Occidental College

Los Angeles, CA · Private (nonprofit)
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Acceptance rate
44.2%
2,854 admitted
SAT · 50th
1440
Range 1400–1495
6-yr grad
80.9%
Retention 89.8%
Undergrads
1,881
9:1 S-F
Admissions
45.0% / 52.8%
in-state / out-of-state
admit rate spread
Applications6,461
Overall admit rate44.2%
In-state admit rate45.0%
Out-of-state admit rate52.8%
Enrolled509 · 17.8% yield
Admitted from waitlist71 of 1,238
Very important factorsGPA, Application essay, Rigor of HS record
Important factorsCharacter, Class rank, Extracurriculars, Recs, Volunteering, Work experience
Selection factors from CDS §C7 (Basis for selection).
Test scores
1440
SAT composite · 50th %ile
range 1400–1495 · 20.0% submitted
SAT
255075
R&W690720750
Math690720770
Comp140014401495
ACT
255075
Comp313334
Cost & aid
$65,678
tuition (full-time)
Tuition$65,678
Fees$596
Room & board$19,252
Books$1,250
Avg need-based grant$48,208
% need met100.0%
Academics
9 : 1
student-faculty ratio
89.8% retention
Student-faculty9 : 1
Retention89.8%
4-year graduation67.8%
6-year graduation80.9%
Enrollment
1,881
undergraduates
59.0% out-of-state · 30 intl freshmen
Total undergraduates1,881
First-year509
Full-time99%
Female59%
Out-of-state59.0%
International (freshmen)30
Rankings
#21
U.S. News & World Report
Top Performers on Social Mobility — National Liberal Arts Colleges
SourceListRankYr
U.S. News & World ReportTop Performers on Social Mobility — National Liberal Arts Colleges#2126
ForbesBest Small Colleges (Under 4,000 Undergrads)#3126
U.S. News & World ReportBest National Liberal Arts Colleges#3526
ForbesAmerica's Top Colleges#11026
NicheBest Colleges in America#15026
U.S. News & World ReportBest Undergraduate Computer Science Programs#22926
WSJ/College PulseBest Colleges in the U.S.#39926
Rankings are the property of their respective publishers (Forbes, Niche, U.S. News & World Report, WSJ/College Pulse). Ranks as published; methodologies vary.
Classifications & designations
Liberal Arts College
Carnegie Classification
114 member schools
SourceGroupMembers
Carnegie ClassificationLiberal Arts College114
Athletic conferenceSouthern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conf.7
Athletic divisionNCAA D3105
Institutional controlPrivate (nonprofit) college211
Geographic groupingCalifornia colleges41
Groups derived from CDS + IPEDS fields. Curated national memberships (AAU, HBCU, Common App, etc.) being added — see task queue.
Application timeline & requirements
$70
application fee
waivable
Regular decision1/10 → By (date): 3/25 → Must reply by May 1st or within 2 weeks if notified thereafter
Early decision11/15 → Mid-December · binding
Early decision 21/10
Deferred admissionAllowed
Test policyNot required for admission, but considered if Submitted
Admissions URLhttps://apply.commonapp.org/login?ma=188
Admissions emailadmission@oxy.edu
Admissions phone1-800-825-5262
Deadlines and requirements from the school's Common Data Set §C3–C6 (Deadlines & Notification, ED/EA, HS Coursework).
Peers by the numbers
Scripps College
closest algorithmic match
across selectivity, size, profile
SchoolAdmitSATSize
Scripps College CA · Private (nonprofit)39.9%14801K
Pitzer College CA · Private (nonprofit)26.9%
University of Puget Sound WA · Private (nonprofit)72.4%12901K
Whitman College WA · Private (nonprofit)40.2%1K
University of California CA · Public38.2%23K
University of California CA · Public28.6%35K
Lewis & Clark College OR · Private (nonprofit)71.2%1K
Peer set computed algorithmically from CDS metrics (admit rate, SAT/ACT band, size) plus IPEDS classification. Not measured cross-application behavior.

Official Common Data Set Documents — Occidental College

25 years of Occidental College's officially published CDS, archived by CollegeNumbers. PDF and spreadsheet originals exactly as the school filed them.