced degrees. Most Tigers remain on the prowl in California—mainly LA or San Fran, although there are large alumni clusters on the East Coast, especially in New York City and DC. Midcareer average salaries are in the six figures and among the highest of any institution in the country. According to PayScale, recent graduates earn an average of $51,000 and, by midcareer, bring home $108,000.
Close to three-quarters of Oxy alumni eventually earn one or more advanced degrees. Recent graduates have gone on to continue their educations at Harvard, Stanford, NYU, University of Chicago, UCLA, USC, and UC Berkeley. Those pursuing law degrees have done so at Stanford, USC, UCLA, University of Pennsylvania, Yale, Columbia, Vanderbilt, and Emory. Each year Occidental sees roughly twenty graduates and alumni accepted into medical school, including many of the finest universities in the country. On a per capita basis, the college is also one of the most prolific producers of future PhDs in the country. According to the National Science Foundation, Oxy ranks nineteenth among liberal arts colleges in this category. In short, graduate and professional schools respect the college’s reputation and know that those who post an impressive undergraduate GPA have fully earned it.
Admission
Of the 7,281 applicants vying for a place in Occidental College’s 2018-19 freshman class, 37 percent were admitted, and 565 ultimately enrolled. Members of the Class of 2022 held a median unweighted GPA of 3.7, SAT score of 1350, and an ACT score of 30. Students were generally active outside the classroom as 52 percent of freshmen played a sport in high school, 75 percent volunteered in their community, and 28 percent played a musical instrument. Over three-fifths placed within the top decile of their high school graduating class; 86 percent landed in the top quarter.
An admissions review from the Occidental staff is a genuinely holistic process. As the committee states, “Creative, soulful, funny, introspective—all words to describe some of our most memorable applicants, but the common thread is always authenticity.” That philosophy is supported by GPA, rigor of secondary school record, and the application essay as the triumvirate of admissions factors designated as “most important.” Class rank, standardized test scores, recommendations, extracurricular activities, character/personal qualities, volunteer work, and work experience make up the next rung of “important” factors. Men may receive a slight edge in the admissions process as they make up 43 percent of the student body, but the admit rate for men and women is generally comparable. Those applying early decision received a “yes” 48 percent of the time. Occidental is a rare elite college that is not test-optional, but it does not make supremely high test scores a firm prerequisite for serious consideration. In fact, 45 percent of freshmen who took the ACT possessed a composite score between 24 and 29. The college has an extremely low yield rate of 12 percent, which means that it is always on the lookout for students who demonstrate interest and view the school as their number one choice.
Worth Your Money?
An education at Occidental is a phenomenal and highly personalized experience. Of course, providing such an intimate and supportive learning environment costs money. As a result, the annual cost of attendance is $73,102, and while 46 percent of students are awarded merit aid, the average amount is $12k, which puts only a small dent in the overall price. Fortunately, those with significant financial need will see 100 percent of their need met by the school. That translates to 57 percent of current undergraduates receiving grants of almost $42k, helping to make the Occidental experience far more affordable and a worth investment. Middle-income students without a significant financial aid offer should consider their career plans before agreeing to attend.