Occidental College

Occidental College placed 38th in the 2027 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges ranking, maintaining a relatively steady position near the top forty. Gaining admission is moderately selective, though less restrictive than at many peer institutions. In 2025, the college admitted 44.2% of applicants, an acceptance rate higher than 80% of peer schools in a comparison group of similarly ranked private liberal arts colleges. Enrolling students also face an uncrowded path once admitted, as the draw among accepted applicants remains modest. Occidental recorded a yield rate of 17.8% in 2025, meaning fewer than one in five admitted students chose to enroll. For prospective applicants, this combination of an above-average admit rate and low yield suggests that competitive candidates who demonstrate strong academic interest stand a reasonable chance of securing an admission offer.

Applicants to Occidental College typically present strong academic profiles, even though test submission rates have dropped significantly. In 2025, only 20% of entering students submitted SAT scores. Among those submitters, test results were competitive: the median SAT score was 1440, which was higher than 69% of peer schools in a comparison group of similarly ranked private liberal arts colleges. Enrolled students also demonstrate consistent high school performance. During the 2023-2024 academic year, 28.0% of admitted students entered with high school GPAs between 3.75 and 3.99, while others maintained averages in the solid B-plus to A-minus range. To build a compelling application, prospective candidates should target a high school academic record near the top of their secondary classes alongside standardized scores that align with these elevated institutional benchmarks.

Occidental College emphasizes a well-rounded undergraduate curriculum where degree completions are dispersed across multiple social science and STEM disciplines. In 2025, the institution conferred 486 bachelor's degrees, with the top three majors accounting for 29% of all graduates. The most popular fields of study were Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, Research and Experimental Psychology, and Biology, alongside International Relations and Affairs. Occidental's evaluated programs do not hold top national rankings, with undergraduate Psychology placing 163rd and Computer Science placing 235th in the 2027 US News rankings. Post-graduation earnings vary considerably depending on the discipline. According to 2023 earnings data recorded one year after graduation, Computer Science graduates achieved the highest median income at $82,345, while graduates from humanities and policy programs reported lower starting compensation. Prospective students should weigh these diverse earning outcomes when selecting a major at the college.

Occidental College maintains a close-knit undergraduate community composed of first-year cohorts, continuing students, and a small incoming transfer population. Women represent the majority across every undergraduate class, constituting the primary share of students on campus. The college exhibits a racially diverse student population where White students form the largest single group, followed by sizable representations of Asian and Hispanic students. Focusing on incoming undergraduates in 2025, Asian students numbered 99, accounting for 19.4% of the freshman class. In the same entering cohort, international students totaled 30, representing 5.9% of new students. Continuing undergraduate cohorts show similar distributions, alongside modest cohorts of transfer entrants. For prospective students, these demographics reflect a traditional residential campus where domestic diversity is prominent and overseas students form a distinct, specialized segment of the overall student population.

Occidental College is dedicated entirely to undergraduate education, with zero graduate students enrolled in 2025. Campus life is centered on traditional college-age peers: students aged 18 to 19 constitute the largest segment at 48.3% of enrollment, while the subsequent age group accounts for 40.6%. Older undergraduates represent only a minimal share of the student body. Without graduate programs, campus housing, extracurricular activities, and support services cater exclusively to young adults navigating undergraduate degree requirements.

International student representation at Occidental College has trended downward over the past decade. In 2025, international students comprised 5.2% of the undergraduate student body, a share higher than only 17% of peer schools in a comparison group of similarly ranked private liberal arts colleges. At the graduate level, the college enrolls no graduate students, leaving the campus community focused entirely on undergraduate education. Among graduating students, international scholars accounted for 4.1% of all bachelor's degrees conferred in 2025. These international degree recipients were primarily concentrated in policy and quantitative fields, most notably International Relations and Affairs, where international students made up 13.2% of graduates, followed by Computer Science and Economics. For international applicants, Occidental offers an intimate liberal arts setting, though the overall international cohort remains relatively small compared to peer institutions.

Located within the city of Los Angeles, Occidental College is situated close to several major research universities and liberal arts colleges. Only 4.9 kilometers away is California Institute of Technology, ranked 5th among National Universities in 2027. Moving slightly farther south, University of Southern California ranks 27th in the National University category at a distance of 8.4 kilometers. Families exploring liberal arts alternatives within the broader metropolitan area can look east toward Claremont. There, Pomona College is located 28.5 kilometers from Occidental and holds the 3rd spot among National Liberal Arts Colleges in 2027, while Scripps College sits 28.6 kilometers away and is tied at 38th on the same liberal arts college ranking list.

Campus safety records at Occidental College show that reported incidents are primarily driven by student conduct violations rather than serious violent crime. In 2025, the campus crime rate per 1,000 students was 17.1, reflecting a substantial reduction over the past decade. Over the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, internal disciplinary actions represented the vast majority of all recorded events, led by 169 disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations and 95 disciplinary referrals for drug law violations. Criminal offenses occurred with far less frequency across those same years, including small numbers of stalking, rape, burglary, and motor vehicle theft cases. For families assessing campus environment, these statistics indicate that safety concerns are largely centered on residence hall alcohol and substance policy enforcement rather than external physical threats.