Occidental College

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Quick Stats
1600 Campus Road

Los Angeles, CA 90041-3314

[map]
Phone: (323) 259-2500
2011-2012 Tuition
$42,960
tuition and fees
Students
2,089
enrolled
44%
male /
56%
female
Admissions
Jan. 10
application deadline
41.9%
accepted

More Information

_

U.S. News Rankings

Ranking score and category
U.S. News rank Category Name
#37 National Liberal Arts Colleges

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Summary

Occidental College is a private institution that was founded in 1887. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,089, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 120 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Occidental College's ranking in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 37. Its tuition and fees are $42,960 (2011-12).

The Occidental campus is located in the suburban neighborhood of Eagle Rock, 8 miles from downtown Los Angeles. Downtown L.A. is brimming with opportunities for college students: internships, dining, nightlife, and more. Freshmen must live on campus, and they are allowed to have cars. That’s a good thing, because the campus is within an hour’s drive of big-time attractions like Venice Beach, Disneyland, and Sunset Strip in Hollywood. Parking on campus is free with a permit, and about two-thirds of students bring cars. Students can choose from more than 100 clubs and organizations to get involved in on campus. Occidental has a handful of  sororities and fraternities, and a coed organization, which draw about 15 percent of students. Even more students compete on the school’s sports teams, the orange and black Tigers, which are members of the NCAA Division III Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Occidental students can also take classes at CalTech and Art Center, and can earn joint degrees at CalTech, Columbia University, and the University of Southern California's Keck Graduate Institute.

This liberal arts college is notable for its diverse undergraduate student body; about 60 percent of students are Caucasian, about 15 percent are Asian American and another 15 percent are Latino, and about 5 percent are African American. Females make up a little more than half  of the student population. Occidental’s picturesque campus has been featured in many motion pictures, including Clueless, Orange County, Jurassic Park III, and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Notable alumni of the small school include Marsha Evans, president and CEO of the American Red Cross; Andrea Elliott, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the New York Times; and Robert Richter, a documentary producer whose work has been featured on major stations like PBS and the Discovery Channel. President Barack Obama attended Occidental for two years before transferring to Columbia University.

School mission (as provided by the school):

A nationally recognized, private residential college of the liberal arts and sciences, and one of the few located in a major city, 124-year-old Occidental is at the forefront of interdisciplinary, intercultural education that integrates the classroom with community-based learning. Our small size and strong sense of community, rigorous curriculum, superb faculty, diverse student body and access to the resources of Los Angeles make Occidental the best of both worlds: intimate in scale, but infinite in scope. Some 79 percent of Occidental students receive some form of financial aid. Occidental graduates thrive in a wide range of careers, from science, medicine, and the law to the arts, business, teaching, and public service.

General Information

School type private, coed college
Year founded 1887
Religious affiliation N/A
Academic calendar semester
Setting urban
2010 Endowment $298,890,606

Applying

When applying to Occidental College, it's important to note the application deadline is January 10, and the early decision deadline is November 15. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due January 11. The application fee at Occidental College is $50. It is more selective, with an acceptance rate of 41.9 percent.

For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity more selective
Fall 2010 acceptance rate 42%
Application deadline January 10
SAT/ACT scores must be received by January 11

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at Occidental College is 9:1, and the school has 62.7 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Occidental College include: Economics, General; International Relations and Affairs; Biology/Biological Sciences, General; English Language and Literature/Letters, Other; and Art/Art Studies, General. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 92.8 percent.

Class sizes
Class sizes
Student-faculty ratio 9:1
4-year graduation rate 80% - High
Five most popular majors for 2010 graduates
Economics, General 14%
International Relations and Affairs 10%
Biology/Biological Sciences, General 8%
English Language and Literature/Letters, Other 8%
Art/Art Studies, General 6%

More About Academic Life

Student Life

Occidental College has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,089, with a gender distribution of 43.5 percent male students and 56.5 percent female students. 80.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 20.0 percent of students live off campus. Occidental College is part of the NCAA III athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at Occidental College.

Total enrollment 2,102
Student gender distribution
Student gender distribution
Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity
Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity
Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority
Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority
Collegiate athletic association NCAA III

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Campus Info & Services

Occidental College offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, women's center, health service, and health insurance. Occidental College also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Of the students at Occidental College, 60 percent have cars on campus. Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Occidental College.

Students who have cars on campus 60% - Medium
Health insurance offered Yes
Students required to own/lease a computer No

More About Campus Info & Services

Paying for School

At Occidental College, 55.8 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $30,832.

Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

Tuition and fees $42,960 (2011-12)
Room and board $11,990 (2011-12) - High
Financial aid statistics
Financial aid statistics

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Student Reviews

Occidental has the kind of campus community that is very easy to be a part of. Joining campus interest groups or organizations, with some natural exceptions, is as easy as checking campus news listings or just sending out an e-mail. I joined the newspaper originally simply by e-mailing someone I knew on it and asking if I could write for them. The same works for just about every other club I've seen on campus. As for social community, the campus has a college party scene which is also very easy to fall into so long as you're genuine and simply enjoy a good time, and there's more than enough else to find to do on the campus if the college party scene isn't your thing. The school brings speakers on campus regularly, the theater department puts on several shows throughout the year, and the music department puts on shows both by students and others throughout the year as well. Finally, the campus is located in Los Angeles, right between Pasadena and Glendale, a stone's throw from Dodger's Stadium and just a few minutes further from Burbank and Hollywood. If you can't find something in a city like this to entertain yourself with, then you should probably be Amish.

Yennaedo Junior

Most people haven't heard of Occidental which is incredibly FRUSTRATING!! They ask question like "Occidental? Is that a dental school?" or "Did you get in by 'occident'?" Haha funny... no. Once you can get over that, the school is amazing. The classes are small and typically discussion-based, and the professors are smart and accessible. Not to mention, while this may sound silly, the weather is a huge boost. There is always something going on in the quad during lunch and everyone is always in good spirits. The music in the quad during lunch hour is guaranteed to perk you up. Huge paper due tomorrow that you haven't started? Don't stress - go write it on Stewie Beach and soak up the sun.

AE Freshman

It takes about 15 minutes to walk from any end of campus to the opposite corner. There are about 1800 students who, for the most part live either on-campus or within a mile radius from the school. There are many aspects of Oxy that remind me of my high school, such as the handholding the school provides to help guide their students through their four years, the wildfire gossip that bounces around, and the dances that are school-sponsored. Sometimes refered to as "the Oxy Bubble" for some of the annoyances that come with a small school, Oxy's a mix of positives and negatives. If those are aspects aren't your cup of tea, then Oxy might not be the best fit. Personally, the positives have greatly outweighed the negatives for my needs and desires in my undergraduate education. As tuition differences shrink between private and public colleges and universities, I'm grateful for the education and environment that Oxy has provided for me--things that I would undoubtedly not be able to experience or have at a bigger school. Oxy prides itself on the liberal arts education that they provide students, which really means that they have requirements that encourage you to explore fields that you wouldn't necessarily gravitate towards. Having a taste of many different fields--math, sciences, arts, humanities--has given me a better scope of fields and has helped me feel more comfortable talking about various topics. So in a nutshell, what's the best thing about Oxy? The diversity of courses you'll take, the diversity of people you'll meet, and the diversity of perspectives you'll gain. Oxy helps make you a more aware individual, which I think is as important (if not more) than the textbooks you'll read in class.

Ashley Senior

More student reviews

* Overview details based on 2010 data

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